Why You Should Exercise Before and During Pregnancy

28 weeks

Pregnancy can be rough, especially when that third trimester hits! The key for energy and sustainability is getting your nutrition and food intake in check (that means cut back on the overindulging... you are going to regret jumping on the "eating for two" bandwagon!) and keeping active DAILY.

I have kept up my exercise routine throughout my pregnancy, but I would not be able to be this active had I not been doing it before. Granted, I have modified and backed down a lot, but I still exercise more vigorously than many others out there who are hitting the gym daily.

See, we get tempted to change something when we get pregnant. We either decide to stop working out and start eating a lot, or we try to START working out and eating right. But this shouldn't be the case! Besides being slightly more careful of your diet, drinking more water, and adding prenatals (or Shakeology), your life should't change. Now is NOT the time to shock your body or try something new. This is why it is SO IMPORTANT to get healthy before getting pregnant.

You see, when your body is not used to certain amounts of exercise or certain moves, it takes awhile to understand what your body is feeling. Therefore, you have to figure out what hurts "good" and what is actually hurting you negatively. For me, I have been working out daily for ten years. I've been doing beachbody workouts for 8 years. I know what is an okay hurt, and what needs to be checked out. Therefore, I was comfortable continuing Beachbody workouts. I know when to stop! I know the difference between my cramping (which I got a lot prior to pregnancy), so when I feel it's related to being pregnant or it's something new, I back down.

Let me tell you, though, you're going to want to be able to be as active as possible! For your sake, the baby's sake, and the sake of your husband. You're going to start to get pretttttty annoying once you're not able to sit up out of bed or move out of certain positions without assistance, so being able to fend for yourself and do as much as possible is a total bonus. You'll feel better about yourself, and your husband will, too (my husband and I are really open with each other about our feelings, so even though he tries to be really helpful and considerate, I know it's still annoying at times!). It also will make time go by so much quicker!

There were two days I just decided to bum around, and I felt like this last trimester would go on forever...don't let yourself fall into that slump! Keep as active and as normal as possible so you're not crying counting down the days.



TOXINS:
Your body stores tons of toxins in your fat. When you let those toxins build up in you during pregnancy (by eating more and exercising less), you are storing up toxins in your fat. This makes it less safe to lose that weight fast post-partum. Going on a diet or cleanse while breastfeeding is a bad idea; all those toxins are going to your baby! So maintaining clean eating and limited fat gain makes it so you  not only have less to lose, but you have less toxins to give to your baby.




Pregnancy is such an amazing time, I will be sad when it's done and over with, but excited to hold our precious baby in my arms!