As a former personal trainer and Zumba instructor, I knew that I wanted to continue to fitness active lifetstyle during pregnancy. But I had to make modifications of course. Even though I usually ran about 3 miles at least 4 times a week before I got pregnant, I just didn’t like the bouncing up and down of running while I was pregnant, not even at the beginning. So, I opted for less impact exercises like walking on an incline and doing the elliptical for about 20 minutes at least. I made sure my heart rate was kept at or below 140 bmp as my OBGYN recommended. I also enjoyed Zumba, yoga and water aerobics. Then after my 20 minutes of cardio I loved to do light strength training exercises with elastic bands or 5-10 pound dumbbells for another 20 minutes. I made sure I incorporated squats and lunges (avoiding lunges after third trimester because the lack of balance increases the risk of falling). As a former Zumba instructor, dancing was another option to incorporate cardio but I made sure I didn’t do any big bounces or abdominal twisting. Water aerobics is also one of the best exercises you can do during pregnancy.
Working out helped me feel in control of my body while the pregnancy induced changes were taking over. And also was a great release of happy endorphins.
This belt helped me carry my belly weight when I was out and about and also gave me support while at the gym.
AZMED Maternity Belt, Breathable Abdominal Binder, Back Support
Eating a balanced diet helped me not get any cravings at all. Lots of fruits and veggies were part of my every day meals but so were small desserts and fried chicken every once in a while lol. I always strive for balance and not deprivation of any sort. Also, the prenatal vitamins were always a must!
Getting great sleep is also important. My husband got me the perfect snoogle pillow to help me sleep with my big belly. Here is the link.
Leachco Snoogle Original Total Body Pillow,
It’s important to invest in what may give you better sleep because resting is essential to delivering the nutrients to your baby, to improve circulation and help fortify your immune system etc…. I never really had trouble sleeping thanks to having this big pillow to accommodate my body and also I owe it to working out and eating a balanced diet. I did get a few leg ugly leg cramps when I probably didn’t have enough potassium in my diet (bananas). I can’t complain too much about the minor discomforts. I always compared it the first trimeter 24/7 morning sickness symptoms, and everything else didn’t seem too bad afterwards! lol
Click on the link to view my big belly in action !
14 days postpartum after a C-Section. I am not back to my pre-pregnancy body but I am fitting into my pre-pregnancy clothes already. I have a long way to go to get back to my regular self but I loving this mommy journey. I am not allowed to workout till another month. So, I will keep you all updated how my progress goes. Thank you all for your positivity and if you have any questions please feel free to ask 🙂
Thanks for sharing your journey and workout tips! The links you posted are very helpful for expecting mother’s, and even people who aren’t pregnant. I’m looking forward to trying one of those body pillows to help me sleep better!
I also loved the visuals of you doing the excercises in the videos, and they are helpful for anyone getting back into working out (such as myself) and wanting to learn lower impact excercises.
I’m looking forward to seeing and reading more, and I’m sure that you’ll get back to your pre-baby weight in no time!