Before I got pregnant I said things like:
- “I’m going to run throughout my WHOLE pregnancy, screw walking…I’ll probably even run the day I give birth!” What I have learned: Bahahahahaha! Baby boy said screw RUNNING! I tell you what, even before I knew I was pregnant, my pace slowed down by about one minute/mile. And things only got heavier and more uncomfortable. I transitioned into running/walking intervals and for a while it was perfect. But eventually the running portions became a glorified shuffle and it was just pointless so I’m now just walking. And I am darn proud of those walks too!
- “I’m just going to use a heart rate monitor to make sure I’m not going too fast.” What I have learned: My body made a heart rate monitor completely unnecessary. My calves and shins would start cramping and my breathing would get more labored than I’m comfortable with, so for me that meant SLOW DOWN, STUPID!
- “I’ll probably have to cut back my mileage SOME but I’ll still do at least one half marathon while I’m pregnant.” What I have learned: Again I say…Bahahahaha! Baby boy quickly rejected anything above 3 miles. I seriously bow down to any mama to be who can make it through 13.1+ miles. Like seriously, I have no clue how those ladies do it.
- “I’m not going to miss any workouts, I’ll still workout 6 days a week.” What I have learned: I used to equate the word running with the word workout. Silly, I know, but running has always been my main exercise and doing anything else instead always made me feel lazy. See, I was always good at talking the talk but being pregnant has shown me how to truly walk the walk. I was all about telling clients how important variety is, but when it came to my own workouts, it was running 6.5 miles six days a week. Except when I was training for a half marathon I would make one run longer, between 10 and 14 miles. Now I workout on days that I have time and feel well enough to. And my workouts range from walking, to aerobics, to light resistance training...not just running! I've actually never felt more energized and in touch with my body, having to really listen to what it's telling me when I'm exercising has been a real eye opener for me.
- “I’ll just get one of those maternity running belts and it will probably feel like I’m not even pregnant.” What I have learned: I bought the Gabrialla Elastic Maternity Support Belt off of Amazon and it really is awesome, don't get me wrong. It helps when I'm doing aerobics and especially walking, to support my poor back that isn't used to all this extra weight up front. It also helps my stomach not feel like it's flopping all over the place (sorry for the lovely mental picture). BUT I can most definitely still tell I'm carrying a tiny person down there. The belt didn't help my calf and shin cramps and my legs still get exhausted a lot easier than normal. Also, everything just feels so darn heavy still, plus when I would run it felt like my bladder filled up with my first five steps. So there was no "getting in the zone" and just somehow forgetting about tiny human growing inside of me. And honestly, I don't want to "forget" I'm pregnant. I love thinking about my adorable little man during my walks. I love daydreaming about what he's going to look like and what his personality will be. I love just taking time while I'm out walking to thank God for this BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL, PRECIOUS, and PERFECT in his own way gift that he has blessed my husband and me with.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I thought since I had a class that briefly touched on fitness during pregnancy that I knew exactly what working out while pregnant would be like. I quickly learned that it really is true that experience is the best teacher, every single pregnancy is different. What worked for my professor in that class doesn't work for me, and what works for me might not work for you...and that's okay. It's all about learning more about your body and taking the time while you exercise to think about the life that is growing inside of you and how whatever you're doing is for the health of you and that child
XOXO
Courtney
