Fit Pregnancy Guidelines: 7 Tips For Your Healthy Pregnancy

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I am now on pregnancy number four, which is hard to believe. I personally dislike being pregnant, but I’v found that staying fit and active makes it so much easier! I was less active with my second pregnancy, and I can tell you I was more tired, gained more weight, and overall didn’t feel as good. With my third, I was much more active. Being pregnant in the sumer near Seattle was actually a great advantage because we were so much more active outside. I walked a lot, and went to the gym on a regular basis towards the end. I promise you, it helps!

Now that we are going through the COVID-19 crisis, I am staying active walking with my boys and working out at home. I will have a great round up of awesome free workouts that are perfect for pregnancy here soon. I do have my program, the Belly-Only Fitness program, which basically means gaining the appropriate amount of weight. My program is more nutrition=focused, with printable workouts and video demonstrations, and now is a great time to buy it because I am going to be fixing it all up, adding more and creating an app for it! It can defiinitely help you stay healthy at home during these difficult times.

Here are my 7 tips for a fit pregnancy:

Find a Workout Plan:

Getting yourself on a workout plan is going to help you stay accountable and motivated. This will also help you know what to do when you do get a chance to work out. Finding the time and energy is hard, and a workout plan will help you know what to do when you actually get a chance to do it. A prenatal workout plan will also ensure you are doing safe exercises that protect you from diastasis recti postpartum or pelvic floor issues after baby. You can take a look at my program, and there are tons of workouts on Youtube that you can do at home!  The key is to do something active every day.  In my postpartum group, I challenge my mamas to get in 10,000 steps or more a day. This is also wonderful for pregnancy too.

Here’s one of my cardio workouts, and follow me on Instagram to get more of my free workouts that I will be doing all pregnancy!

 

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My favorite COMPOUND exercises! Compound exercises involve using multiple groups of muscles, like lower and upper body. When you do compound exercises you are using more muscle groups at once, so burning more calories. Add some cardio in, and it is a super efficient workout! ?Start with a lighter dumbbell set, to make it through 45 seconds of work and 15 seconds of rest. ? Each move is 45 seconds of work, 15 seconds of rest between each move. ? Complete all moves for one set! You get 1 min break in between sets ?5 sets total, then done! Let me know if you try it! It has strength, full body and cardio in one! Most all my workouts have some cardio in there! I also have an AWESOME ankle weight, cardio workout I created the other day, which you all NEED to try too! #secondtrimester #secondtrimesterworkout #fitpregnancy #17weekspregnant #fitbump #healthypregnancy #preggers #fourthpregnancy . . . #postpartumnutrition #breastfeedingnutrition #breastfeedingdiet #4thtrimester #4thtrimesterbodies #bodyafterbaby #losingthebabyweight #losethebabyweight #postpartumweightloss #postpartumworkout #postpartumhealing #postpartumlife #postnatalfitness #postnatalhealing #postpartimdiet

A post shared by The Postpartum Cure ® (@thepostpartumcure) on May 6, 2020 at 1:11pm PDT

Find Healthy Versions of Comfort Food:

This is actually super helpful during pregnancy. If you can lighten-up and create healthier versions of your comfort foods, you will learn to eat healthier, and be much happier. There are lighter versions of ice cream out there, fabulous cauliflower pizza crust recipes and more that will have you feeling like you ate all the yummy things. I like Halo Top ice cream, Pop Chips and Cereal School cereal to help my cravings.

I’ve found that protein shakes really help curb my cravings once I get out of the first trimester. I use Bump Dust almost daily now, and I am able to maintain my weight, cravings, and keep my energy up for all my workouts! I highly recommend grabbing a good prenatal protein powder to get your shakes in with lots of nutrients!

 

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The boys and I are making one of my favorite smoothies with my new, Bump Dust by @milkdustprotein. They love the shakes as well, and have fun helping me make them. at #18weekspregnant, I’m now feeling so good, working out and eating much healthier, which is good for baby! #prenataldiet #secondtrimester #pregnancynutrition #fitbump #healthypregnancy #preggers #fourthpregnancy . . . #postpartumfitness #postpartumweightloss #postpartumworkout #postpartumhealing #postpartumlife #postnatalfitness #postnatalhealing #postpartimdiet #4thtrimester #4thtrimesterbodies #bodyafterbaby #losingthebabyweight #losethebabyweight #pregnancydiet #pregnancyworkout #prenatalfitness

A post shared by The Postpartum Cure ® (@thepostpartumcure) on May 12, 2020 at 11:44am PDT

Find a Partner:

Finding a partner to walk will push you to get your walks in. Walking during pregnancy is one of the best forms of cardio, yet it can be long and boring. Meeting a friend, pregnant or not, will make sure you have someone to help you if you need it, as well as keep you going. I was lucky my sister and I were pregnant together on my last pregnancy, so we could exercise and stay active together. This time around I am across the country in Florida, but I have three, active little boys who need a lot of walking.

I recommend every pregnant mama to get at least 10,000 steps in a day. This is usually a normal day for a mom, plus walking an extra 2 miles. If you have a desk job, this is a lot harder to do, but you can get up and walk around every 15 minutes or so at your job to help.

Cook More, Eat Out Less:

I know you are pregnant and tired, but if you can focus some of your limited energy on cooking at home more, you will naturally consume less calories and SALT! The salt will really contribute to swelling, and fast food or restaurants pile that stuff on. Do your best to limit the number of meals you eat out. Fast food can really be tempting during these times, but do the best you can to make all your fresh food.

Get an Exercise Ball:

There are many benefits to an exercise ball. I have some very specific pelvic floor and core exercises we do in my program with the ball, and there are some great stretches to relieve aches and pain. If you work at a desk, replace your chair with the exercise ball. This will make sure you are engaging your core and using more muscles while sitting.

Here’s a great workout to help you prevent Diastasis Recti and get your core engaged and activated.

Practice Good Posture:

Posture imbalances are one of the leading causes of pelvic issues postpartum. As the belly grows, the glutes and hamstrings relax, your chin falls forward and the slouching begins. I want you to practice standing up tall with a neutral pelvis (slight arch). Lift yourself tall and tuck your chin back a bit. Don’t let your chin push out and your butt tuck under. This rotates the pelvic floor into an unnatural position. Practice this every day!

Do Your Kegels:

I have some very specific ways you can do your kegels in my program, and these are very important to maintaining muscle-mind connection. By practicing them now, you are developing the muscle memory for after baby arrives for healing and repair to begin. These are my seven tips that will help you stay as healthy as possible during your pregnancy. I know each one will help you, so keep them in mind each day as your pregnancy progresses.