YIKES! Only 10 weeks?
I actually put on something other than gym clothes this past week. (Silent cheer!) Luncheon for my grandma's 90th birthday and went to an awful PD course in Long Island (allegedly for iPads in the classroom although I didn't even turn mine on! ...not to mention the flat tire coming home- grrr). I'm trying to slowly get back into the mentality of no more yoga pants (boo!) because I only have a week left of vacation. Seriously, where did the time go? Yikes.
Two weeks ago, a not-so-lovely elderly woman commented to me at the gym that I "shouldn't be exercising in my condition". This prompted a social media rant (obviously) and I was furious. I exercised (albeit in the comfort of my own home) while pregnant with Oliver until I was 41 (yes, 41!) weeks pregnant. Granted, the pace wasn't too swift, nor was the sweat pouring off my forehead, but it made me feel like less of the whale that 41 weeks of pregnancy can bring. This summer I've been going to the gym 4-5 times a week, going to Stroller Strides 2x, and the occasional prenatal yoga (mmmm sleep!). I feel a MILLION times better after I exercise, regardless of what I've eaten, how I've slept, and what else is going on.
Here are the ACOG 'Official Guidelines' on exercise while pregnant, although OBs differ in how tight to these guidelines they stick. Some of them are pretty obvious (what? no skydiving?) and others aren't. My current doctor said it was okay to work out for up to an hour of cardio so long as my heart rate didn't go over 120bpm for more than 20 minutes at a time. The bottom line is to listen to your body and don't try to do too much. Another "rule of thumb" I've heard from various sources is to maintain whatever exercise routine was established before pregnancy (i.e. my love of running) but to not start something new. My OB also put it nicely and said "this is not the time for PRs." There will be plenty of time for that - although pushing my awesome double BOB will make it more challenging than solo!
Although tempted to print these out to have them handy in case of nasty looks or (!) comments, I understand that this woman may have been told to put her feet up when she, herself, was pregnant perhaps 45 or 50 years ago. Times have changed, and she obviously felt strongly enough to say something to me. Although, here are some friends (plus 42 'likes') who agree with me (yes, they've all had children and two of them are currently pregnant). ::sigh::
Up next for this running baby belly? Hopefully a 5K on Labor Day Monday (hope that isn't a jinx! Ha! Sorry, Mom!) and another on September 19th. Not going above that distance for a few months.
Happy running waddling.
