Sorry it has been a while. My husband went back to work on the 6th. With Christmas and a new baby, I don't have much time for anything else.
Any how, I want to summarize where I am at (currently 9 weeks post baby as of tomorrow) and give some advice after going through this process.
Apparel - All my pre pregnancy work out clothes fit me (some a little tighter than others), so I didn't have to buy anything new. I thought I would need something to keep my tummy in place, but I didn't. When I ran it felt like running on the heaviest day of my period. Now I only feel that way when I get to mile three, just shows my body is adjusting back. If you want to invest money in post pregnancy work out gear get some good sports bras. A nursing sports bra isn't necessary, but would be convenient. I just wear my pre pregnancy bras with a nursing pad in them to be on the safe side. They are REALLY tight and I am showing a little more cleavage than I would like, but they keep my boobs in place. It is not worth it to me to invest in new ones just for a couple month. I am going to need to replace all my sports bras soon any way.
Diet - If you read my blog regularly you probably know that I don't diet. I just try to eat as healthy as I can as often as possible, eating treats in moderation. I haven't put myself on a diet after pregnancy either (all the Halloween candy and holiday food is making it really hard!!!). I admit I have eaten desert almost every night (usually ice cream). I figure if I am working out almost every day and nursing, I can have a treat. I try to eat healthy the rest of the time though, eating as little processed food as possible, knowing grabbing an apple or some whole almonds is going to give me a lot more energy than those 100 cal packs with chocolate covered pretzels.
At 7 weeks pp, I had 9 pounds left to lose of the 25 I gained during pregnancy. I figure 3 of that is on my thighs, four of is around my belly, and the remaining 2 is in my boobs. I was surprised I hadn't lost more, but I am sure I am gaining back the muscle mass I lost from not working out as hard during pregnancy. (You should see my biceps now ;) ).
Exercise - Patients is key here. It is all coming back, but slowly. I can now run three miles no problem, even with the running stroller. My pace is down to the ten minute mile area, but I have had miles in the nine minute range with even spurts in the eight minute pace. When I started I though it would be forever for me to get fast again. With race season approaching I need to start working on distance and throw in some speed training during the week. Thirty Day Shred is going well. It has made a huge difference in my strength and endurance. I can notice the enhancements it has made to my running and the reduction in aches and pains in carrying around Hailey all day long.
In summary, I cannot stress enough to get in the best shape of your life before you get pregnant and stay as active as you can through out. It will make the process so much easier. I have had moms comment on how surprised they were with how early I went back to exercising (two and a half weeks). I felt fine at that point. I really think being in top shape helped. I haven't run a full marathon yet, but it has to be easier than having a baby. Treat having a baby like you are training for a marathon that never ends. It will make life so much easier in the long run.
Showing posts with label pregnancy diet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pregnancy diet. Show all posts
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Time of Running Death 20 Weeks Pregnant
This week marks the end of running during my pregnancy. Some girls can go farther; I am just not one of them. It became uncomfortable with the baby bouncing around. I enjoyed the running, but I was not feeling well at the same time. I have decided there are other things I can do both the baby and I will enjoy more.
I am still working out four days a week. I have more energy now than in my first trimester, so on my days off I am trying to incorporate a walk on those days. I sit at a desk all day for work, so getting some fresh air really helps. I am lifting three days a week, instead of the two I was doing before when I was running more miles. For cardio I am doing the elliptical at the gym and stairs. I also hope to start swimming again. I need to go get a new suit though. I fit in my racing suit two weeks ago, but I do not thing I will any more.
Meet my new best friend and worst enemy are the stairs to Crestwood's Park in Kirkland. Just a brisk walk from our home the stairs are the perfect work out spot. It is also popular with many of my neighbors. On memorial day I counted 30 people on the stairs at one point. With 211 stairs to climb, it would be a good training spot for The Big Climb in Seattle.
My nutrition is going pretty well. As the baby gets bigger I am having a really hard time eating any full size meals, with out losing it a half an hour later. My snack times are still at 11 am and 4pm. On occasion I have split my lunch between one and my four pm snack. The same goes with dinner at seven and nine pm. I cannot have my coffee with my breakfast any more. I have to slowly sip it over an hour or two. My cravings continue to be pickles and hard boiled eggs. I have also added Swedish Fish and tartar sauce to the mix. I don't combine the Swedish fish with the tartar sauce, though :)
I am still working out four days a week. I have more energy now than in my first trimester, so on my days off I am trying to incorporate a walk on those days. I sit at a desk all day for work, so getting some fresh air really helps. I am lifting three days a week, instead of the two I was doing before when I was running more miles. For cardio I am doing the elliptical at the gym and stairs. I also hope to start swimming again. I need to go get a new suit though. I fit in my racing suit two weeks ago, but I do not thing I will any more.
 |
| The stairs to Crestwood's Park |
My nutrition is going pretty well. As the baby gets bigger I am having a really hard time eating any full size meals, with out losing it a half an hour later. My snack times are still at 11 am and 4pm. On occasion I have split my lunch between one and my four pm snack. The same goes with dinner at seven and nine pm. I cannot have my coffee with my breakfast any more. I have to slowly sip it over an hour or two. My cravings continue to be pickles and hard boiled eggs. I have also added Swedish Fish and tartar sauce to the mix. I don't combine the Swedish fish with the tartar sauce, though :)
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Staying Healthy in the First Trimester
Right now I am 14 weeks pregnant. There are not a lot of blogs out there talking about working out during pregnancy, so I figure I'll share my experience. Leave a comment if you want more detail about something or have a question. I am no doctor, but I am happy to share what I am going through.
Exercises
Pre-pregnancy (I'll use PP for short) I worked out five days a week. My off season work out routine looked something like this:
3 to 5 mile run
Cross training day (which for me was my gravity class and an elliptical warm up if I had time)
3 to 5 mile run with speed training or hills
3 to 5 mile run plus lifting
6 to 9 mile run
I tried to keep up the same schedule. My doctor told me to just listen to my body and do what feels comfortable. She promised to let me know when I had to stop doing certain things. I quickly discovered my current schedule no longer worked. I did pretty well the first month, but my long runs became impossible. I have only been able to complete two six miles runs since I became pregnant. On both those runs the last three miles I had to stop to dry heave multiple times (this was on my way home, so there wasn't a way to cut it short at that point).
Towards the end of the second month I started to have less energy (equalling to little motivation) and started to feel more nauseous. If I felt good I could get out for a three mile run. If I did not, I would hit the elliptical. For some reason running really made me sick. Most of the time I could manage the elliptical or lifting just fine. There were a couple occasions I set out to run, started to feel my stomach turn and just went back home to lift. My five day a week work outs have been cut to four days a week. I just feel too tired and felt the need to rest. For all you girls out there who run full and half marathons into your second trimester I don't know how you do it. Props to you for sure!
Now being at week 14 I feel a lot better. I am noticing right now when I get my heart rate too high I start to feel sicker, so I am having to hold myself back. It is really frustrating, but I know if my body responds by wanting to hurl it is the best thing to do for me and the baby. I can run more during the week, but I haven't been able to run farther than three miles at a time. My goals was four to five last weekend, but there was an unfortunate vomit incident that made me cut it back to two miles. No good. Below is what my schedule looks like currently:
3 mile run
Gravity
3 mile run and lifting
3 mile run (hopefully more one week sometime here)
I do not think I will be able to do Gravity much longer. It is making me really motion sick. I cannot lay on my stomach any more and I will not be able to do ab exercises soon. Luckily, my trainer is awesome and she is thinking about changing her class so I can still take it. We will see what happens.
Diet
It took me a little while to get a good system down with my eating. At work sometimes I would go with out eating from 7am to 3pm. I would try to eat a snack at noon if I knew I had to take a later lunch, but if I did not get a chance to eat it, it wasn't the end of the world. I was also really good at not eating something if I knew it was bad for me just because I was hungry, like french fries, chips, candy, really processed stuff, etc. Now if I skip a meal I WILL shove a whole pie down my throat because I am hungry. I also had no ideas how many calories I should be eating. I figured I was pregnant, so I should be eating more, but I had no idea how much. I made several mistakes, but now I have a schedule down. Here is what my day looks like:
7am Breakfast
11am Snack (usually whole natural almonds or a piece of fruit)
2pm Lunch
4 to 5pm Snack (what ever I didn't eat in my lunch or some more almonds)
5 to 6pm granola bar
8pm Dinner
That has kept me from eating a whole pie or a plate of french fries. To answer the calorie question, here is what I read: 1st trimester 100 calories more, 2nd trimester 300 calories more, 3rd trimester 500 calories more. I am still tempted to eat things that are bad for me, but oh well. I'm pregnant I am going to enjoy it and not stress over a few splurges. Everything in moderation. Luckily my cravings have been pretty healthy, eggs and pickles. On my eggs I will take out one of the yokes to make them a little healthier. Last time I went to the doctor I had only gained four pounds so far. I am not sure if that is normal or not, but the doctor has not said anything, so I am sure I am doing just fine.
Exercises
Pre-pregnancy (I'll use PP for short) I worked out five days a week. My off season work out routine looked something like this:
3 to 5 mile run
Cross training day (which for me was my gravity class and an elliptical warm up if I had time)
3 to 5 mile run with speed training or hills
3 to 5 mile run plus lifting
6 to 9 mile run
I tried to keep up the same schedule. My doctor told me to just listen to my body and do what feels comfortable. She promised to let me know when I had to stop doing certain things. I quickly discovered my current schedule no longer worked. I did pretty well the first month, but my long runs became impossible. I have only been able to complete two six miles runs since I became pregnant. On both those runs the last three miles I had to stop to dry heave multiple times (this was on my way home, so there wasn't a way to cut it short at that point).
Towards the end of the second month I started to have less energy (equalling to little motivation) and started to feel more nauseous. If I felt good I could get out for a three mile run. If I did not, I would hit the elliptical. For some reason running really made me sick. Most of the time I could manage the elliptical or lifting just fine. There were a couple occasions I set out to run, started to feel my stomach turn and just went back home to lift. My five day a week work outs have been cut to four days a week. I just feel too tired and felt the need to rest. For all you girls out there who run full and half marathons into your second trimester I don't know how you do it. Props to you for sure!
Now being at week 14 I feel a lot better. I am noticing right now when I get my heart rate too high I start to feel sicker, so I am having to hold myself back. It is really frustrating, but I know if my body responds by wanting to hurl it is the best thing to do for me and the baby. I can run more during the week, but I haven't been able to run farther than three miles at a time. My goals was four to five last weekend, but there was an unfortunate vomit incident that made me cut it back to two miles. No good. Below is what my schedule looks like currently:
3 mile run
Gravity
3 mile run and lifting
3 mile run (hopefully more one week sometime here)
I do not think I will be able to do Gravity much longer. It is making me really motion sick. I cannot lay on my stomach any more and I will not be able to do ab exercises soon. Luckily, my trainer is awesome and she is thinking about changing her class so I can still take it. We will see what happens.
Diet
It took me a little while to get a good system down with my eating. At work sometimes I would go with out eating from 7am to 3pm. I would try to eat a snack at noon if I knew I had to take a later lunch, but if I did not get a chance to eat it, it wasn't the end of the world. I was also really good at not eating something if I knew it was bad for me just because I was hungry, like french fries, chips, candy, really processed stuff, etc. Now if I skip a meal I WILL shove a whole pie down my throat because I am hungry. I also had no ideas how many calories I should be eating. I figured I was pregnant, so I should be eating more, but I had no idea how much. I made several mistakes, but now I have a schedule down. Here is what my day looks like:
7am Breakfast
11am Snack (usually whole natural almonds or a piece of fruit)
2pm Lunch
4 to 5pm Snack (what ever I didn't eat in my lunch or some more almonds)
5 to 6pm granola bar
8pm Dinner
That has kept me from eating a whole pie or a plate of french fries. To answer the calorie question, here is what I read: 1st trimester 100 calories more, 2nd trimester 300 calories more, 3rd trimester 500 calories more. I am still tempted to eat things that are bad for me, but oh well. I'm pregnant I am going to enjoy it and not stress over a few splurges. Everything in moderation. Luckily my cravings have been pretty healthy, eggs and pickles. On my eggs I will take out one of the yokes to make them a little healthier. Last time I went to the doctor I had only gained four pounds so far. I am not sure if that is normal or not, but the doctor has not said anything, so I am sure I am doing just fine.
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