Past 40 weeks and still at Starbucks

Week 40 came and went with no baby and no power. We now have a small generator that we used to get some heat last night before going to bed. That was nice for us and the dogs. Our boxer refuses to stay under the blankets but is shivering, so we found her a sweater.

I took a week 40 picture, but it’s really dark! 40 came with a nor’easter and even darker skies. I have straight hair here because I had it done. I was avoiding it but it was great to not think about my hair for a few days without a shower at home. I’m curly now, but I may go back today.

I’ve been keeping up with workouts now that the gym is back open. I feel better when I workout, but people at the gym do look at me funny…especially when they hear my due date! But exercising the entire pregnancy has made everything so much easier, including getting through this power outage. I have been able to save gas by walking places, get out of the house and see the neighborhood, and get out of the house for something that makes me feel good, even now past my due date.

Tuesday, I took prenatal yoga at my usual place but with a different instructor. I enjoyed this class a lot too! I impressed myself in some poses and I continue to be thankful that I found this place. I was so disappointed to miss Saturday’s class because of the gas shortage, but I’m glad I was able to try Tuesday’s class.

Workout Monday – Lift and elliptical
Workout Tuesday – Prenatal Yoga
Workout Wednesday – Lift and elliptical
Workout Thursday – 3 walks…two outside, one at gym

 

 

And 36…

Weeks that is!  It seems that they are flying by.  I celebrated my new week with some Turbo Jam, highly modified but still very fun.

I also got many things done today.  Checking off my to do list is such a good feeling!  I keep it on my phone (using the Awesome Note app) and set some things with an alarm and others without.  One of the items with an alarm went off while I was on the phone with my mother and she made fun of me for having my to do list “talk” to me.  Whatever gets it done works for me!

We are trying to get some baby stuff ready to go.  Our crib is put together and has clean bedding on it.  Babies R Us lost our dresser somehow and ordered it again, so the room still looks a little crazy.  It will definitely help the organization once that is here.  The dresser is the last big thing we need.  Then we can decide if we want to keep a bookshelf that is in there, move clothes into drawers, and hopefully have less of a pile organization system.

Workout yesterday – Elliptical, lifting
Workout today – Turbo Jam Cardio Party 3

Turbo turbo!

Lots going on over here!  Work is busy, we visited a pediatrician, more childbirth classes, and I have spent nights both sleeping and not.  I can’t believe tomorrow is Friday already.  Or that I hit 33 weeks pregnant…

Excuse the pajama-ness of my outfit.  I work from home most days so I work out, shower and put on more comfy clothes.  It definitely saves me time!  I change if I leave the house, but with two dogs I usually have to wear an outfit at home and a new one when I leave.  I’m a dog hair magnet!

I was able to get back to working out and am feeling better.  Today I did my favorite Turbo Fire workout (Fire 45) and had lots of fun!  I am so glad I can still do Turbo workouts.  My kicks are lower, my jumps are nonexistent and I modify a lot but it is still a good time.  I have a smile on throughout the 45 minutes.  My plan for the weekend includes some more Turbo Sunday.

If you haven’t tried Turbo Jam or Turbo Fire I can’t recommend them enough!  Everyone has a soul mate workout and they are definitely mine!  My post-baby plan starts with Turbo Fire.

Workout yesterday – 20 minute elliptical, lifting
Workout today – Turbo Fire Fire 45 class

Why do I do it?

I posted last week about reasons to workout when pregnant and I touched on some of the benefits I think I have noticed.  But I didn’t give reasons for why I make it such a priority and talk about it so much.

I have been exercising for years.  It is my stress release, my fun and has become an easy way to add to my health.  I wont lie and say it was always easy, but over time it has gone from something I should do to something I do to help my weight loss to something I do because I enjoy it.  Now I relate it to showering as something I know I’ll just do and it is a lot easier to find where it will fit in my schedule!  How often do you just not shower because you don’t have time?  Never?  You make time.

So when I found out that I was pregnant, I didn’t question if I wanted to continue to workout.  From taking the group fitness instructor certification exam, I had learned a lot about modifications for pregnancy and I can also pull from the experiences of my friends.  I knew what was presented as the benefits and they sound like great reasons.  Mostly, having that information added to my own reasons.

I still exercise for my stress release.  I still find it fun, at least the workouts I do!  And now it is an easy way to add to not just my health, but my baby’s also.  I still used “easy” there, and while it hasn’t been difficult, it has been more of a challenge.

I now need to exercise in the morning.  If I wait until later in the day, I usually end up not working out or getting in something lighter than planned.  Sometimes though, I have to choose sleep over exercise.  Some days I don’t make it through my planned workout.  It is much more important to listen to cues that I just don’t have it that day when there is a teeny human depending on me listening also.   The same workouts are more difficult, and it is sometimes tough to find variety in the workouts I like.

It is so worth the extra difficulty though!  I can’t imagine my pregnancy without the exercise.

Workout yesterday – Moms Into Fitness 3rd Trimester workout
Workout today – Prenatal yoga class and a long walk while listening to a podcast

Benefits of exercise during pregnancy

I had a conversation last week about exercising while pregnant…should you do it?  Why?  I learned a lot about it while studying for my group fitness certification but am by no means an expert.  Of course, if your doctor tells you not to or gives you limits, listen to those.   But if your husband, family, friends, etc tell you not to, here is some reading to educate yourself on reasons to exercise!

Benefits for mom –

ACOG (American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynocologists) search – they have a lot of information to download
Babycenter
Everyday Health

Some guidelines

Benefits for baby?

I can’t compare my current pregnancy with anything else, but I do think it has gone fairly smoothly.  Of course I have had a decrease in energy, some nausea, and some discomforts but my main issues have been related to allergies.  I have issues with those when not pregnant.  I definitely think that exercise has helped me.

Today, I tried a prenatal yoga at a studio.  I had a great time and wish I had found this class earlier!  It was nice to workout with a bunch of other pregnant women.  I bought an 8 class package, and if I don’t make it to 8 classes can use it on other classes.  I look forward to going back next Saturday.

Workout today – Prenatal Yoga

Ready for some football…sort of!

Tonight starts football season.  So I’ll be spending time with my computer and the Giants.  I doubt I’ll make it through the game as I’ve been tired all day, but I will do my best!  Night games are always tough for me.  Typically, I would try my best to stay up and workout after work the next day so I could sleep in a few hours.  That isn’t an option as I have plans tomorrow night (busy bee!) and have a difficult time exercising after work now anyway.  Up at 5am it is.

I have decided to do less practicing of Turbo Kick rounds and do more of it just as a workout.  I have reached a point where I am modifying so much that it is tough to remember the higher impact moves.  I find it is easy for me to learn with the high impact and know how to modify than the other way around.  I’m looking forward to still using Turbo Kick and Turbo Fire workouts during the remainder of my pregnancy, even with modifications. Lifting a little of the stress from wanting to commit the moves to memory as I workout should lead to me choosing them even more than before.  Still my favorite cardio!

I love that the Turbo Fire videos always show a modifier so that it is truly a workout suitable for many levels.  So many workout dvds I have seen show a modification for a moment and then the instructor is back to the higher impact option.  Turbo Fire (along with Turbo Jam) always has someone showing a lower impact, but still intense, option.

Workout today – Turbo Kick round 50

Pregnancy is not the time to start something new…

Unless that something is a pool workout!  I have now done 3 water aerobics type classes, some swimming and the Fit Pregnancy water workout mentioned in my Pregnancy Workouts page.  They are fun workouts, quite soothing and great for a pregnant woman’s changing balance.

Monday, there was a special holiday Aqua Zumba class at the gym.  It was fun, but not as fun as Zumba usually is.  I felt like we did many of the same moves over and over.  But I also didn’t feel terribly silly trying to dance because the water hid me trying to do any pregnant booty shaking.  I was doing Turbo Kick a few weeks ago at home (at about 3am before a flight) and could see my pregnant pump it in my window.  I was amused!

I used the pool weights during most of the songs for extra resistance.  It seems like you’re using these nothing weights, but they really create a lot of pull in the water.   I’m glad I made it a point to take the class (I put it in my phone with an alarm) but I’m not sure if I would go all of the time.  My gym doesn’t offer water based classes when I can take them so I have tried to go when I could.  It was the last class they did in the outside pool. It wasn’t the nicest day, but exercising outside was fun.  I didn’t have to worry about getting too much sun being in the water for an hour.

So if you’re looking for something to try for prenatal fitness, definitely think about a water based workout.  It may be very different from your usual workout and you will likely be one of the youngest people there, but everyone has a good time and the water feels great!

Workout yesterday – Aqua Zumba
Workout today – 20 minutes elliptical, weights (Day 1 from here)

Mid-weekend Sunday and a Review

I love three day weekends, having a middle weekend day. It is fantastic! This one came at a great time with my lack of sleep lately and allergy/sleep headaches. It has been nice to have the time to both be productive and relax.

This morning, I was sore from yesterday’s yoga and decided to do Yoga Booty Ballet – Baby on the Way. Looking back to see if I had reviewed it yet, I noticed both that I hadn’t and that I had planned to change my workout schedule to include more yoga and never did! Silly me. This week, my workout schedule is going to be a bit different than most weeks. Tomorrow, my gym has an Aqua Zumba class for the holiday, so I’m going to that and not lifting weights as I do most Mondays. But the week after, I think I’ll go back to the schedule I planned for weeks ago but never switched to.

While exercising, one of my dogs came over and sat on my yoga mat while I did standing poses. It was adorable and I wish I had a way to get a picture of it. This is the second day in a row that I have wanted to take a picture and couldn’t. I need to start doing these things while someone else is home to act as photographer.

The dogs

Review of Yoga Booty Ballet – I have been enjoying this workout much more than I expected to! I find that it is suitable for many levels. It has a cardio section, then weights and ends with yoga. The cardio is low impact and not complicated. During it the instructor calls you a sexy hot mama which always makes me smile. The weights portion is what you make of it, which is one of the reasons I find it so easy to customize to your level. I use 5 lbs, the heaviest they mention and the lightest I own. You could use lighter or even no weights. The lifting is quick and mixed with movement, which raises my heart rate more than the cardio section, but it isn’t complicated. Last is the yoga section which is also not complicated. I find it relaxing! There is a modifier who does a few exercises differently than the two others. The whole workout is about 35 minutes and requires a mat, weights (if using them) and possibly a blanket or pillow (more comfort than necessity). I put it on thinking how easy it will be, but the weights section always surprises me with how effective it is at getting me to feel my muscles.

Workout today – Yoga Booty Ballet – Baby on the Way

More talk about Yoga

I tell myself constantly that I need to do more yoga, but today I’m serious.  I woke up about 1:15am in a bit of (completely normal) pain.  So I slept in and did the 20 minute Yoga Download workout I have and felt a lot better.  I also spent about half the day sitting on an exercise ball.

I must prioritize yoga.  It is one of the toughest things for me to work into my home workouts, even though I used to take 5-6 classes a week.  My plan is to go to two strength training days a week and make the third a tough yoga day.  And hopefully I can find days to work in the 20 minute workout, and actually get my Sunday yoga in.

Waking up and working out on days I don’t have to work is getting harder for me.  I wake up very hungry, eat and then sometimes like to chill.  And chill some more!  Good for rest, but not for yoga.  And if my husband is around, doing yoga in the living room isn’t as calming as one would hope.

He wont be up tomorrow morning when I want to do yoga and I have to work, meaning I have an exact time I need to start.  So all should be good as long as I sleep tonight.  So I should get off the computer and get to bed.  I get up at 5am most weekdays, so I like to get ready early.  Shut eye is important!

Good night!

Moms Into Fitness workout reviews

I have now done the first, second and third trimester workouts on the Pregnancy Fitness video (I purchased at Target). Each has cardio and weight segments and it is a nice balance. I definitely would consider this on the beginner side, although if you are a true beginner and did not exercise before pregnancy it isn’t for you. The cardio portions have you moving, but don’t really get the heart rate going (which I’m sure is on purpose!). The weight segments are good and you can use heavier or lighter weights to customize each workout to your level.

Each video has three people showing different ways to adjust. One is a lower intensity – you could follow her on an “off” day, or if you are having a complication that isn’t a contraindication to exercise. In the third trimester video, the lower intensity modifier has diastasis recti and gives even more modifications than in the first and second trimester workouts. All three use weights for the level they are showing, and it is announced at the beginning what they are using. I love this. I like knowing what specific weights are used, especially my first time through!

The workouts are given by Lindsay Brin, not pregnant in these videos. She is peppy and seems knowledgable, but says buncakes. You’ve been warned. There is also a postnatal boot camp disc that I haven’t tried. There is a lot of talk of yoga being on the discs. I only see yoga on the postnatal disc, so I did not try it.

My favorite experience with Lindsay Brin was separate from this DVD set. I found her second trimester Youtube video which was a terrific workout. I found that the cardio sections were getting my heart rate a bit too high, so I usually did 20 minutes of cardio on my own before doing the weight exercises from the video. Though I found this more challenging than the DVD, using lighter weights would make it less so. I wish there were more workouts of hers like this online!

I’ve been happy with all of these workouts and I’m glad I found them early on.