Active Pregnancy, not an Oxymoron

To begin with, I’m not one of those women who has an easy time with her metabolism. On top of that, I’m a mom of two, and having two kids definitely does a number on a woman’s figure.

Once my youngest turned two, however, I decided it was time for me—time to work on myself, and how I feel. Time to return to a body shape that I was happy with. No flab wanted or needed!

I'd gone out and joined a gym and even gotten a personal trainer—who I was only supposed to keep for a few months, but I scrimped and saved and kept him. I tried to both find things that I enjoy, and a time that worked for me. Would you believe 6am was the only slot I could come up with?

Despite the early hour, I found a groove that fit. And since then, my trainer has been great.He's kept me motivated, and kept me going to the gym.I'm one of those people that need to have a "buddy" that I can be accountable to.It hasn't been easy, but we all know that nothing worthwhile ever is.

That was almost a year ago. Then it happened—unexpectedly I was pregnant with baby #3. Happy? Of course. Surprised? Definitely! A year of working out diligently and it was going to all go down the drain.Money wasted, pounds gained back—or so I thought.

After consulting with my trainer, I realized that with a few adjustments I could keep working out—even keep playing squash and lifting weights—until the end of the pregnancy.Of course it had been a little weird, watching people watch me at the gym. My belly has been growing, and people have started to stare.

I understand, though. Once upon a time, I had been one of those people. I had watched in shock while one pregnant woman lifted weights. Wouldn't that hurt the baby? Wouldn't it decrease blood flow? What about the adrenaline?

In fact, it's all been positive. I've been really happy with how I have been doing. The baby doesn't seem to mind the workout at all. And after thinking about it, why wouldn't I work on my body while pregnant? It's good for the bones and joints—and that's one thing that I need when I consider the weight that I will have to carry around.As the months have progressed, I've knocked things out of my workout.No more lunges or box hops, mostly due to balance.Sit-ups or crunches are a no-no, and anything that makes me feel off gets changed up.I drink water like crazy, and watch that all my movements are clean and smooth—not jerky or too bouncy.

And now, here I am... one month to go, and I've kept up with it.It hasn't been easy, but I've remained consistent.It took the year before I was pregnant to develop a time and a routine that worked, so why would I give up now?Plus, having someone to help me out has been great—the guidance and assistance from a trained professional means I can be healthy and not hurt myself or my new baby in any way.

So, what have I learned so far?

1.I've got more energy this time around, more than the last two pregnancies.I can keep up with the kids without huffing and puffing.

2.I've kept the weight gain to a minimum. Health professionals dictate how many pounds you’re “supposed” to gain, and for a number of people, sticking to that limit is almost impossible. But you know what? I’ve really kept up with it! I'm only maybe 5 pounds over what I should be at this point, and for a woman who has had some brutal cravings, that's great!I still worry about how I'm going to get rid of the pounds after the delivery, but that's something to focus on later. Right now I can control today.

Now, my next step is to figure out how to work out with the baby in tow.I know that while I'm healing I have to take it easy, but eventually I can start gradually introducing more activity—depending, of course, on what the medical professionals and my trainer say. But these last several months have shown me that if I can do this, so can you!

Paula Reynolds

• Exercising in the Cold
  
• Active Pregnancy, not an Oxymoron
  
• Fit Girl: Entry #3
  
• Fit Girl: Entry #2
  
• FitGirl:  Entry #1
  
• Getting Started