Half Way There!
20 weeks pregnant…….I can’t believe it! I just wanted to share my journey so far with all of you women out there who are also pregnant, trying to get pregnant, preparing for pregnancy, or trying to lose that baby weight. First off, let me just say that gaining weight is not an easy thing for me to do. Mentally that is! Physically it is very easy to gain weight and that is because I have a healthy baby boy or girl inside my belly who is growing every single day.
I hate to brag about how easy my pregnancy has been so far but I really have no complaints (with the exception of a few killer headaches and some back-ne) and I think I have a little secret to feeling great during pregnancy. My little secret is this little magic pill called exercise and another magic pill called healthy eating. Yes, that’s right. I am still exercising at least 5-6 days a week for a minimum of 45 minutes. I have followed all of my doctors orders and I am keeping my heart rate under 145 for 40 minutes of cardio, sticking to weights and no plyometrics and no jumping. I am still running, taking spin classes, and lifting weights 3-4 times a week. I think our baby is going to come out spinning to some Justin Timberlake!
I am continuing to eat healthy. Don’t get my wrong, I do have my days where I splurge on a grilled pimento and cheese sandwich, chocolate chip cookie, and fanta or cocoa puffs and chocolate milk but for the most part, I am continuing to eat lean proteins, veggies, fruits, whole wheat grains, and low fat dairy. I have added 300 calories to my daily intake (which is only one extra meal for me……not an extra pint of ice cream or a large order of fries). I had my 20 week appointment yesterday and I have gained 11 pounds so far. My doc gave me a goal of gaining in between another 9-14 lbs. I was like, whoa! Really? That doesn’t seem like a whole lot of weight for a whole nother 20 weeks where my baby is going to probably grow to be 9 lbs! (I am positive I am going to have a large baby since my husband weighed 8 lbs 3 oz and I was a whopping 9 lbs 13 oz)! I know the exercising is going to get much harder the bigger I get but I am determined to continue on because I know it is helping me sleep well at night and feel energized throughout the day.
So for those of you who are not yet pregnant or who are trying to get pregnant, remember that your health is not only important to you feeling well, but it is also important to your little sweet pea inside your belly. Keep exercising and keep eating right and although I can’t promise you will feel great all of the time, I can promise that it definitely helps! Keep moving ladies!!
** I have no medical qualifications and I am only sharing my OWN personal experience with you. You should do what YOUR doctor tells you to do and follow their fitness and eating guidelines (every doc seems to be a little different). I am only giving suggestions to workouts and eating healthy. **
Facebook Comments
I’m so happy you get to continue to exercise! When I was 20 weeks I couldn’t even walk for more than 20 minutes without having my entire belly go into contraction! I asked my doc about it and he said that usually means the baby isn’t getting enough oxygen so I had to be very careful with my activity levels or I would contract so hard that I couldn’t stand up straight! Anyways, I hope the rest of your pregnancy goes this easily!! Lydia was 2 weeks early and thank goodness because she was 7lbs 9oz!