Baby Talk: Exercise

Today I am linking up with Kristin for a little baby talk!  As a mama-to-be I'm anxiously awaiting a whole lot of things!  I can't wait to meet this little bundle and be parents with Ryan.  This nine month process of growing baby is incredible.  Absolutely amazing and nothing short of a miracle!  It has been far from what I expected.  I'm entering my second trimester today!  Woohoo!  And I can't believe 6 months from yesterday we are due to meet Baby Hannay!  But all that aside- what I want to write about today is exercise.

Before getting pregnant I lost 13 lbs.  I started training in May and by the time we left for Europe I was down 12 lbs.  and when I got home I kept on training and lost a little more!  I was thrilled!  I haven't seen the 120s (high 120s!) since I was in high school.  And then I got pregnant and my weight has not seen the 120s since!  I got morning sickness during my 6th week and while I thought if I was sick I would lose weight, I was wrong!  Instead I had a complete lack of motivation and energy and did not make it to the gym very often.  My once disciplined, trained self was a couch potato eating mac n' cheese and in bed by 8:30.  I felt like a lazy piece of crap.  And to add coaching to the end of my day makes it near impossible to get to the gym at 9pm and my morning sickness was not helping me get up to make an early morning workout.  I kept reminding myself that I am growing a baby and that its okay to go to bed early.  But I just didn't feel like myself the last nine weeks.  After a good training schedule and working out almost daily, to not be at the gym more than once a week was frustrating.

I'm writing today not to gain sympathy for my lack luster of workouts but to talk about changing the way you think once you get pregnant.  Has anyone else experienced this?  I think as a woman, we are constantly looking at the scale, checking our weight and counting calories.  And to have wrapped my head around losing weight, gaining muscle, and getting lean and now to change all of that was hard.  I'm getting there.  It's a process.  Every pound I gain is healthy for the baby.  The food I eat is important to help our baby grow.  It's just a new way of thinking.  It's the mom way of thinking- thinking about my baby before my once selfish self.  Right?!

I'm happy to say that as the second trimester begins, I feel a new energy coming on and morning sickness being a thing of the past-- at least let's hope!  When I got pregnant, I made a goal to walk 400 miles during pregnancy.  A lofty goal!  I'm not discarding that goal but I am modifying to this-- get to the gym on any day that I am not coaching.  At the pool I'm active and moving all the time so to get to the gym the other 4 or 5 days a week even if for a quick 2 mile walk, would definitely be great!

How about you other mamas out there?  Or mamas to be?  Have you struggled to change your workout routine?  What helped?  And how the heck do you manage all of this when you actually have the baby?!  Oh my word!
Talkin' Baby...