Keeping Active During Your Pregnancy

During pregnancy my natural stance has been to sit on the couch and play on my phone, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. However the closer I get to my due date, the more I understand the importance of moving my body and staying in shape.

My second trimester is coming to an end and third trimester is right around the corner, and the thought of labour is on the forefront of my thoughts. Of course, I want to have as easy labour as possible and for that to happen it means I need to be in shape with good stamina. When I was working in an office, hitting 10k steps a day was easy, between the walks to the kitchen for tea/coffee or past lunch walks made it easy for me to keep active without much effort. However, while working from home, I have found myself to be much more sedentary.

It wasn't too much of an issue until last week when my knee and hip flared up with pain. At first I thought it was due to the fact that I am now sole sleeping on my side, but after some research and conversations with moms I now understand that it's from not enough movement.

The first step on my to-do list is to start moving my body. What does that mean? When I wake up, first thing I do is get my stretches in. I do a quick 10 min full body stretch with special focus on my hips and back. My favourite way to get inspiration is to watch a YouTube video. I recommend Yoga Sidsel and the Prenatal Yoga Centre for video's for you to watch! They start slow and have modifications available for you if you can't do a deep stretch,

After lunch, (around 3pm) I like to do a quick workout. Since working from home, it has been easier for me to find the time to workout without a commute. However, if I was in the office - I would make sure to get my workout in before dinner (around 5pm - for me). I have jumped on the trend and started doing the Chloe Ting workout challenge. She has a great FREE 3-week toned arms program, and when she recommends an ab workout I simply replace it with a leg workout. Chloe Ting workouts have a high cardio aspect to them, and only require your muscles (no weights or bands) so it's very easy to incorporate into your lifestyle and workout in your living room. My favourite part is that I am in my home and no one is watching me do 3 burpees in the time it takes her to do 20! I'd like to take the time and chime in here that even though you workout slower, or can't do certain moves, it does not matter. What is important is that you are doing your best and getting your heart rate going and blood flowing!

And finally after dinner, and only if the weather is nice, I like to go on a quick walk around the block. Since I got in my stretch and workout throughout the day, I keep it short to about 15 minutes. But this gives me an opportunity to go outside, stretch my legs and get some fresh air.

After doing all this I have noticed that I have been sleeping better, eating healthier and generally feeling stronger. This is defiantly something I plan to incorporate into my third trimester and post-partum.

Finally, I did want to say that I do plan on going to a chiropractor/massage therapist so they can help me with my hips. Our bodies stretch during pregnancy, and on my journey to have the best labour, I have been told time and time again to make sure I am strong yet relax throughout my pelvis and hips. I will write a post of my doctor and medical experiences as they come up, so follow along!

Sandra

Written June 2020