Thinking of Getting Pregnant? Part 2
So, you’ve decided to get pregnant. You know that it may take awhile to conceive. But hey, practice makes perfect right? ☺ What should you do to prepare your body in the mean time? If you aren’t doing so already, start a regular workout routine. If you are already working out, consider beefing it up a little.
I know you are probably wondering why you should bother working out if you are just going to put on a bunch of weight. There are a ton of reasons why you should workout throughout your pregnancy. However, it is a lot harder to start a workout routine after you are pregnant. First and foremost, you may be exhausted or nauseous which can really impact your desire and ability to workout. There are also a lot of precautions you have to take when starting a workout routine if you are already pregnant.
The beautiful thing about your body is that if you’ve already been working out regularly, you can keep doing the same things! And for a lot longer than you might think! You’ve already taken the time for your body to adapt to working out, so doing so during pregnancy is not a huge challenge. Doing it the other way around, pregnancy then starting to workout, definitely can be done. It is just much easier the other way.
Workout activities that I recommend include:
o Walking
o Spinning
o Low-impact aerobics
o Pilates
o Yoga
o Weight lifting
o Water aerobics
Pretty much anything you enjoy doing is fair game pre-pregnancy. Keep in mind you want to keep your body safe from injuries that might prevent pregnancy. You might want to skip dangerous sports such as skydiving at this time.
My workout routine looked something like this pre-pregnancy:
o Monday: Pilates video
o Tuesday: Spinning
o Wednesday: Weight lifting
o Thursday: Spinning
o Friday: Weight lifting
I tend to vary my routine every few weeks so I don’t get bored, but this is one that I particularly enjoy. Focus on activities that will help strengthen your stomach and back. These two areas will handle a brunt of the load while you are pregnant, so anything you can do to help them out now is great.
Get out, get moving, and get your body ready for pregnancy!