Expecting Earlier than Expected?

I went to the doctors today to have a ‘before I get pregnant’ conversation. Basically to see if I’m healthy enough and if there are any concerns from a medical perspective around getting pregnant. I was expecting to be told I had things to work on first…. To my surprise he gave us the all clear to start trying.

All my health issues that can affect a pregnancy are under control at the moment. He even told me I don’t need to loose any more weight (this one especially surprised me as I am still overweight). He said that I can loose more weight if I want, but losing some more weight would not significantly reduce the risk of the same complications in my next pregnancy. In fact he said based on recent studies loosing more weight at this stage would likely reduce the chances of conceiving successfully.

After a lengthy conversation when we got home my husband and I have agreed to start trying now. I’m happy that both my fitness and strength are solid enough to get me though pregnancy and there are no other advantages to waiting. I will keep working on improving these further while we are trying, after all it could be many months away before I am pregnant again. Now to go and enjoy that last piece of Brie in the fridge…

Housework, Opportunity or Chore?

That depends on your attitude. This morning I attacked the housework with gusto, vacuuming, mopping, doing the washing, cleaning the bathrooms and even washing our couch (white leather, obviously bought before the little one came along!). All this was done along side some corny dance moves to one of my favorite CDs, and I had fun.
If you think of housework as a chore, change your attitude to thinking of it as an opportunity and you will have a lot more fun getting the work done. It is an opportunity to get moving and burn a few extra calories off. Don’t believe me? Then check out this Daily Mail Online article.

So while a jog or gym workout might burn more calories, next time you find yourself sitting around bored or not doing the housework because you can’t be bothered, think of the bonus calories burnt. Who knows you might find this gives you the motivation to do those extra jobs that usually get left undone.

One Crazy Week Over and Out

This week has been hectic and as such I haven’t progressed with my goals as much as I would have liked. Between the take away loving in-laws staying with us for a few nights, to a dinner party where massive pieces of cheesecake were served up for desert, keeping on track has been far from easy.

That said I still managed 3 gym visits and must have managed to steer away from the worst of the junk food better than I thought, as I still managed to loose 0.4kg (Sunday to Sunday). Despite that I’m putting in an extra big effort to eat clean and healthy this week as I don’t want too many toxins from processed rubbish and sugar building up in my body.

My gym sessions went well this week. I’ve only been back at the gym for about 6 weeks, after having to have a 2 month break due to being severely ill. I’ve finally got my strength back to my pre-sick levels – which I’m pleased to say are higher than my pre-pregnancy levels for all muscles except my abdominals. My fitness needs a little more work, but is getting close to where it was.

My goals for this coming week are to avoid processed foods (especially sugars), to be able to hold a plank position for 30 seconds on my feet (not my knees as I have been doing), and beat my PB for 1km on the rower.

Caesarian Preparation

I recently read a blog entry by Kylie titled “How to Prepare for a Caesarean Section”. This is well worth a read for anyone who looks likely to have a caesarean, and anyone who is pregnant, as you never know if you might have an emergency caesarean.

Preparing for Pregnancy

When I started this blog I was asked by one of my fellow uni students, what can I do before I get pregnant to help with recovery afterwards? As I am in the process of getting my body ready for pregnancy number two I have decided to answer this by blogging about what I am doing at the moment to get ready for the next pregnancy. I will discuss my fitness and health regimes as well as share my progress over the following months.

I am aiming to be ready to start trying my January so all my goals have the end of 2011 as their time frame. Briefly the 6 things I am focusing on are:

· Building my core strength so that I have less back aches and related issues during pregnancy.

· Even though I am now 2kg below my pre pregnancy weight, I am still a little overweight, so I am working on losing more weight. I am aiming to lose another 10 kg by the end of the year. This equates to slightly less than 1 kg a week – achievable with a LOT of hard work.

· Detox. I did a doctor lead detox prior to my first pregnancy, and my doctor stated that this was the reason I didn’t get any morning sickness (she claims morning sickness is in part the body trying to detox). I don’t know if this is true of not, but I will definitely be doing a detox soon just in case.

· Nutrition – at the moment I am eating to lose weight. When I get a bit closer to my goal I will work on moving what I eat towards the way I should eat in pregnancy (with a few less calories a day for now).

· Increasing my fitness. While exercise during pregnancy is possible and indeed recommended, it is not advisable to get your heart rate above 140bpm (beats per minute) when exercising in pregnancy. As such I will be working on getting my fitness up as much as possible before I get pregnant. This should help to make an easier pregnancy as well as meaning I’ll likely be fitter at the other end.

· Strength training. I have been doing strength training for over 10 years. When pregnant it is not advisable to lift the heavy weights I am used to lifting as the weaker joints are more likely to be injured. As such I lost a fair bit of strength during my first pregnancy (though lifting lighter weights helped a little). Knowing I will lose strength during pregnancy I am trying to build as much muscle before hand to ensure that I am still strong at the other end, specifically focusing on muscles that get used lots when looking after a little one (e.g., upper back).

Approach wtih Caution

If you have been struck by motivation and feel ready to re-start jogging/lifting weights/dancing/whatever activity you like again there are a few safety considerations you need to take first:

• After pregnancy your joints are still more elastic and unstable. This is due to the relaxin that built up in your body during pregnancy. It caused all of your joints to loosen and become unstable. It can take many months post pregnancy for your joints to return to normal – in simple terms this means avoid/minimise high impact exercises and be careful not to overextend your joints when stretching or doing anything else that places pressure on them.
• If it is early days you are still probably not getting enough sleep. If you are one of the lucky ones that still manages to squeeze in 8 hours a night it is likely that you sleep is disturbed so does not have the quality it should. Either of these factors means you will be more tired. This in turn makes you more prone to injuries while exercising and likely to physically fatigue more quickly when working out. So take it easy on yourself, don’t try doing your pre-pregnancy workout intensity straight away, instead build slowly back to that point.
• Your stomach. Its going to be flabby weak and not working anywhere near as well as before you are pregnant. You’re probably tempted to start doing crunches to help flatten it? Well don’t start yet. During pregnancy your stomach muscles separate and if you start doing crunches or similar before these muscles have come back together you will actually weaken and damage them further. I will post a short video during the next few weeks to explain how to tell if your stomach muscles are ready to start being worked.
• If you had a caesarian you have some additional precautions. If this is you do not do any exercise other than walking unless given the all clear by your obstetrician. You have just had a major operation and doing too much too quickly opens you up to potential complications as well as having the potential to long term put you back a lot more than just waiting until the all clear to start.

Post Pregnancy Fitness: Why Should I Bother?

Do you need four good reasons to get physically and mentally fit? Read on…

‘Me’ Time

While you might feel like you are being selfish taking some time out for yourself, this will make you a better mum in the long run. By having time out you will de-stress, have more energy, enthusiasm and patience when you get back to your little one. This ‘me’ time doesn’t have to be exercise either, just time doing something you enjoy will improve your mental fitness. Besides, if you don’t go away for a little while you miss out on your little ones excitement at seeing you come back!

I am Woman… not just Mummy

Taking time to yourself will also help you to feel like you are still yourself, the woman you were before you got pregnant, not just a mum. Hopefully you are loving being a mum and will do so more and more as you get used to the role, however it is important that you keep on being a person in your own right and not just defined as your role as a mum.

New Wardrobe vs Getting your Skinny on

By getting your skinny on I don’t mean getting thin enough to be the next catwalk model! I mean getting back to the size you were before you were pregnant. You will feel more confident, save money as you won’t need to buy a new bigger wardrobe and feel like you own your own body again.

The best part is if you use exercise to get back in shape you will also regain any fitness and strength you lost during pregnancy. This will help you to keep up with your little one when they get mobile as well as giving you the strength to lift and carry them and all their gear without backaches and other muscle soreness becoming part of your daily life.

Reducing the Risk of Post Natal Depression

You have probably been told this by your obstetrician, midwife and health nurse, but it is true - taking the time to fit in a bit of exercise a few times a week will decrease your risk of post natal depression. A short walk each day is enough to make a difference. This is especially important if you have a history of depression.

So what are you waiting for? Start making time for yourself and a bit of exercise!