I've talked a lot about this while being pregnant, but honestly I've just talked about what workouts I do and when/how often. What I haven't talked about is how I feel about it. So this post is going to be geared to my workouts and the emotional benefit I get from them. As I was running the past few weeks, I have just felt so blessed. Words cannot describe it. I know a lot of women cannot be active during their pregnancies because of complications. I have never felt so lucky as when I'm pregnant that I can continue to run and exercise. This in itself is a gift from God.
For as long as I can remember, I've been active. My dad started me running races at an early age and I quickly fell in love with it. Although sometimes when you ask me, I'll tell you I have a love/hate relationship with running. :) I can remember playing sports my whole life; tee ball, softball, swim team, track, basketball, volleyball, etc. I love sports and always have. When I grew out of sports, a time in my life I like to refer to as post college, I struggled with how to accept that. I quickly began to compete (mostly with myself) in races from 5Ks to marathons. It was then that I began to realize that God gave me this gift. He gave me the ability to run, keep myself healthy, and stay active and fit. He didn't put us on this Earth to become lazy slobs. He gave us these bodies; these bodies that can function like nothing else. These bodies that work at such a cellular level that only He will ever know.
It was then that I knew I wanted to help others try their best to keep their bodies in good condition. Working out can help you live a longer life and spread the Good Word to those more that many more years. :)
Anyone who has attempted to help others with this or something similar, knows that it is not the easiest thing to do. You can only help those who want help. That's been the hardest part to swallow in all this. You see people everyday that you just want to help, but unless they are willing, you can't do a thing for them.
Part of the reason I started this blog was to help people through the internet. I know a lot of people are afraid to take that first step into the gym and finding a workout from the internet to do at home can be just the thing that got them working. Everyone is different. So if you are one of those people, I'm proud of you. Do what you can and always know that you can email me if you need to.
Also keep in mind the famous quote that I'm paraphrasing here; no matter how far or fast you are running, you're lapping everyone on the couch; no matter how heavy the weights are that you are lifting, you're lifting more that the TV remote and a potato chip.
Showing posts with label working out. Show all posts
Showing posts with label working out. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Working out and Pregnancy
I need to first make a couple of statements. You should not work out if your doctor has told you not to. You should also not do any types of workouts that you were not doing BEFORE you got pregnant. You should always use common sense when performing exercises while pregnant. For example, don't do poses on your stomach if you are to the point in your pregnancy where it's uncomfortable to lay on your stomach. Don't over exert yourself. Always keep your heart rate at a responsible level and don't over heat your body.
Here's a little of what I do and let me just say that it is WHAT I DO. I'm not a doctor and I'm not telling you that you need to do this. Always check with your doctor to see what you can and cannot do.
I teach Pilates 3 days a week. There are days that I can do more and days I have to do less reps and teach by voice, not example. Some days I feel great, others not so much. I have eliminated moves that require laying on your belly. If I do feel like doing those during a session, now I simply describe the pose, rather than show it. I am still doing as much ab work as I was at the beginning and before my pregnancy. The stronger my core is the better and hopefully the easier or even shorter my labor will be. Again, I do nothing that is uncomfortable. If something starts to hurt, quit immediately. Know the difference between soreness and pain. Being sore from a workout is usually ok. Pain is not. They even make prenatal Pilates and prenatal yoga videos that you can do.
I am also still running. I have been a runner my whole life and was not about to stop when I got pregnant. When I was pregnant with my first baby I ran through my entire pregnancy. I went 6 miles on a Saturday and went into labor the following Monday. My doctor told me that it definitely helped with my labor. This is not a guarantee. Some people can sit on the their asses their whole pregnancy and still only labor for a few hours. Then there are some who are super active and still have a long labor. Just remember, you may be doing it for the labor benefits, but it's actually helping your body throughout pregnancy and for post-partum recovery. You may bounce back you pre-pregnancy shape quicker than you would've had you stopped working out...you may not. It also helps your blood flow through your body and to your babe.
As far as running goes, you may be concerned with mileage. Again, unless you run marathons for a living, I wouldn't recommend training for a race like this while pregnant. If you're used to running distances as far as 5, 6, 7 miles, then test yourself and see if you can still go for it. Just don't expect to be running the same times as you were before. What used to take you 50 minutes may now take you over an hour. At this point, you shouldn't be pushing any limits. Keep your baby safe in there. You may also notice that you may have to...GASP...stop and walk every once in a while. Something you NEVER used to let yourself do. This happened to me several time when I was pregnant with Lila. I would get a side stitch and just stop and walk for a couple minutes. It didn't kill me. :)
It's also safe to continue weight training if you were training before pregnancy, although I would lay off heavy squats. By the second trimester, I would think you would mostly be going for keeping your body toned and not trying to build a lot of muscle. I'm not huge on weight training right now, just really focusing on my core strength.
So the BIGGEST thing to remember and consider is what your body may be telling you while working out. If you're used to "pushing through" like I am, it's a hard pill to swallow, but it's not just you now. You have to remember that more so than usual, if something is telling you to chill, you probably need to. Don't push too hard and remember what is really important. You don't want to do more harm than good.
To reiterate what I said before, this is simply what I can do. You may be able to do more or you may have to do less. If you can just walk a little every day, it could help. But make sure to go over this with your doctor and before you start any kind of workout regimen while pregnant. I "check in" with my doc every month and just let them know that I am still teaching Pilates and still running, just so they know. Let them know what's going on with you or they can't help!
Here's a little of what I do and let me just say that it is WHAT I DO. I'm not a doctor and I'm not telling you that you need to do this. Always check with your doctor to see what you can and cannot do.
I teach Pilates 3 days a week. There are days that I can do more and days I have to do less reps and teach by voice, not example. Some days I feel great, others not so much. I have eliminated moves that require laying on your belly. If I do feel like doing those during a session, now I simply describe the pose, rather than show it. I am still doing as much ab work as I was at the beginning and before my pregnancy. The stronger my core is the better and hopefully the easier or even shorter my labor will be. Again, I do nothing that is uncomfortable. If something starts to hurt, quit immediately. Know the difference between soreness and pain. Being sore from a workout is usually ok. Pain is not. They even make prenatal Pilates and prenatal yoga videos that you can do.
I am also still running. I have been a runner my whole life and was not about to stop when I got pregnant. When I was pregnant with my first baby I ran through my entire pregnancy. I went 6 miles on a Saturday and went into labor the following Monday. My doctor told me that it definitely helped with my labor. This is not a guarantee. Some people can sit on the their asses their whole pregnancy and still only labor for a few hours. Then there are some who are super active and still have a long labor. Just remember, you may be doing it for the labor benefits, but it's actually helping your body throughout pregnancy and for post-partum recovery. You may bounce back you pre-pregnancy shape quicker than you would've had you stopped working out...you may not. It also helps your blood flow through your body and to your babe.
As far as running goes, you may be concerned with mileage. Again, unless you run marathons for a living, I wouldn't recommend training for a race like this while pregnant. If you're used to running distances as far as 5, 6, 7 miles, then test yourself and see if you can still go for it. Just don't expect to be running the same times as you were before. What used to take you 50 minutes may now take you over an hour. At this point, you shouldn't be pushing any limits. Keep your baby safe in there. You may also notice that you may have to...GASP...stop and walk every once in a while. Something you NEVER used to let yourself do. This happened to me several time when I was pregnant with Lila. I would get a side stitch and just stop and walk for a couple minutes. It didn't kill me. :)
It's also safe to continue weight training if you were training before pregnancy, although I would lay off heavy squats. By the second trimester, I would think you would mostly be going for keeping your body toned and not trying to build a lot of muscle. I'm not huge on weight training right now, just really focusing on my core strength.
So the BIGGEST thing to remember and consider is what your body may be telling you while working out. If you're used to "pushing through" like I am, it's a hard pill to swallow, but it's not just you now. You have to remember that more so than usual, if something is telling you to chill, you probably need to. Don't push too hard and remember what is really important. You don't want to do more harm than good.
To reiterate what I said before, this is simply what I can do. You may be able to do more or you may have to do less. If you can just walk a little every day, it could help. But make sure to go over this with your doctor and before you start any kind of workout regimen while pregnant. I "check in" with my doc every month and just let them know that I am still teaching Pilates and still running, just so they know. Let them know what's going on with you or they can't help!
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Rest Day
Did you know that rest days are even more important than your workout days? During rest days, your body recovers and repairs all of the microtears that have happened during your previous workouts. Rest days are actually when your body gets stronger.
Sometimes it's so hard for me to take a rest day and other days I'd like to take a few in a row. :) Working out every day is not good for your body. You have to let your muscles recover. That my friends is when stuff happens!
That being said, I may do a quick ab workout for today, since I've done cardio for three days in a row. Rest my running muscles and work my core! I may do a Pilates routine. Then next time I go for a run, I will be able to do a little more and go a little faster!
Here is a little article from LiveStrong on rest days and why they are important!
Sometimes it's so hard for me to take a rest day and other days I'd like to take a few in a row. :) Working out every day is not good for your body. You have to let your muscles recover. That my friends is when stuff happens!
That being said, I may do a quick ab workout for today, since I've done cardio for three days in a row. Rest my running muscles and work my core! I may do a Pilates routine. Then next time I go for a run, I will be able to do a little more and go a little faster!
Here is a little article from LiveStrong on rest days and why they are important!
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Welcome
Hey y'all! Thanks for stopping by! I've started this blog to share the things I'm passionate about in life; working out, running, fitness in general, crafting, music, my experiences as a wife and mother. I have another blog that started out as an online diary/documentation of my life with my daughter Lila. I started to stray from that and decided that I would start a new blog for my personal stuff. I hope everyone enjoys "running" with me here!
My goals are to post workouts, running plans, craft ideas, recipes, etc...whatever comes to my mind. I'm very excited about it all!
I don't do an extreme amount of exercising; I'm not super crazy, but if you are just a normal person wanting to start getting in shape and your doctor gives you the ok, try to do some of the workouts I post. My hope is to at least give y'all some motivation to get up and do something active!
My goals are to post workouts, running plans, craft ideas, recipes, etc...whatever comes to my mind. I'm very excited about it all!
I don't do an extreme amount of exercising; I'm not super crazy, but if you are just a normal person wanting to start getting in shape and your doctor gives you the ok, try to do some of the workouts I post. My hope is to at least give y'all some motivation to get up and do something active!
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