Confessions Of A {Pregnant} Certified Personal Trainer

I am 28 weeks (7 months) pregnant now, and I’m officially in the third trimester! Since beginning my journey to becoming a first time momma, I thought I would share some of my “confessions” with you…

Confessions of a {Pregnant} Certified Personal Trainer

1. Before I became pregnant, I would always wonder why women didn’t exercise during their pregnancy. It’s an important time in life and exercise is still needed! Well, since becoming pregnant, I finally get it. During pregnancy, women are tired. Actually, exhausted is probably a better word to describe how tired women are during pregnancy. On top of that, many pregnant women experience nausea or other difficulties.

For me, I would start my workout, feel nauseous, keep working out anyways, and then I would experience some painful cramping in my side. After speaking with my Midwife regarding my concerns about the cramping, I learned that I just needed to “take it easy” during my workouts. This means that I wasn’t told to stop working out, but I needed to just lower the intensity of my workouts.

I can sympathize with women for not always being able to exercise during their pregnancy, but to never workout? No excuses for this unless your Doctor or Midwife advises you against working out!  Slow down? Sure, but don’t just quit exercising completely! Go ahead and stop the intense interval training workouts you were doing, and go on the elliptical. Go for a walk. Go swimming. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Your body needs you to move before, during, and after pregnancy (once your Doctor or Midwife gives you the go ahead, of course). It’s healthy for the mom and the baby, and finding the time to exercise is more important than ever.

2. I will admit, I have felt a little self conscious about being a health nut with a bulging belly. I’m finally getting to the point where I am starting to look “pregnant” rather than “chubby in the middle”.  Oh well. I’m pregnant, and a baby bump is part of the deal! I do know, however, that being “chubby in the middle” is a temporary thing, and I will get my body back after I have my little one. Why so confident? It’s not because I am a certified personal trainer; I have to workout just like anyone else to get my body back in shape. I have learned something that is key to getting back into shape after having a baby, and that’s knowing that having a baby doesn’t make you fat. Eating junk food and never exercising, well…that will make you keep that “baby weight” on forever.

3. Oh, the pregnancy cravings! I can’t even begin to describe how intense those cravings can be sometimes! Anyone who has been or is pregnant can totally relate to this. I have found that what you do about those cravings is very important. In my first trimester, all I wanted to do was eat anything that was totally fattening and unhealthy! I didn’t just give in, and I took a step back and logically thought “what does my body need?”. I knew that I didn’t need all the junk I was craving, but I soon concluded that I needed fat. My body needed HEALTHY fat. I went to the grocery store and bought myself an avocado and some mixed raw nuts. After eating healthy sources of fat, those cravings soon went away!

For those of you wondering how I could possibly have such amazing self control, I must first come out and admit that I have given in to a couple of my unhealthy cravings. Not all of them, and certainly not on a regular basis! But yes, I totally gave in now and again! For others who are pregnant, go ahead and give in every once in awhile, but don’t make a habit of it. During pregnancy, it is critical that you provide your body and your baby’s body with the essential nutrients that it needs! The best way you can provide your body with important nutrients is through the healthy food you eat every day. Prenatal vitamins are a very important part of making sure you get all the nutrients that you and your baby need during pregnancy, but you shouldn’t look at them as a reason or an excuse to eat junk food all of them time either. Moderation, sweetie. Moderation!

4. Cold water and air conditioning = my two new best friends. I’m one of the lucky women who gets to spend all Summer long pregnant. It’s hot and miserable, but I have found that cold water and air conditioning can make me the happiest woman in the world. Oh, the simple joys in life.

5. I’m learning that if you want a natural birth, you need to prepare for it mentally, emotionally, and physically. I have chosen to use the HypnoBirthing method to help me prepare for my natural water birth. I am excited for this experience that I have chosen to have. I have found so many people tell me that I won’t get a “gold star” for having a natural birth. I realize that I won’t receive that “gold star”, but that’s certainly not why I am having a natural birth. There are so many other important reasons for why I chose to have a natural birth, which is something I am not going to get into today.  Just don’t let others discourage you from having a natural birth if that’s something you want – and seriously plan and prepare for it if you do!

6. Stretch marks are not genetic. I realize that Doctors and national magazines will tell you that stretch marks are completely unavoidable, but the more I do my own research on the topic, I am finding that stretch marks may not be so genetic after all. I have found testimonials where women who didn’t eat processed foods did not have stretch marks – even though they supposedly ran in the family. I have also heard of a women who used coconut oil on her skin every night and didn’t have a single stretch mark – when everyone else in her family has had them. I like what another Mom wrote on her blog: “while genetics may predispose us to something, how we take care of ourselves is far more important than our genetic predisposition”. I have run across too many of these stories of women who defied genetics that I can’t simply conclude that stretch marks are only “genetic”. Of course, we’ll see ;)

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