Exercise for Pregnant Women

I’ve heard so many people and books talk about the importance of exercising while pregnant and I’ve just ignored them this time around. Yes, it’s supposed to ward off fatigue, help you sleep better, burn calories and in general help you cope with all the challenges of pregnancy. But, c’mon, who has the energy to work out when your body is already working overtime to create another human?!?

I hate to admit it, but I’m seeing the error of my ways. Because my husband dragged me to the gym after enrolling our daughter in to their child care program, I worked out last week. Yes, I was DOG tired at the beginning, thinking “what the hell am I doing, I’d much rather be sleeping!”

Oddly, by the end of my 20 minutes on the elliptical machine, I felt energized. I even lifted (very light) weights. For less than 5 minutes, but still. Of course, I checked with my OBGYN before doing anything.

And, today – swimming! I have to say swimming is far better than anything else, though I tend to sink deeper in the water than I used to, so it requires more kicking, But, joy of joys, my body is no longer heavy while I’m in the pool. It’s such a relief.

Now, here’s the kicker (ha ha)…just to backtrack, last night I was up for hours for no good reason except that my body has decided to not sleep when all conditions are perfect for sleeping. HUGE BUMMER. So again I was dragging, but the swimming has enabled me to get through the day with more energy than I started with. Really. And, hopefully it will help me sleep through the night. We’ll see.

Overall, I’m a convert. Plus, now I can enjoy that extra large bowl of ice cream even more because, dammit, I earned it! Keep your eye out for a future post on a list of benefits of exercising while pregnant!

photo credit: baicai9527