my favorite pregnancy workout

24 weeks down, 16 to go!  I'm feeling great in general, and my workouts are still feeling good as well, but I can definitely tell a difference in my strength and energy level.  Obviously the hormones play a big part in that, but I'm sure the size difference in my baby gut does too. 

 

Check this out... me at 8 weeks and me now (at 24 weeks): 

 
WHOA!  My how Jack has grown in the past few months.  Anyway, as I was saying, I'm sure my belly size has a little something to do with the difficulty of my normal workouts.  That being said, I'm not going to give up my workouts all together, I've just been modifying them instead.  This is one of my favorite workouts to do since I've had a more noticeable baby gut:

 

30-40 minutes of cardio (I'm pretty much just sticking to a brisk walk outside or a treadmill pace of 3.8)

Then 3 sets of:

20 squats with a 30 lb. straight bar

12 bicep curls with 12 lb. dumbbells

12 shoulder presses with 12 lb. dumbbells

 

 

Now keep in mind that I was working out regularly pre-pregnancy, so please don't go grab a 30 lb. straight bar if you're a fitness novice!  Start with no weights or grab some 5 lb. dumbbells, and lower your repetitions if you need to.  Same thing goes for the bicep curls and shoulder press.  I just wanted to tell you about this workout because it works my entire body and all of the exercises are simple and extremely baby gut safe! :)

 

  

 

Week 23 - Getting bigger by the day!

 

Hi!  Here's my baby gut at week 23 :

 

He's moving like crazy!  He's kicking, uppercutting (yes, uppercutting) and doing somersaults, mainly when I'm trying to relax, probably because he's preparing me for the future, which I've been told contains zero time for relaxation.

 

Anyways, I have a video for you all (lucky you).  I received an email yesterday asking me for a good love handle exercise to do while pregnant.  Obviously I chose my favorite, the love handle lean... which looks like this:

 

 

 

Sorry for the poor quality, but I specialize in exercise not videography.

 

Just incorporate this exercise into your weekly workout routine and you should see better love handles in no time! 

 

 

My workout today:

• 40 minute power walk outside - yep, pumped my arms and all!   
• 4 sets of 12 squats to shoulder press with 10 lb. dumbbells
• 3 sets of 12 love handle leans with 10 lb. dumbbells

 

My meals and snacks today:

• Breakfast - bowl of grape nuts and a cup of coffee (with a prenatal vitamin of course)
• Snack - orange juice and a banana
• Lunch - peanut butter and honey sandwich and an apple
• Another snack - pear and sourdough pretzels (my faaaaaavorite!)
• Yet another snack - cottage cheese
• Dinner - we were going to have chicken, brown rice and broccoli, but I just told my husband I want Thai food instead.  Drunken noodles anyone?  

 

 

 

 

22 weeks!

There it is, an official baby bump!  I say "official" because I'm at the point where it sticks out all times of the day, not only after a meal or because of the prego push - you know, in the earlier stages of pregnancy when pregos push out their tummies rather than holding them in... I've been doing it since the "awkward fat" stage aka the "I'm pregnant... not fat" stage.  True story.

Now let's talk about workouts.  Yes, I am still working out (for those of you who said I probably wouldn't be after 20 weeks).  Working out while pregnant is just like working out while not pregnant, you either make it a part of your lifestyle or you don't.  It's a choice you make.  You can let pregnancy be an excuse, but I choose to not let it be.  Instead, I've simply changed my workout goals for the duration of my pregnancy.  I'm used to pushing myself and sweating my butt off, but now I take it easier so I don't  risk overheating or overdoing it. I'm not trying to be the fittest prego ever, I just want to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle for myself and create one for my baby boy.  Exercise is always good for you, no matter what.  You just need to be aware of your limitations and adjust your workouts accordingly.  Don't give up! 

 

Here is how I've adjusted my workouts:

• When I run, my pace has gone from a 7-8 minute mile to about a 10 minute mile
• I have decreased my mileage (2.5 miles seems to be my max) 
• I often choose to walk or use an elliptical for cardio instead of running
• I stay away from heavy weights and stick to using 5 or 8 lb dumbbells
• I take more breaks
• I stretch more

 Just listen to your body (especially your belly!) and you can't go wrong :) 

 

       

Breaking Baby News

Sooooo we found out recently that we're having a BOY, and I couldn't be more excited!!!

Sportin' the blue for my baby boy

 

  I already got him his first Bootcamp outfit!

 

 

And I got him these to go with his abs of steel... 

 

 

He's awesome already, I know.