Fit Pregnancy

One of the top questions I get is what workouts I do while pregnant. So I wanted to share what I’ve been doing to stay active, some things I eat, and other various questions I’ve gotten along the way!
Please note that I am not an expert nor your healthcare provider and before starting anything new you should check with them. From what I know though, if you’re active prior to becoming pregnant and you have a “normal/healthy” pregnancy, you can continue with your current workouts. Please also note, that what I say below is what works for me. It may or may not work for you but it’s something you could try and if you like it great, If not, find something else you like! I’m a firm believer in doing what’s best for you. Just like motherhood, pregnancy isn’t a one size fits all and there are many factors that can affect the way you feel and your ability to stay active!

Staying Active:

I’ve been doing the @sweat app since Sonny was 6 weeks old. It’s something I really enjoy because they offer a variety of different programs including a postpartum one, yoga one, and then strength training, and full body circuits. I also really love it because the app offers challenges that you can do when you may not have a full 30-45 minutes. Plus you can take the app with you wherever you go since it’s just on your phone! All in all it’s just something that really works for me.
I’ve now completed the BBG, BBG stronger, and PWR at home programs and I’m currently on week 9 of the Fierce at Home program. It includes lower body, upper body, abs, full body AMRAP, and full body tabata workouts that are usually 35-45 minutes long and require hand weights, kettlebells, and bands but not every workout uses all of these.
Some days, I choose to forgo a workout and just do 20-30 minutes on our stair stepper or stationary bike. (No we do not have a peloton) it’s an older stationary peddle bike that has a crank to adjust the resistance. And our stair stepper we found on Facebook marketplace!

I also love taking walks in the summer months, it’s a great workout pushing a double stroller while pregnant.

Nutrition:

I’ve continued to take my preworkout and collagen before each workout in the morning, usually on an empty stomach but sometimes I need a granola bar or toast to help ease the nausea. The preworkout I use is safe for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. Linked HERE and the collagen is use is linked HERE.

As far as other nutrition goes, I tend to be more lax when pregnant and give into my cravings more. I really believe in everything in moderation. We try to eat balanced meals and we eat at home a lot, I enjoy cooking. Some of my recent recipes I’ve been loving are from halfbakedharvest.com. But since we have kids and I try to make things they can eat as well (so I don’t have to make 7 different meals) our go to’s are tacos, spaghetti, burrito bowls, fajitas or grilling a meat with veggies or a salad! Also, always love cereal when pregnant 😬

Overcoming Nausea/lack of motivation:

I’ve had morning sickness/nausea with all of my pregnancies. Some have lasted up through 20 weeks, but overall I can’t complain. I’m still able to function and go on with my day, but it still sucks. With this current pregnancy I had nausea that would mostly be around in the mornings, but sometimes would come and go in the afternoons as well. Working out always helped me push through it. It definitely sucked right away and I would gag my way through the beginning of the workout but then it would usually subside and I really believe it’s because I was active and getting my heart rate up and moving.

Sometimes food would help, sometimes it would make it worse. In past pregnancies I’ve taken unisom tablets to help alleviate the nausea, but I was able to manage this time with a bland diet, peppermint EO, not drinking too much at a time, and exercise.

As far as motivation goes, it’s not always easy to find the motivation when you’re extremely exhausted and tired. The first trimester Is brutal for me in this way. I could literally fall asleep at 4 pm and stay sleeping through the next morning if I didn’t have three other children to care for. Letting go of expectations, accepting help (which I suck at) and just living a more carefree life is how I managed to get through.
It also helps to have someone to help you stay accountable or to help motivate you. Jay has always been my inspiration, and working out together or even keeping each other on track has always helped. It’s always easier to have your significant other on the same page as you, eating the same diet, staying motivated and healthy together.

Find a groove that you can stick with. A time each day you can dedicate to getting active, a workout that you enjoy but also hate (if you know what I mean) and someone or something to hold you accountable. It believe it helps and will definitely pay off! At least that’s my hope for postpartum. That’s my main reason I wanted to stay active throughout this entire pregnancy, so that postpartum would come a little easier for me!

Active wear:

I tend to live in active wear while pregnant, aside from lounge clothes. My top brands that I like to shop from are Blanqi, Free People, and of course Target.
I love the blanqi sport shorts, and over the belly leggings. I tend to buy a lot of my crop top/sports bras from Free People and Target, and I also love oversized shirts and sweatshirts/sweaters from Aerie.

Links

blanqi sport short, blanqi leggings

free people halter crop top, tighten up tank, free throw tie-dye crop

target sports bra

oversized shirts aerie

sweatshirt from aerie

Thanks for stopping by, I hope this was helpful for you in getting and staying motivated! Remember to listen to your body, do what feels right to you and what you’re able to do, give yourself grace, and even if you can make 10-20 minutes work for getting active throughout the day do it! It will help in the end and I believe help in your labor as well as your overall health! If you enjoyed this post, I’d love for you to share it, like it, comment below! As always your support is so appreciated and I hope you know I enjoy writing for all of you!

Please note that some of the links above are linked to my LTK and I will gain a small commission. Thank you in advance!

Workout Regimen

My leggings // top // loopy case use code “mariwags” to save 10%

When clicking on a link in this post, I may gain a small commission from you purchasing through my link. I appreciate your support more than you know!

My everyday:

I use to be a night owl, and would dread the mornings. allowing my children to wake me as my alarm clock. It made me crabby and put me in a bad mood for the remainder of the morning. I then one day realized I needed a change, to change not only my habits but my perspective. That’s when I started doing mindful mornings. Essentially a take on Tony Robbins and Hal Elrod’s miracle morning and it really changed my life. Waking up and getting my workout in as well as some time to myself to reflect, catch up on emails or do what I need to get done without interruption was what I needed to make self care a priority and get my well-being taken care of. You can read more about my mindful mornings HERE

Recently I’ve been skipping a majority of my mindful morning routine and just making time for my workout and getting ready because it’s winter and cold, and dreary. So I now wake up between 530-630am, some days I’m more tired than others and I allow myself some extra sleep. The boys rise time is 750am and for the most part they usually stay in their room until then which still allows me about an hour of time to myself. I’m eager to get back into my full morning routine once the weather warms up a bit.

My supplements:

I don’t eat or drink anything before my workout other than my pre-workout supplement. Sometimes I drink a tall drink of lemon water.

I take the Cara Loren bucked up girls prenatal pre-workout (pink lemonade flavor) every morning prior to working out. It’s safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women and taste really good but also gets me amped up to start sweating. You could say I’m slightly addicted, I look forward to it every morning. (I take my pre-workout in a blender bottle, it helps mix it up perfectly)

Obviously, talk with your health care provider if you have concerns or do your research. You can purchase from the bucked up girls website HERE

BCAA’s are a hot topic and under question if they actually work and are beneficial for you. I’ll let you do your own research in determining if they are right for you, but I do use the Cara Loren Bucked up girls BCAA’s (Pina Colada flavor) during my workout every day which you can purchase HERE. I like the taste better than just plain water, and I often mix it with my collagen that I buy from amazon HERE.

There are many benefits to taking collagen which include bone strength, joint health, hair, skin and nail health. I really believe that my hair is the healthiest when I take a collagen supplement, but I understand it may not be for everyone.

Lastly, I usually end my workout with a protein shake. I always use a blender bottle with about 8-12oz of almond milk to shake up my protein as it provides the best end result without a clumpy drink. You can get them anywhere but we’ve bought several from amazon HERE. My favorite protein is by Orgain, the vanilla or chocolate flavor, but I also like the Vega Cold Brew kind. Both are certified vegan and gluten free. I also occasionally have jays protein by 1st Phorm, they offer several super yummy flavors and do offer a vegan kind but he gets the level 1 and it’s tasty.

If you’re wanting to try out the Orgain protein you can get 30% off your first purchase using code: mariwags when shop on their direct site HERE.

My attire:

I have a variety of workout wear, I love athleisure clothes and pretty much live in that everyday. I love me some good high quality leggings (AKA expensive) but I also enjoy a good deal. I own about 6 pairs of the colorfolkala leggings on amazon and they’re only $23. I’ve posted about them several times and have had them for almost a year now and they still hold up. You can purchase through amazon HERE. I also love my army pattern that I own by the same brand but they are a little bit more money $29 however, thicker quality. You can find them HERE.

As for sports bras I love my free people tanks, but don’t think they are always the best for high intensity workouts. I still own several and wear them nearly daily. Purchase HERE. Otherwise I just like target sports bras that you can purchase HERE, HERE, HERE or HERE for a nursing friendly one.

My Workout:

/:/=I try and work out everyday. As a nurse working nightshift though, I sometimes just don’t have the energy to get up so I choose to sleep instead. A usual work weekend for me looks like… work out mon-fri, may or may not wake up early to work out saturday/sunday before work and then work out after I sleep on monday. If you didn’t know I work 12 hour night shifts so on my days I work I would wake up around 3/330 to work out and get ready, cook dinner before I leave my house at 6pm to head into work. I get home around 8am the next day, head to bed and then wake up around 3/330 again to work out. Sleep is very important when working shift work though so sometimes that just trumps working out and that’s okay.

I have been using the sweat app as my work outs for over a year now. It’s convenient because it’s on my phone, I can take it anywhere at anytime, and if you do the kayla workouts you don’t usually need more than just some dumbells to get through your workout. I am currently doing the Power at home program by Kelsey Wells. It requires more gym equipment and I would say is more strength training which is nice to switch things up. Other than the luxury of a daycare at a fitness center, I have never been a fan of packing up and driving to a gym to get my work out in. Home workouts are just what I prefer. It’s easier for me, it’s more convenient and I feel like I save a lot of time just walking downstairs rather than getting everyone ready, driving, and checking everyone in at the fitness center. Whatever you prefer, do it because you enjoy it.

Want a FREE weeks trial of the sweat app? Click HERE

What my typical week looks like. Mon/Wed/Fri I do 10-20 minutes of cardio followed by a resistance workout in the sweat app (currently doing the power at home program). Tuesday/Thursday I will do 30-45 minutes straight cardio on either the stair stepper or stationary bike or a combination of both. Saturday/Sunday I will do 10-30 minutes of cardio mixed with a challenge workout of any kind on the sweat app. Sometimes I will do a workout with jay instead. In the summer months I usually walk the boys everyday around our neighborhood, to the park or on a family walk which is just on top of my morning work out.

Postpartum, I started working out at 6weeks. I did two weeks of the post-pregnancy program and then two weeks of the power post-pregnancy program and then jumped right into the BBG workouts by Kayla Itsines. I had to take lots of breaks in the beginning and modified a lot of moves until my core strength started coming back but it slowly got easier and I slowly got better and stronger. In the beginning months I would shoot for working out 4-5 times a week and have progressed to 7 days a week.

Diastasis Recti is very common in postpartum mothers. For months I was eating healthy and working out and was just really dissatisfied with how my stomach was looking despite how hard I was working to get into shape. I had several people suggest going in to see if I had DR and I kind of ignored it for a while because I didn’t want to make an excuse for my stomach being the way it was, and was so grateful for birthing three babies so was actually okay with the fact that might just be how it is forever type of thing. But I then after reading that abs and core work outs could harm DR and make it worse I decided to go ahead and schedule an appointment with a physical therapist that specializes in pelvic floor muscles. I figured that if there isn’t anything I can do to change it then fine, but if there is, than why not learn the correct way to strengthen my core so that I can heal it and improve my pelvic floor strength. It turns out I had about a 2 inch gap in my lower abs. Seeing a PT was important to me to learn the best exercises for me and what I specifically needed to work out. There are tons of pinterest/internet DR workouts out there, but how do you know what you really need to work on without being seen and evaluated.

My Home Gym:

We have slowly acquired a home gym. It’s far from fancy, but it’s functional and gets the job done. Everything we own is second hand either from craigs list, facebook market place or play it again sports. We have a bench press, stationary bike (not a pelaton) a stair stepper, leg press, and a handful of weights, bands and a ball. It’s in in our basement with a pool table in the way and a shit ton of toys and sits next to our downstairs family room. If they are up during our workouts, they either watch the TV down there or play with their toys while we work out. Below are some pics of the space.