It’s been a while since I’ve done a little bumpdate. I am officially in my final week of the 2nd trimester at 27 weeks pregnant. The longer I am pregnant the more excited I get for baby to get here- and I am relieved about that. I was nervous I was going to get more and more terrified the closer we got to our due date, but it’s actually the opposite. I feel really calm about becoming a Mother and a getting more and more excited to meet our little one.
I start training for my natural birth at the end of February. I’ve decided to go with Hypnobabies, which has come very highly recommended from friends, clients, doctors and my doula. I am so excited to get started. You attend a 3 hour class every week for 6 weeks then have independent study to do every night up until delivery. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.
WORKOUTS:
I am still working out 4-6 days a week, still teaching and training my one-on-one clients. My workouts still consist of strength training and conditioning as well as labor training and high intensity intervals. I am still lifting the same weights I did pre-pregnancy (15-30 LBS DBS depending on the muscle group and format of my workout). Lifting weights is def easier for me than interval training on the treadmill at this point. Running is still fine- some days are awesome and some days the baby is a weird position and its just uncomfortable so I scale it back a little bit. When baby is in a good position though- I am able to go hard. Being able to get after it on the tread doesn’t happen every workout anymore due to the baby’s positioning, so when he is cooperating I take advantage of it!
For example this morning, he was in a good position so I was able to do sprint intervals at 12.0 MPH, no problem. Some days he is in a weird position and my sprints are more like 9.0-10.0MPH. It just depends. Long intervals on the tread (more than 2 minutes) are tough- I still do them, I just have to be a little less aggressive with my speeds. It’s just fatiguing. It’s not that my heart rate is getting too high even, it’s just a lot harder/more exhausting than I remember pre-pregnancy. If you speak Barry’s lingo, long intervals my jog pace is 5.0MPH and intervals that are 2 minutes or less I can usually hang at 6.0MPH. It also depends on the instructor and what they have planned for the day.
I have started to notice that my hips do get sore from running, so that’s also part of it. I read this is common on some runner blogs so I wasn’t too shocked when it started happening. I space my treadmill/running workouts out a little more strategically to make sure I’m not running hard back to back days, to help avoid any injuries during pregnancy. My heart rate still EASILY gets into the 170’s and up into 180’s during my high intensity treadmill intervals. That doesn’t mean I think everyone should do this- I’m simply sharing this info because I know some women are scared to raise their heart rate when pregnant, so I just like to show women that I go WAY up and beyond what some doctors recommend and baby and I are perfectly healthy. In fact, every single time we have had an ultrasound or the doctor listens to the baby’s heart beat, they ALWAYS comment on how loud and strong his heart is. Studies have now proven that working out during pregnancy makes your babies heart healthier. It’s empowering when my doctors reinforce my fitness plan and how it is already showing to positively effect my babies health. It’s a very rewarding feeling!
WEIGHT GAIN/BODY CHANGES:
So far, 27 weeks in, I have gained about 12 pounds. They say I’ll probably average 1/2 pound a week from here on out. This would put my total pregnancy weight gain around 18.5 LBS. Anywhere from 20-25 LBS for me is what my doctor said she is happy with, so I’ll end up right around there which is great. Of course, the closer to 20 the better (from my point of view), but either way it doesn’t really matter. As long as I stay within her recommended weight gain for me, I’ll be happy. I know I’ll get it all off. It’s actually my muscle mass I’m worried about. Looking back, I wish I would have measured my arms and quads before getting pregs cause I swear I’m losing muscle mass, which makes me SO SAD. LOL. If I could pick, I’d rather gain more weight during pregs and not lose any muscle mass. It just takes SO long to put muscle mass on, it’s kind of depressing thinking about having to back track and build it up again.
BABY STUFF:
Wow- so much to think about. Do I want to eat my placenta? Should we bank the baby’s cord? Should we space out vaccinations? Man. Been doing lots of reading articles and trying to figure out whats the best way for our family. I probably will eat my placenta though. It’s hard to argue with the studies on this. Yummy 🙂
MY WORKOUTS: My workouts have been pretty good! I don’t do long high intensity intervals (working above my Lactic Threshold for longer than 3 minutes at a time) any longer but so far that’s been my only modification. I am still comfortably using 20-30 pound dumbbells for all of my HIIT style workouts for all muscle groups and expect for this to continue my whole pregnancy. My favorite thing to do right now are sprints. 30-60 seconds on 30-60 seconds off are my JAM right now and I’m feeling stronger than ever with these. Still able to reach 12.0MPH plus an incline 1-6% is still totally doable for me. This is great bc its a perfect way to labor train (contraction specific bursts) This is taking your perceived exertion to a 7-9 out of a scale of 1-10 (10 being you absolutely can not give any more you are at 100% effort). When I do HIIT on the treadmill my CSB (contraction specific bursts) I take it to a 9 out of 10 which for me brings my heart rate well into the 170’s-180 BPM. This being because of my fitness level and the fact that I feel totally 100% comfortable with working out at this level. My doctor is 100% on board with this and knows exactly how hard I work out and encourages me to continue for as long as I am capable. You can still get the same benefits of labor training by only going to a 7 out of 10, but you really do need to reach at least a 7 to get these benefits shared in this post.
WHAT IS LABOR TRAINING?
Labor Training is the best way for you and baby to prepare for the stress that will out on both of you during labor. Through exercise (CSB aka harder working intervals) you will challenge your body’s physiology to mimic labor contractions. This prepares your body and the baby’s body (mentally and physically) for baby pushin’ time.
STEPS OF LABOR TRAINING:
1. CHALLENGE YOUR BREATHING RATE: Doing so will condition you for labor! View your delivery as a workout. If you are used to working intervals (stressing your body, then recovering), contractions will be easier for you to handle and work through.
2. CONTRACTION SPECIFIC BURSTS: Since these are supposed to mimic the real contractions you will experience during labor, your intervals or CSB should last for the length average contractions will last (usually between 30-90 seconds).
3. REST PERIODS: Just like during labor, you will get rest in-betweeen contractions, so you want to do that same thing in your workouts. After a higher intensity interval, rest, breathe, and recover. Mental imagery can be incorporated here as well. During your recoveries, picture every part of your body and your baby’s body recovering from this interval or contraction. Relax your body, relax your muscles, and picture it all happening. Imagine your labor and delivery going exactly how you want it. Your baby is perfect and is delivered with ease. Your labor is smooth, quick, and healthy. Remember your thoughts create reality!
HOW TO LABOR TRAIN:
Cardio machines work well for this! Jump on your cardio machine of choice and set your intervals 30-90 seconds of 70-90% effort followed by 30-90 seconds of slow moving recovery practicing that mental imagery (and belly breathing).
Many other exercises with or without weights can work well for labor training. Burpees for example can work well! As you get later in your pregnancy it gets uncomfortable for some to continue exercises like Burpees, so opting for that cardio option might be the best bet.
Preparing for labor is so important and overlooked by many expecting Moms and sometimes unfortunately doctors as well. The best thing you can do is educate yourself on all the benefits of at least moderate exercise during pregnancy by reading new studies, articles, and books (such as Dr. James Clapp Book “Exercising through your pregnancy” volume 1 and or 2).
Having to have the doctors intervene in the delivery room with potentially harmful medicines such as pitocin along with suction (vacuum), forceps, c-section is potentially dangerous for you and baby. Educating yourself on these common interventions is super important. Something as simple as moderate exercise WILL lower your chances of having to have ANY of those interventions in your delivery room.
BENEFITS FOR YOU: Research has proven that working out moderately during pregnancy has been proven to:
– Lower risk for Gestational Diabetes
– Lower risk of a c-section
– Speed up labor
– Prevents excess weight gain during pregnancy (duh’s)
– Less maternal labor pain
– Less maternal pregnancy discomfort
– AND SO MUCH MORE!
BENEFITS FOR BABY: Research has proven the following benefits that exercising moms can give their unborn children:
– Increased physical health scores, immediately upon birth and lasting into adulthood
– Increased intelligence scores for life
– Increased confidence & ability to self-soothe
– Fewer fetal interventions
– Fewer complications
– Infants of exercising women do significantly better on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID) which are used to diagnose infants for cognitive, motor, and behavioral development.
– Studies show babies born of exercising women do better on standardized intelligence, general intelligence, and oral language tests at one year of age and after.
– Even five years after birth, children of women who exercised were in better shape than children of mothers who did not exercise.
(Research sited from Dr. Clapps 10 years of studying exercising through pregnancy) Note that Dr. Clapps research came from women who were doing MORE than just walking during their pregnancies.
Written by Nancy Anderson, Certified Pre & Post Natal Specialist and CPT with a Master’s Degree in Exercise Science and over 8 years of experience in the field.
If you have a strong, engaged, activated core unit (I’m talking transverse abdominus, diaphram and pelvic floor) you most likely will NOT show easily or quickly (unless you have a special condition happening like a tilted uterus for example). Your core is strong enough to hold the baby in tight and your tummy will resist being pushed out by your uterus for longer into your pregnancy and you are much less likely to get “Big Belly Syndrome” later in your pregnancy. Which is huge!! I was hell-bent on making SURE my core was super strong to avoid Big Belly Syndrome and diastasis as well.
Check this excerpt from Fit For Birth (who I became pre and post natal certified with) about belly size during pregnancy.
Activated Core VS De-activated Core:
“Quite amazingly in Fit For Birth’s experience has been the witnessing of “big belly syndrome” literally disappearing once a pregnant woman learns how to belly pump effectively. Take a look at Figure 4 below. The left shows Gabriela during her second pregnancy at 6 months before she has been taught to use her belly pump. This was taken before training with Fit For Birth. The photo on the right shows Gabriela during her third pregnancy at nearly nine months, but with a smaller tummy! She spent her third pregnancy learning how to use her belly pump effectively.
Figure 4 shows the usual big belly at 6 months (left), but then a much more manageable belly at nearly full term when strengthening the core through belly training (right).”
Big Belly Syndrome is exactly what it sounds like. Your stomach gets big, really big and stretched, and the bigger it gets the more uncomfortable you are (hello back pain) and harder it is to bounce back post baby and the easier it becomes for your abs to split (diastasis). This is motivation for me to not be caught up with wanting my belly to pop out so soon into my pregnancy. I focused very specifically on strengthening my core for the past year or so before getting pregnant because through researching and learning more and more about pre natal training I realized just how insanely important this is and how much better off you will be if you go INTO your pregnancy with a strong and activated core.
This doesn’t mean doing 1000 crunches a day either. It’s about strengthening your back, legs, core, abs, pelvic floor and diaphram. There are a few amazing ways to do this that don’t consist of laying on your back and crunching up (so little value comes out of this pregnant or not). Here are some of the BEST exercises to work on your core and getting your TVA working and engaged.
#1 LIFT LEGS!!
Lifting legs with medium to heavy weight is one of the BEST ways to work your core and get your transverse abdominis working and TVA strength is SOOOOOO important!! The TVA or transverse abdomminis is the deepest ab muscle that we have. The TVA is the innermost layer of all abdominal muscles located behind the quote, unquote ‘6 pack abs’. Think of this muscle as your body’s natural corset and support system. If your TVA is not engaged, not activated and not working on the regular basis you are at risk of injury, you are setting yourself up to potentially have big belly syndrome when pregnant and you will NEVER be able to achieve flat tight abs without having a frustrating pouch that sticks out under your belly button… so many women have come to me saying that their stomach is coming together but they just can’t get rid of the lower pouch, well this is exactly what is causing it.
This is where the legs come in! You are FORCED to engage your core and TVA while squatting and lunging for example. If you didn’t engage your core throughout these exercises you would properly fall over! Your core balances you and you MUST balance to properly perform these exercises. Building and strengthening your TVA is ESSENTIAL to do before, during and after pregnancy. This is the muscle that will prevent you from getting big belly syndrome and will help you be so much more comfortable for so much longer into your pregnancy, not to mention this muscle will help out BIG time during your labor and helping your core shrink back quickly after your deliver. This muscle is also to thank for keeping you from showing early in your pregnancy.
Your legs are the biggest and strongest muscles in your body, so don’t be afraid to pick up challenging dumbbells during your leg workout! If you are pregnant and usually use 8 pound dumbbells this doesn’t mean to go into the gym and grab 25 lbs dumbbells, but there is nothing wrong with bumping up to the next size dumbbells if you are still able to maintain proper form and feel comfortable. When I do a HIIT style leg workout, I use 25-35 LBS dumbbells. This equals half to a little more than half of my body weight, and for me that’s my normal and there is nothing wrong with maintaining your normal throughout pregnancy. Don’t be scared to pick up weights that continue to challenge you, don’t be scared to complete a workout that FEELS like a workout, not a warm up! Let’s take the FEAR out of working out during pregnancy. “Exercise does not cause miscarriages. Exercise does not cause pre-term labor.” That is a direct quote from my OBGYN doctor and of studies that are published on PUBMED. This is not my opinion, these are proven facts studied by researchers and doctors.
#2 BREATHING!
Ahhhhh seems so simple, yet most of the population, women and men, pregnant or not don’t know how to breath properly anymore. Let’s start by taking a big deep breath in. Lets do this now. Ok- take notice what just happened with your upper body when you took that breath. Did your chest expanded and your shoulder rise up? If this the case then you actually aren’t breathing correctly… and you’re not alone. Most people actually do not breathe correctly these days. The issue is that people aren’t using our diaphragms to breathe.
Lets put both hands on your belly now. While you read on about this very important muscle go ahead and practice taking big deep breaths in and out using that diaphragm to do so.When you inhale try to fill your belly into your hands as you expand your diaphragm with oxygen, we want to fill your belly, your sides and your lower back with air.When you exhale try to draw your belly button into your spine, thinking about hugging your baby with your belly as you do this… we want to rid all the stale air out of your body during your exhale.
The diaphragm is the primary respiratory muscle which attaches to the lungs and when used properly will pull the lungs open and increase the space in the chest cavity. Proper movement of the diaphragm will effect simulation of every function in the entire musculoskeletal system (which helps provide form, support, stability, and movement to the body), hormonal system, central nervous system and gastrointestinal system.
Unfortunately, any kind of mental, emotional or physical stress can inhibit the diaphragm from functioning in its fluid rhythmic ways. This is another reason to add exercise into your routine during pregnancy, to help reduce stress and increase those feel good hormones we get from working out, because remember, ANY emotion or hormone that we feel, the baby will also feel. Really!
Start implementing diaphramtic breathing into your daily routine and throughout every single exercise in your workouts. The more you practice the more your body will get back into natural routine and your body will start doing this without you even having to think about it!
#3 PELVIC FLOOR ACTIVATION & STRENGTH
This is a super important and a lot of times forgotten muscle that acts as a sling, holding and supporting your bladder, uterus or womb, and bowel.Your Pelvic floor stretches from your pubic bone to the base of your spine.It is so important to know what this muscle is and to exercise it before, during, and after pregnancy.
Lets contract your Pelvic Floor now by imagining that you are trying to hold in urine.Some women will feel this contraction more in the front and some in the back, you just want to make sure you are not just contracting your glutes but actually under your glutes,where your lady parts are.I always say if when you contract these muscles and it starts to feel kinda good, than you are doing it correctly. You want to make sure that you are continuing to breathe as you contract these muscles and you don’t hold your breathe. So as I go over some Pelvic Floor basics I want you to continue to contract your pevlic floor, hold for a count of 5 then release and repeat.
Your pelic floor goes under a lot of stress during pregnancy which is one of the reasons we need to acknowledge and strengthen it along the way. You PF can become stretched out and start losing function just 12 weeks into your pregnancy, so doing these exercises from the start is super important.
So how often should we be doing these types of exercises? To be honest, if you have a weak pevlic floor such as you have trouble holding your urine when you workout, sneeze, cough ect would say implement them more until you see an improvement. Generally speaking I would recommend these every single day, if possible twice a day. Ugh i know so annoying. But if you can just implement the exercises we went over and you are doing right now maybe in the car on the way to work and on the way home from work, or on the way to the gym, or while you’re running errands this can seriously improve your pelvic floor strength which is going to help you during pregnancy, during delivery and post pregnancy. Pelvis floor exercises are SOOOO boring! Ugh, I hate doing it! So I started implemented these exercised into my workouts. I add them into my squats (when I get to the bottom of top of range of motion I squeeze and hold my PF). I also do this with plank variations or during my walking or jogging recoveries during my HIIT cardio training.
These three things will help you have a more comfortable pregnancy, will help make your delivery faster and easier and will help your body bounce back faster post labor. It sounds like a WIN WIN to me 🙂
For those who want to work core during pregnancy, but aren’t sure how, or what is safe, check out my new Pre-natal Core Workout that is safe to do through all trimesters! The full workout can be downloaded from the FREE Pear Sports Training App, which you can find in your App Store or Google Play Store. Enjoy!
Pumpkin Oat Cake
In a small microwave safe bowl combine:
– 1 egg white
– 1/3 cup quick oats
– 1 heaping tbsp. of raw pumpkin (or canned)
– 1 tsp. of cinnamon
– a few dashes of ground nutmeg
– a few dashes of ground allspice
– dash of Pumpkin Spice
– sweetener of your choice (Stevia for me)
– Add 2 tablespoons of Water
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Microwave
on high for about 2 minutes. Flip the pumpkin oat cake and microwave 1 to 2
minutes more.
If you follow my “BIBLE DIET” this would sub as your CARB for a meal and makes just 1 serving. Add your portion size of protein along with it to make it a complete meal.
I just love Halloween candy! It’s the start of fall and the beginning of all my favorite Holidays. It also seems to be the start of everyone putting on some extra winter weight as well. We not only start indulging in eating high fat high calorie high sugar foods make you pack on the pounds, we are also consuming a lot of foods filled with unhealthy ‘ish that is putting straight junk in our bodies. The FDA has declared that these ingredients are “safe” to eat in limited amounts but either way, but to me, that isn’t saying much considering the source.
Check out these below ingredients that can be found in our favorite Halloween treats 😦
1. Tertiary Butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) (found in lighter fluid)
2. Gelatin (Abstracted from animal bones or skin)
3. Castoreum (Beaver Urine) Yup. For reals.
4. Shellac (Bug secretions)
5. High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
6. Carnauba wax (Found in Car Polish, Nail Polish)
These ingredients can be found in Butterfingers, candy corn, gummy candys, m&m’s to name a few…
We ALL know are going to indulge a little bit during the holidays. It’s part of our culture and its ok to indulge (in moderation). But why not indulge in some cleaner alternatives that will still leave your sweet tooth satisfied without leaving you feeling guilty and bloated with a side of brain fog from these crap ingredients.
You can grab a bag of “UNREAL” chocolate candy bars (these in particular taste like snickers- nom nom) at your local Target. I LOVE these!!
At 100 Calories a bar, these are a WIN in my book.
Newman’s does a great job of making a product that tastes great without all the bad ingredients. Their peanut butter cups are one of my faves. Check the all natural ingredient list:
I’m liking what I am seeing! They also have the USDA Organic Seal, which assures us that at least 95% of the ingredients are organically certified.
Newman’s offers a lot of different delicious all natch products: Peppermint cups, cookies, mints, licorice, coffee and pretzels just to name a few. Check out more at their website: http://www.newmansownorganics.com/index.php
Happy Tuesday Everyone! Here is a quick and efficient workout of the day. This cardio workout includes a healthy dose of hills, sprints and jogging/walking recoveries. This workout will torch fat and calories in no time at all. To get more workouts like this, check out the Pear Sports APP for FREE!
Looking for a low cal but delicious summer cocktail I have got just the drink for you!
1 Part Berry Vodka
2 Parts Newman’s Lemonade
Muddled Lime. Shake. Pour. Enjoy.
I use Ciroc vodka. This vodka has been made from natural and local sources of fermentable sugars and starches. CÎROC® is innovative in its use of cold maceration, fermentation and storage processes.
I recommend Newman’s lemonade. This is all natural! I love that the ingredients include ONLY: Pure Filtered Water, Organic Sugar, Organic Lemon Juice From Concentrate, Organic Lemon Pulp, Organic Lemon Juice, Organic Lemon Oil.
Hope you all enjoy this refreshing summer drink at happy hour as much as I do!
The Fit Life...Knocked up! 