My Pregnancy Fitness

Pre-pregnancy I was someone who liked to keep reasonably fit and healthy. Not a total gym bunny, but I would definitely try and work out 3 times a week with a mixture of running and going to the gym. I was adamant that when I was pregnant I would try and keep up with at least gentle exercise to stay fit and healthy. Of course, this isn’t always easy when you feel ridiculously tired and your body is changing shape in a way that makes your regular mode of exercise more difficult to do. 

At the gym I usually do a mixture of the following: Classes (body combat, spin, body attack), running on the treadmill and using the cross trainer, some weight lifting and swimming. At 28 weeks, I have now ditched the classes and have decided that using the cross trainer, swimming and some light weights are the way forward, and I’ve also been seeing one of the gym instructors (who specialises in pregnancy fitness) regularly to make sure that I’m continuing to exercise correctly. 

I must admit that I feel much better for continuing to exercise, and that when I do (especially swimming) I feel really re-energised afterwards. Overall I’ve been happy with how my body is changing so far this pregnancy, and of course, the most important outcome is a healthy baby. However, I’ve been keen to not put on too much weight, and whilst I’ve enjoyed possibly a few more treats than usual (curse you, Mini Eggs!), I’m trying not to stuff my face. Before getting pregnant I was actually about 10 pounds over my ‘fighting weight’ anyway, something I wasn’t overly happy about, so I know that once baby boy arrives I’ll have some ‘baggage’ to shift at some point, even if it’s not straight away! I’m hopeful that like with the other two, the pounds will fall off through long summer walks with the buggy- or at least that’s my plan anyway! 

I’m also hoping to join a post-natal yoga group at my local yoga centre so I can tone up once our baby boy arrives, but I guess a lot of this depends on how chilled out he is- I could be wildly optimistic here! Either way, I’m sure there’s some yoga videos on YouTube that I can watch and do at home if needs be. I think if you’re quite an active person then it’s really hard getting the balance between really resting and recovering post-birth, and getting on with ‘normal’ life and getting your body back, and it’s something I’m going to work hard to get right. 

The same goes for exercise right now. I’m going to carry on trying to stay reasonably active, but won’t beat myself up if I get to a point where I just can’t/don’t feel like doing anything anymore- and that’s okay! 

Do you have any pregnancy exercise tips for me? I’d love to hear them if so.

Becky

Meet the award-nominated UK lifestyle blogger behind Spirited Puddle Jumper – a mum of three living in South East London! Becky shares the real ups and downs of family life, parenting tips, and lifestyle inspiration, proving that being a mum doesn’t mean you stop being fun or having other interests! Follow along for honest insights into UK family life and opinions on a whole range of topics, from travel and food, to beauty reviews, home and DIY, business and health and wellness.