Why I chose to Workout Throughout my Pregnancy

Throughout my pregnancy I got asked quite a bit about my work out routine. Readers wanted to know what I was doing, how I was doing it and why I cared so much. For me, working out has always been the biggest stress reliever, so I really needed it that much more during my pregnancy.

I have mentioned this before but prior to my pregnancy, I took spin classes with a girl named Mandy. Mandy doesn’t know my name but I remember watching (in a non creepy way I promise), Mandy show up for spin class throughout her pregnancy. She would always say how tired she was and how she wasn’t feeling that great but she did it anyways. You guys, she showed up at least three times a week…it was amazing. I remember being in her spin class on a Thursday and she was heading home after class to shower and head to the hospital to have the baby. As we all clapped for Mandy, I made a mental note that whenever I crossed the bridge of having a baby that I wanted to try and ‘pull a Mandy’.

When I first found out I was pregnant (almost a year ago to the day), I remember feeling kind of overwhelmed processing the fact that the following summer I would have a baby. As someone who genuinely enjoys trying to stay in shape I am not going to lie, it is quite intimidating thinking about how much my body was going to change throughout the duration of my pregnancy (especially if you have never done it before…fear of the unknown for sure). From the day I found out I was pregnant, I made a mental goal with myself to try and ‘pull a Mandy’. I knew it would not be easy at all but I really wanted to do this for myself (my current and future self).

I knew that if I tried to keep up a semi normal workout routine it would not only make my delivery easier it would also help me recover much faster. Every month I got bigger and more exhausted, it did become harder to drag myself to a work out but now that I am almost 4 months post baby, I can honesty say it was so worth it. Every day I forced myself to head to a class that I didn’t want to be at because I was tired or didn’t feel 100% was worth it.

At the beginning of my pregnancy, I kept my normal work out routine. I would spin 3 times a week take 2 yoga classes and go on a walk one of the days. As I got further into my pregnancy, I had to drop the yoga because it got way to hard (planters fasciitis didn’t help), I added a work out with my trainer and still continued to spin 3 times a week. On days when I really didn’t feel like spinning I would just go and move my legs. I did the spinning and trainer work outs until the day before I had the baby and am still really proud of myself for accomplishing this physical goal I set for myself.

Even though part of me wanted to stay in ‘decent’ pregnancy shape (if that’s even a thing), the real reason I wanted to work out throughout my pregnancy was of course for an easier delivery but also (and selfishly) for myself post baby.

I knew that if I had a free for all with food (went the ‘pickles and ice cream route’…moderation is key people), that I would have probably struggled a bit more after Ralph was born. Although I was concerned about his due date of July 11th (more like nervous), my real goal was July 12th (the day after he was born). I knew that the day after having the baby would be even more challenging and when everything would set it. Not only would I be a new mom but I knew my body would be in rare form.

I wanted to make sure that I was in a great and clear state of mind, was proud of what I had accomplished so that I could be the best new mom to baby Ralph and meet all of his needs. Also, I knew my post baby physical journey would be a lot more scary if I had a free for all the last 9 months. Trust me when I say it is a lot less intimidating to have to lose 10 pounds vs. 40 after your baby is born (I gained 26 pounds total..so minus the baby and all the other ‘stuff’ you loose a lot at the hospital, it’s really not that big of a deal).

Regardless if you agree with my reasons for wanting to work out throughout my pregnancy, know that these are my reasons and everyone has their own way of doing things. Even though caring for Ralph is my top priority, I really don’t think it is bad for me to say that taking care of myself is really important also. I have always thought that if you do not take care of yourself, how are you supposed to care for others? Plus,  confidence and feeling great for my husband is important to me.

For me, ‘pulling a Mandy’ not only made one of the hardest physical journeys for me thus far somewhat fun because it turned into a game I played with myself but also has made me a lot less afraid the cross the bridge of baby #2 (not anytime soon but eventually). It is truly amazing what your body can do and as afraid as I was to do it, now that I am on the ‘other side’ it makes you appreciate it that much more. Trust me when I say I did not believe a single person that told me everything would eventually go back into place and I would feel normal again…I really just thought they were being nice but all of those women really were right!!

**note: I know that every pregnancy and everyones journey is different. I was very blessed to have a healthy pregnancy and this post is based upon my personal experience.**