Keeping your weight under control during pregnancy.

I read a book once that said “Yes, you are eating for two.  One of them is not Arnold Schwarzenegger.”  Point well taken.

My good friend is pregnant right now, so I told her that I would write a post, explaining how I tried to stay in shape and keep my weight under control during my pregnancies.   I hope that you find these 5 tips to be helpful to you.

I had four high-risk pregnancies (well, five, if you count the baby that we lost…our blessings through raindrops).  During my pregnancies, I was not allowed to work out very much because I couldn’t elevate my heart rate above 135.   I used to teach fitness classes at our local YMCA, but I had to quit as soon as I found out that I was pregnant with our first son.  I have a bicornuate uterus (two uterus’ that connect at the bottom, forming a heart-shaped uterus), so the risks are high.  Before I was put on bed rest (sometime in the third trimester with each pregnancy), I could work out safely, as long as I stopped working out when my contractions would begin (they would begin when I went over 135).

Although I couldn’t work out as much as I did before my pregnancies, I did try to stay in shape.  Staying healthy is important, during pregnancy, for the baby and to allow for a quicker and easier delivery.  It also helps you get the weight off faster after the baby is born.  (That’s a win-win!)

I wish that I would have know about the work-outs from Beth at Fit2B when I was pregnant!  Fit2B is an online website that has videos available 24/7.   She has a whole section of work-outs that are geared towards pregnancy and geared towards preparing your body for delivery.  (Use the special code that she has given just to Your Modern Family readers!  The code is Yourmodernfamily to get $10 off of your first month- that gives you 3 months of workouts for $20.   I’m so grateful that she made me an affiliate so that I can share this savings with you!  She  is a Mom and understands the importance of working out at home, with the convenience of being home with your kids!  (Here she is with her family)

Here are some ways that you can stay in shape during your pregnancy:

1. Go for a walk.

When I was pregnant, I would wake up early, before our kids, and go for a walk.  My husband wakes up at 7:00, so I would get up at 6:00 to go walking. (The kids can not come out of bed until 7:00 in our house – check out how to keep them in bed later.)  I could get an hour walk in before anyone even began to stir.   You don’t need to walk too fast, just brisk enough to break a little sweat and slow enough that you can still keep up a conversation.

2.  Eat what you can, when you can.
Try to steer clear of too much junk.  I know at the beginning, bread calms morning sickness, but try to eat more nutritious-rich foods.  Everyone will offer you junk food, so just try to say No.  They will say “but you are eating for two”, but remember that you are trying to eat healthy.  An extra few hundred calories is all that you need.  One extra sandwich a day is enough. 
Eat what you can for your baby.  Have cut-up fruits & veggies ready at your house.  Keep peanut butter filled to make a quick Peanut Butter Banana smoothie.  Drink a lot of water.  

3. Prenatal Yoga.
I didn’t really do much yoga before my pregnancies.  My Mom and I once took a class and I think we both fell asleep at the end, when you just lay there and listen to the soft nature music!   I did try to do yoga during my pregnancies, because I know how important it is for your body and for relieving stress (important for your baby).
Beth over at Fit2B studio offers Yoga in her online videos and I wish that I would have done them when I was pregnant.

When I was pregnant, I bought some pregnancy Yoga DVDs and they worked out well, but the price that I paid for one Yoga video was more than the price of three months of different Yoga videos at Fit2B.   (with the code YOURMODERNFAMILY, that is!)

4. Head out for a dip in the pool. Swimming can be a really great way for your body to relax and get exercise.  I loved to swim when I was pregnant, although when you get out of the water, you will feel like you way an extra 100 pounds!

5. Modified weight training
I still did my modified push-ups and triceps dips when I was pregnant.  I would still lift weights, but I cut the amount in half.  Instead of lifting 10 pound weights, I went down to 5 pound weights.   Just take everything a little lighter and keep in mind that you are just trying to stay in shape, for the health of you and your baby.

Caution:  I used to get Braxton hicks contractions when I would work out too hard.  One Doctor told me that the contractions didn’t matter and that it wasn’t doing anything to my body, so for two weeks I worked out, regardless of the contractions.  When I went back in for my next check-up at 34 weeks, I had dilated to 4 centimeters.  I contribute it to working out and so do the other Doctors in the practice. I was put on motified bed rest for two weeks (I couldn’t carry around our other children and I had to rest more than I normally would).  Thankfully, I didn’t deliver until my due date, but I was nervous.  Keep that in mind when working out- do what feels right. Listen to your body!

If you are looking for more workout ideas, check out Fit2B’s post on THREE EXERSICES FOR A STRONG BIRTH.  Remember the code: YOURMODERNFAMILY takes $10 off of your membership (making it $20 for 3 months or join for 12 months for $89.99).

Or you can check out my post on Staying in shape when you are staying home.

Visit me on Facebook and tell me what you think and how you are keeping in shape!