Well its back- yup the negative self talk! Since finding out I was pregnant it has been difficult working out because of nausea and fatigue but now that I am almost in my 10th week I am finding my energy is returning but so is my low self esteem. This past weekend I noticed that my stomach is starting to " pooch" out and its making me feel really self conscience. I also was told by my OBGYN to stop taking my blood pressure/water pill which in return is making me retain my water again. I have been waking up with swollen hands which is a sign that my body is retaining water and my BP may be getting higher.
I realized this morning that I need to try and control this negative self talk about weight and looks and realize that there is something I can do and that is to get back out and do some light execrsise because at least I will be doing something. My husband and family have been supportive with my low self esteem rants and they understand how difficult this may be for me espically after losing close to 50 pounds. The trick for me is to stay active for at least 30 minutes a day.
Prenatal Walking::
My doctor reccommended walking right away because it can help with many different things in pregnancy espically labor.
Warm-UpBefore each walk, take 2 minutes to warm up with these moves:
ANKLE CIRCLES Stand on one foot, holding a wall or rail for balance. Flex your ankle and slowly draw big circles with your toes, completing 6-8 circles in each direction. Switch feet and repeat.
LEG SWINGS Stand on one foot, holding a wall or rail for balance. Swing your free leg forward and back from your hip in a relaxed motion. Repeat 10-20 times; switch legs and repeat.
ARM CIRCLES Stand while holding arms straight out to the sides. Circle arms backward 10 times; repeat in opposite direction.
COOL-DOWN When you finish your walk, take 5 minutes to stretch your back, shoulders, hips, hamstrings, thighs and calves. You can do this while standing--essential as your pregnancy progresses..The fitter you were before you became pregnant, the sooner you can ramp up to 5 or 6 walk days per week.
• Start by walking 4 days a week, adding a fifth day after 4 or 5 weeks. Begin with 15-minute walks. Then gradually increase the time, adding a few minutes every other day so that walks are 20 and then 30 minutes. By week 10, here's what a typical week might look like:
Monday - walk 25 minutes
Tuesday - walk 35 minutes, or take 2 walks: 15 & 20 minutes
Wednesday - walk 20 minutes
Thursday - walk 30 minutes
Friday - off
Saturday - walk 30 minutes
Sunday - walk 40 minutes
I have looked into prenatal yoga- the findings were impressive and there is a yoga studio by my house that holds these classes on Saturday mornings.
Prenatal Yoga::
Prenatal Yoga is a safe and gentle class for women to attend throughout their pregnancy. Women will learn specific yoga poses, breathing exercises, and relaxation techniques designed to relieve the physical and emotional discomforts that occur during pregnancy, and to prepare them, body, mind, and spirit, to give birth. Prenatal Yoga will benefit you through all stages of your pregnancy.
The program, conducted in a calm, peaceful environment will help strengthen the uterus and pelvic muscles, improve circulation, aid in digestion, exercise the spine and increase overall comfort. Yoga can also alleviate many of the discomforts of pregnancy such as nausea, constipation, varicose veins, swelling, back pain and sciatica. A safe, open community allows you to freely discuss any issues, from discomforts and concerns, to the wonderful new changes your body and baby are experiencing.
Prenatal Swimming is another great execrsise:
Exercising in water is ideal for pregnant women because the water's buoyancy requires you to support only 50 percent of your body weight, it reduces the risk of stress-related injuries, and the compression of the water is soothing on joints and muscles that are stressed by the added bulk of your pregnancy. The water's temperature also keeps you from overheating during your workout.
You don't need to be able to swim to participate in water workouts - many moves are performed in waist or chest-high water, and you don't even need to join a special organized class; simply swimming laps, or walking, jogging, or running in water will strengthen your core trunk muscles, legs and hips, and increase your cardio-respiratory fitness. While water workouts don't require any special equipment, there are flippers, foam tubes, webbed gloves, and water weights available that can enhance the moves.
Water workouts generally fall into two categories: aqua aerobics and aqua exercise. Aqua aerobics has most of the fat-burning and endurance-building qualities of land-based aerobics, without the high-impact pounding that can be dangerous while pregnant. Aqua exercise focuses on improving muscle tone, strength and mobility. Water naturally lends itself to strength training, as it provides resistance in all directions, as opposed to land exercises which can be limited by gravity. If you aren't sure which type of class is right for you, ask your gym or community pool if you can watch a class first.
For a great 30-minute workout, alternate aerobic activity with strengthening moves. Warm up for five minutes or so by swimming a few laps or walking back and forth across the pool. Then alternate high-intensity walking or jogging with low-intensity recovery periods. The length of each interval will depend on your fitness level - start with 15 seconds and see how you feel. Repeat this high-low interval for 3 minutes, then perform one of the following strengthening moves. Follow this with another aerobic set and then another strengthening move, continuing this way for 30 minutes. Cool down for five minutes by swimming some laps or walking around the pool, and be sure to do some gentle stretching.
Thanks for following and supporting!!!!
Ashley M.
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| 9.5 Weeks Pregnant |
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