Week 20: Get that baby moving!

Confession: I have never been a very enthusiastic exerciser. That’s not to say I haven’t ever exercised. … Of course I have! I danced all the way through school at a local dance studio and on my high school dance team. I played volleyball for a few years somewhat successfully—and soccer in middle school, slightly less successfully. I worked out at the campus rec center in college (for at least a semester or two) and joined a gym after college. I swam and lifted weights religiously in the year before my wedding. There was even an ill-fated series of summers where I played on my family’s cousin softball team. (Can you say right field, anyone? Catcher?)
I am a dancer and have been since the age of 5. Ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop—you name it! I even taught ballroom dancing to fifth graders through the Dancing Classrooms program for a number of years. So my preferred method of exercise is of course: dancing!
When my husband and I decided to buy our house, we saw the bonus bedroom in the basement and each had an immediate thought. His: workout room. Mine: dance room (complete with barre and mirrors, of course). When we found out Olivia was a girl, he jumped on board with the ballet barre and mirror idea, though it has yet to come to fruition. We have it set up as an awesome workout room and there is a decent amount of space for dancing or exercise videos.
I know the importance of staying healthy during pregnancy. There are so many important ways to ensure you have a healthy pregnancy with just as many suggestions of what to do and how to do it. One vital aspect of staying healthy during pregnancy is exercise. We pregnant ladies have to keep our bodies moving!
It’s such an easy recommendation, but putting it into practice can be a bit tricky. There’s the first trimester, where you’re so tired you can barely walk up the three stairs into the house, much less walk around the neighborhood. That’s followed by the very energizing second trimester, where you can actually work out like normal—yes! But the third trimester? I haven’t reached it yet this time, but if last pregnancy is any indication, you feel so large and in charge that you are worried you’d break the treadmill if you dared laced up your Nikes and put a toe on it.
Last pregnancy I figured out a pretty decent system—I took our dog for a long walk every morning and then did some type of prenatal workout video (pilates, yoga, ballet) two or three times a week. I had a healthy pregnancy and a pretty quick delivery, so I think my little self-developed routine helped. I still managed to gain slightly more than 40 pounds (whoops), but was able to get back to pre-baby weight in a reasonable amount of time (reasonable, not an obnoxious celebrity amount of time—that’s just craziness).
This time around, I am having a much more difficult time. I wish all of the running after Olivia I do counted as “real” exercise. (It certainly exhausts me enough.) I’ve tried to start some type of system or schedule, and so far, I am failing miserably! Tonight, I did a brief prenatal pilates workout and felt great afterward. Then I came upstairs and turned on “Dancing with the Stars” and may or may not have done a little of my own freestyle routine—after the tears while watching Bindi’s routine. (See last week’s post: I’m in a glass case of emotion). It was a pretty active night for me! I know I’ll sleep better, I’ll feel better tomorrow, and my little babe will be that much better off for my exercise.
And of course, this week, there is an added bonus to the exercise I’m doing: each workout means I can feel less guilty about enjoying my Thanksgiving meal (and post meal … and dessert … and other dessert).
How do you stay fit during pregnancy?