The Pregnant Body, in All Its Glory and Horror

There's a wonderful and timely (for me!) post today over at Already Pretty about pregnancy and body image. As a woman who is currently 7 months pregnant, and who just got back to her pre-pregnancy size (after almost 3 years!) only about 2 weeks before finding out I was pregnant again, it's nice to know that I have a lot of company out there in that even though pregnancy is a magical time for many women, not all of the side effects are as well-loved, and not all of the changes are wanted.
It's not easy to always be happy with the changes going on in your body and how they manifest on the outside. I know it might sound vain to some, but for many women, especially those who have struggled with weight and body image issues in the past, the extra weight is just unwanted, and it's hard to accept that the weight gained during pregnancy serves an important purpose! The hardest time for some is after the baby is born, when the body just doesn't look like it did before (Lord knows it takes time to get back to pre-pregnancy shape, and some of us never get there). Even during pregnancy, women are bombarded with ideas about what we should look like. As in: Heidi Klum! Not Kim Kardashian! God forbid Jessica Simpson! Unfortunately I find that on a good day, pregnant as I am, I look something like Humpty Dumpty, or maybe Tweedle Dum (I carry my baby weight in a way that makes me look like an egg. So what?). And the ideas of what we should look like come from everywhere. My mother-in-law, who is thin as a twig, always reminds me that she gained 70 lbs. with her pregnancies but both times lost it all before she got home from the hospital (with the assumption being that I should too). Pressure from the doctor to only gain a certain amount may be very great too, and as well-meaning as it seems this can be problematic as it can send the wrong message, that dieting or under-eating (or even over-exercising) during pregnancy is ok or even expected for overweight patients.
My body image journey has been a complicated one, and pregnancy has played a large role in that.  I started out slim as a child and young teen and then, due to a number of factors, really packed on the pounds at around age 17, topping out at about 250 lbs. (size 18-20) at age 19, right after I got married. Over the next few years I lost about 90 lbs., getting down to around 160 (a size 10), which worked for me even though it was slightly higher than the recommended weight for my height. It was just where I felt comfortable and no longer had to diet and exercise like a maniac to maintain my weight; I could hike and do yoga and even enjoy the occasional treat and not feel guilty and starve myself for days. I finally felt healthy, both physically and emotionally. Then I got pregnant for the first time, and I was so excited. I loved to see the changes in my body at that time! But at about 21 weeks of pregnancy, when I was showing and glowing and just so happy, I had an unexpected and unexplainable miscarriage. At that point, with so much other emotional upset going on, the extra weight, which it seemed I had put on for no reason, was like an added slap in the face. It took a long time to take it back off as well. I felt like my body had failed me not once but twice, in that it just could not do what came so naturally to others (first, carrying a child to term, and second, losing the "baby" weight that in my mind had no right to be there, since there was no baby). 
I lost most some of that weight before I got pregnant again. This time, I carried to term, but it packed about 35 lbs. on to my already-slightly-larger frame. Right after Stenni was born, I was just under 200 lbs. again, and so unhappy with the way I looked and felt. After lots of time at the gym and doing yoga and endless dieting (not to mention about a year and a half), I lost about 20 pounds and got pregnant again. I lost this baby at about 9 weeks, before there were any outward physical signs of pregnancy. But I knew what had happened, and again it felt like my body had betrayed me. This led to a host of other issues and it took a long time to work through them to become comfortable with the way I felt and the way I looked all over again. 
When I became pregnant again (right after deciding to stop trying and start training for half marathon), I honestly didn't have high hopes or expectations for the pregnancy. But what I did know was that I didn't want my weight to creep up and up and up like it had in previous pregnancies. I knew I couldn't exercise as much, but I also couldn't diet, count calories, or anything like that, so gradually, the weight would have to reappear. I've tried to take a more balanced approach this time: I know I can't stick to broiled chicken breast, kale, and watermelon, but I haven't (completely) turned into cookie monster either. When I was at the fair, on vacation, and at my daughter's birthday party, I had a few little treats. I tried not to eat the whole bag of zeppoles at the shore (why hubs thought I needed 12, I'll never know) because eating for two doesn't mean gaining for two. Now I have a healthy pregnancy and at 31 weeks, I've gained 25 lbs., which is about average. Truth be told, I only wanted to gain 25 lbs. total, but taking a healthy approach and also cutting myself some slack, that's just not how it worked out. Most days I'm fine with that. Other days I want to take everything from my closet, throw it all in a pile on my deck, burn it, and wear a toga made out of bedsheets. But I'm hormonal, so I'm pretty sure that feeling is mostly natural. I know that I can get my body back in time but right now I'd like to focus on having a healthy baby. Now I've been told that I look like I'm going to deliver any day, or that I don't look pregnant at all. I've been told that I need to exercise more, and exercise less. People have all kinds of opinions about a pregnant body because they feel like there's some kind of public ownership of it. I'm really not a touchy-feely kind of person, and the only ones allowed to touch my belly are medical professionals, hubs, and Stenni. Especially Stenni, because she's 3, and I want this pregnancy to be something special for her too, because she is so excited about it and really psyched to get a brother at the end of it all. Sometimes she even puts a stuffed animal under her shirt and tells me that she's having a baby too, and although this would be awful if she were much older, at her age it's just too cute, how interested she is in the pregnancy. When I start to think negative things about my body, I just try to imagine it through her eyes and how magical it must seem, and it does really make a lot of the more heinous thoughts about the weight gain kind of disappear.
Just one more thing: No matter what anyone tells you, nursing is not magic bullet. It will not instantly give you your old body back. It does burn calories, but think about the fact that you are sitting on your butt the whole time you do it (not moving around, or even standing). Stenni was a pretty small baby and wanted to be nursed round-the-clock, and I nursed her for 10 months, usually about 7 hours a day. Yes. 7. Hours. A. Day. I'm glad I did it, because she's so healthy, smart and active now, but when I think back on it, it wasn't my favorite way to pass the time. But if you want to nurse, do it because it's good for the baby, not for your body's sake. For your body's sake, so a few squats and maybe some lunges first, and drink some extra water. Trust me on that one.
Right now I'm just happy that I'm healthy and I'm not-so-patiently waiting for my little guy, Cuatro, to get here and grace us with his presence. And if I want a gingersnap, then I'm going to have the damn gingersnap, and not worry about who is thinking what about it or how long it's going to take me to burn it off later. Health is my goal this time around.

Staying fit in your third trimester...Is it possible?

Hey all. I know I do the occasional fitness-related post (and the more than occasional pregnancy-related post...sorry guys, it's kind of on my mind right now), and this one is really no different except...well, except that it kind of is. I've finally made it a few weeks into my third trimester, and with my gym closing next week (and me not wanting to switch gyms and work 1/2 an hour away 3 days a week just to work out for free, and almost 7 months preggers at that), it's time for me to explore other fitness options. I know how important it is to keep active throughout the entire pregnancy, and I don't want to start really packing on the pounds now because it's not healthy for anyone. I mean, who am I kidding, the pounds are there, I just don't want to add any more than baby needs at this point. So what can I do to stay semi-in-pregnant-lady shape? Here's what:
Walking is great, it really is. "They" say that walking and swimming are the two best exercises for pregnant women. But is it really enough exercise to stroll around the block a few times and call it a day? Sometimes, yeah it is. Lord knows it depends on the day, and obviously you need to pay attention to what your body is telling you that you can (or can't) do that day. But mostly I'm used to something a little more high-intensity, at least when I can handle it. Before I had Stenni (in fact, up until a few hours before I went into labor!), I took hour-long hikes with my dog every day. But with a toddler in tow, even one with legs almost as long as mine already, that just isn't realistic. I've thought about mall-walking with Stenni in the stroller, but since I don't use credit cards, I don't really need the temptation, so that's out. I try to walk around the block when I can, which is great because my block has some pretty beast hills, but I can only walk around in the same circle so many times a day before I want to punch the neighbors' yippy dog (and I'm a total dog person...he's just that bad).
Swimming is wonderful exercise, especially for expectant women. It's low-impact and works out basically every muscle in the body. So what are the downsides? Well for me, it makes me hungry (like, super crazy famished) and exhausted. Not that that stops me. The family and I had a wonderful week down the shore last week, and we went to the beach every single day, and I mean just to swim. I don't do that sit on the sand crap. We were out jumping waves and swimming the whole time, despite my whole shark fear thing. Also, my parents have a nice in-ground pool, and they only live a mile or so away, so we make use of it whenever we can (I say we because Stenni is a total water-baby). But, swimming season has about 2-3 more weeks left, and then it gets too cold too quickly around here to try to sneak in any late-season dips, and we don't have access to any indoor pools in the area.
Yoga is nice but can make me feel a little too hippy-dippy, what with all of the meditation and that sort of stuff. I understand that a lot of people are into yoga for the body-mind connection spiritual thing, and that's cool, but for real? That's totally not me. The kind of yoga I do normally (power yoga, or occasionally hot yoga) is really not appropriate for the pregnant body. But I do try to string together a sun salutation and some stretchy, flowing poses every once in a while just to make sure that my body still moves in the way that it should, and to stretch my back out.
Light aerobics are quite useful, and they bring up the energy level a good bit. Think gym class stuff: knee lifts, front and side kicks, squats, marching in place, kickboxing moves (without actually moving around), and that sort of thing. Keep it low-impact; no skipping, high-kicks, running up stairs, or other Rocky-type moves.
Light, no-contact sports with no real risk of falling and no hard balls to hit you. I'm looking at you, badminton. And pretty much only you. Well, wiffle ball is acceptable too as long as you aren't sprinting the bases, because if you can get hurt by a wiffle ball you can pretty much be gravely injured by an errant falling leaf and shouldn't be allowed outside. Skip soccer, cycling, distance running, rugby, lacrosse and tackle football. For all of us. 

Here's what I'm trying to do now: I'm aiming for 1/2 an hour of walking or hiking, at least 3 days a week (unless I'm swimming, which is still an option for a few weeks). Yoga, at least 1 day a week, for half an hour or more. 10-15 minutes of light weight training (5 lb. weights), 3-5 times a week. Anything else is a bonus. I'm not pushing myself to hike an hour a day anymore, and honestly, I really can't with everything else going on.

What kind of workout regimen did you adopt towards the end of your pregnancy, or when another condition like injury stopped you from, say, P90X, competitive bodybuilding, cross-country running or whatever it was you did beforehand? Did you tone it down at all? Let me know, I can use all the advice I can get just now!

Today is National Walking Day!

The American Heart Association has declared today, April 3rd 2013, to be National Walking Day! Walking is great low-impact cardio that almost everyone can enjoy. Unfortunately, too many people are sedentary these days and don't get at least the recommended 30 minutes of walking a day. So to celebrate National Walking Day and set off on the right foot (or the left, puns intended), here are some suggestions:

• Take the dog for a nice long walk. Let's face it, you could both use the exercise (at least that's true in our house!). Pups get porky too.
• Pop the kiddies in the stroller and take a walk around the block. They'll likely enjoy it as much as (or more than) you will.
• Grab your partner and meander around town for a bit. You never know what you'll find, plus it's romantic. 
• If you've got big kiddos, bundle up and go for a nature hike. It can be a great learning experience, besides just exercise!
• At work? Take your lunch outside. Find a nice spot, chow down, and use the rest of your break time on a walking tour!
• Is it still yucky out by you, like spring didn't get the memo that she's two weeks late? Try a mall walk. Just leave the wallet in the car, unless of course you feel like spending a ton of loot.  
•  If you just can't walk for whatever reason, at least check out the walkability score for your area here. Scores range from the car-dependent low-end (almost all errands require a car) to the Walker's Paradise on the high end. The score for my area is abysmally low, but we drive to the park or walk around the block all the time (though it kills me to walk the same loop over and over again). It's a good thing to know!

Happy Walking Day! I hope it's warm where you are and you can fully enjoy it!

couch to 5k

I am soooo psyched to say that the hubs and I are running our first 5k on Thanksgiving morning, Krogh's Turkey Trot! As I've mentioned before, I'm totally not a runner. I haven't really run any long distances since field hockey in high school (which was quite a while ago...as in coming up on my 10-year reunion ago). I don't really know what started us off, but in the summer we started jogging to my parents' house to swim and ride bikes, and then jogging back. We kind of ramped it up from there. I'm not sure when we decided to do the 5k thing, but we've been "training" since then. Training really just means running a few times a week for 2 to 4 miles at a time, whenever we can.
We were doing really well for a while. Then that one-two punch combo of Hurricane Sandy and the time change made it impossible to go running after hubs comes home from work. We have had to scale it back to the weekends, but still try to fit in at least 2 runs a week! That first run we went on after we had to take 2 1/2 weeks off was pretty tough, and by pretty tough I mean that I wanted to lie down in the middle of the road and let my lungs collapse and not ever run another step again.
We are just about back to where we were before we had our little setbacks. One of the tools that I used to base our runs was the popular "Couch to 5k" program that you may or may not have already seen on pinterest. I'm going to share it in case it might be of any use to you. We changed it up a little, but used this as a minimum guideline for our runs each week in order to get ready.

 

ps...this is TOTALLY necessary to prep for the total calorie overload that will occur later Thanksgiving day! Maybe, just maybe, I'll burn off a piece of pumpkin cheesecake preemptively!

i'm not really a runner, but...

i thought you could probably use this!  i know i totally could!
i don't really run, but hubs and i have taken up going for a run a few days a week to try to train for a 5k this thanksgiving morning. it's not always fun but i normally feel way better afterwards. sometimes my husband  has to literally drag me out the door, but other times i'm rarin' to go (though after a mile or two i usually want to throw myself off a cliff). i really didn't ever run before, except during what we all called "hell week" for field hockey in high school, which really was like hell because of all of the wind sprints and marathon runs. i remember going through like entire tubs of icy hot and gallons of water. once i gave up on sports i was glad to put that all behind me!
anyway hubs and i are up to about 3.5-4 miles on a good day, and that's totally awesome since i started basically from scratch about 10 weeks ago. but i found this infographic on greatist.com this morning and i wanted to share it:

Get health and fitness tips at Greatist.com


what about you? any runners out there? how do you train, and do you always enjoy it?