Happy Friday! Today I wanted to share my pregnancy workout routine with you! I have always taken working out and eating healthy very seriously during my pregnancy. I always track my weight gain daily in an effort to stay on track to not gain more than I need to. This may sound excessive, but I have always been concerned about having big babies. Plus, if I can do anything to decrease my odds of having a c-section, I am all for it! Before I get started on what has worked for me through my three pregnancies, I want to say, make sure to check with your doctor. For some, working out while pregnant is not an option and you may need to gain more, or less than others.
For my first pregnancy, I ran the whole time. I felt great once I got out of the morning sickness phase, which for me took me to about 20 weeks. I was throwing up multiple times a day, but for whatever reason felt really good when I was running. So I just stuck with it. I tried to run between two to five miles a day. I would add in some longer runs on weekends or at least once a week maxing out at 8. For a phase of my pregnancy, I was a member at Life Time Fitness and did a lot of workout classes. My favorite one being Cardio Resistance Training (CRT). At the time, it was during my husband’s busy season for work and I would get so bored and lonely. I worked out for hours a night just to see people and have something to do. Ha! It’s funny to think about life before kids! For this pregnancy, I did not take any medication, ate the healthiest and did not do any ab workouts.
For my second pregnancy, I also ran the whole time but not as often. It was much harder with an almost two year old running around. During my first two pregnancies I ran the Disney half marathon which was really fun. It was something to look forward to and to keep me on track with my running. Knowing that I couldn’t run as much, I watched my diet closer and actually gained less weight with this pregnancy.
For my third pregnancy, I ran up until 26 weeks. I got to the point where I was in way too much pain to keep running. It was really discouraging to quit because it felt like I was giving up. Even when I first stopped running and tried going on the elliptical, it still caused me too much pain. Then I discovered biking! It took some work to get my muscles built up enough to where I could bike fast enough to get my heart rate up. I think, had I known when I started there was a light at the end of the tunnel, I would have been much more optimistic on making the switch. For me, biking has been probably the best exercise while pregnant. I get a way better work out running but it seems to negatively effect me more after my runs. I have been doing ab exercises this pregnancy but I do not do any lying flat on my back.
For my current routine, I try and bike at least three to four days a week. On days I cannot get to the gym to bike, I walk on the treadmill at home. I like to get in six workouts a week, but that isn’t always possible. Twice a week I also do some light ab workouts just to keep my core engaged while pregnant. I should be doing more stretching than I do but I’m just not patient enough to fit it into my normal schedule. I hope you all have a great weekend!
Lindsay…
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