Good afternoon to my readers!

I know I haven’t been actively writing and it’s due to my pregnancy. I would go into detail but this isn’t that kind of blog. Instead I thought I’d blog about staying fit while pregnant since pregnancy is now apart of my fitness journey.

First, let me begin by saying that I have not been super consistent with working out. This was mainly due to the fact that my first trimester was not a good time lol. In fact, I recently entered into the second trimester which has been lovely to me me thus far leaving me with more energy. Now I have began to work out again. I found a free prenatal workout online through google and I have been using that plus incorporating my own workouts to help with my own specific goals.

I’m going to give you 5 of my favorite tips and exercises for pregnancy. Please consult with your doctor first before performing these workouts especially if you are new to fitness.

1. Easy Does it

The first thing that I must stress is that you PACE YOURSELF. If you were lifting heavy prior to pregnancy, I would talk to your doc about the weight before continuing just to make sure it’s safe. If you weren’t lifting, I would start with light lifting and then do what’s comfortable from there. Again, it’s always good to speak to your doctor first.

2. Cardio

Cardio has always been important when it comes to fitness and it’s just as important during pregnancy. Unless you’ve been working out for years, you probably have no issue doing your regular cardio workouts. For me, pregnancy has me feeling more fatigued and more quickly than usual. So I recommend any type of movement for your daily cardio whether it be a walk through the park or a few laps up and down your stairs. Just get your heart rate up and that blood pumping. Right now, I do about 5 laps up and down my steps as my cardio, and I do that twice a week. Trying to add another day in to make it 3x a week but I’m 18 weeks along and it’s just getting a little more challenging as I go along so… We’ll see lol. Plus! As a MT, I’m constantly on my feet moving and shifting my weight so I’m not being too hard on myself.

3. Body weight Exercise

So I found that doing a few push ups and a couple reps of planks are right up my alley rather than lifting barbells and using equipment. It’s easier for me to manage and maintain. Again, I do what my body and stamina allows me to do. I do not force anything because my comfort and the safety of my baby is priority. So I can manage two reps of 10 push ups and two reps of 30 sec planks at this point in my pregnancy which I think is pretty good. Had I been exercising consistently before pregnancy and throughout my first trimester, I probably would be able to do more but it is what it is and I’m just proud I’m even doing what I’m doing lol. It’s about quality not quantity!

4. Booty Work

So, I desire to keep growing my flutes because I suffer from what is called gluteal weakness and it caused my butt to look extremely flat. I have been more consistent when it comes to working on my booty than anything because it was a big problem which caused me pain and also self confidence issues. I’m proud to say that my flute strength has definitely improved and I have even gained mass since focusing on it. I didn’t want to be one of those women who had a bigger belly than she had a butt lol so I have kept maintaining the growth by doing a few of my fave workouts. The ones that have been helpful and easier for me to do are: glute bridges (I do about 2-3 sets of 10), fire hydrants (I do 2 sets of 10), Clamshells (2 sets of 10 each side) and side lying leg raises (two sets of 10 each side). There are a couple others that I may do to switch things up, like, I may do sumo squats or reverse lunges if I have the stamina and energy to do so. But the ones I listed are my go to and have definitely been working out very well for me. I do those about 3-4 times a week.

5. Stretching It Out

So I really want my delivery and labor process to go as smoothly as possible and one of the ways I can help myself with that is getting and staying flexible. I don’t have the BEST flexibility but I am pretty limber which is huge for me. I’ve just been focusing on maintaining and also improving my flexibility especially in the hips and lower back areas. I recently found out that I have what is called “flat back syndrome” which is when your spine loses it’s natural curve in the lumbar region. This causes back pain and tightness in various muscles. I definitely think the glute weakness is linked to this as well. Since finding that out, I have been doing more stretches that focus on flexibility of my entire spine and also stretching out my hamstrings and quad muscles. All these things work together so I try not to neglect the surrounding areas. In doing this, I’m also helping myself prepare for labor and delivery.

So that wraps up my faves when it comes to exercising during pregnancy and I hope you find the blog helpful for you during your journey. And if you found this to be useful information, share with a friend or loved one who is pregnant!

Catch you later! Xo till next time!