Being Active During Pregnancy

When JP and I decided to stop not trying to have a baby (over churros in Spain, hence the nickname), I knew I wanted to be in great shape so I would have a good chance of delivering naturally.  This takes a ton of energy from what I've read and watched, and I started looking for ways to ensure that my body would be able to take it.  As you read about back in September, I trained for and ran my first half-marathon, which was an absolutely great experience to prep and know what I could physically handle.  Obviously, running and laboring are not the same things, but a lot of articles I've read have compared childbirth to running a marathon: you learn to focus inward and on your breathing, know your limits and how far your can realistically push yourself, and are confident in your body's ability to heal.
So when we found out in late November that this kid was a reality, I didn't want to just let myself go but also wanted to be able to take it easy when my body told me to.  I kept up with my running pretty steadily, even doing a 7-mile jog at week 11!  It's amazing what a run, even a 2-miler, can do for my mood and energy level, so I feel incredibly lucky to already have a great foundation for being active this far along with the churro.

I am a devotee of the app Nike Training Club, which is a free download with a ton of circuit workouts you can do at home.  It's awesome.  It's also way more intense than I could manage after the first trimester, so I've had to cut back on my squats, lunges, and mountain climbers.  Now, on days when I'm not running, I do an easy circuit of exercises, 3 times each: 'girl' pushups, some bicep/tricep reps with an 8-lb medicine ball, lunges, and wide squats.  Everyone says that your arms will be exhausted after the first week of constantly holding a baby, and my mom really thinks this kid is going to be a chubby baby (the cutest kind!).  It can't hurt to have a little upper body strength to start off with!
I also do prenatal yoga once a week at a studio here in Roswell, which has been so restorative and a great way to connect with this body that isn't getting any smaller.  I love getting together with other moms-to-be for 75 minutes and feel like this belly is normal; it's good for my psyche!
JP and I have also been doing some great 2-3 mile hikes around Roswell, and it gives us an opportunity to catch up outside of the house, be active together, and also explore our new area.  All in all, I'm active at least 5 days a week, if not every day!

When I signed up for the Mini-I Challenge (5k on Friday, 10k on Saturday morning) in Urbana, it was great to have something concrete to work toward during the wintery weather.  I knew there was a good chance that I would need to walk some of it, but knew that it was important for my own sense of accomplishment that I at least try to run both.  And I did!  It's vain, but wonderful to know that this pregnancy isn't holding me back.  With the move, a pregnancy, a break from work for a while, and working on this new house, being able to connect with my body through running, yoga, and just sweating in general has been a huge source of comfort and familiarity over the past 5 months.  I know these runs will soon become walks, which will get shorter and shorter, and that's ok.