I have played sports and participated in a variety of physical activities throughout my life: gymnastics, ballet, baseball, softball, swimming, basketball, soccer, lacrosse. Staying in shape was certainly much easier for me while playing team or organized sports. Getting into shape and maintaining my fitness level on my own has always seemed to be a wavering endeavor. I would spend a few weeks doing some sort of cardio workout and weight training and maintain that for several weeks to a few months and then something would happen; I would lose motivation, or become busy doing other things, and my good fitness regiment would fall to the wayside.
Fitness During Pregnancy:
When we began to discuss starting a family I consulted my doctor, books, and the internet to see what sorts of limitations I would be under as far as workouts were concerned during pregnancy. Cardiovascular exercises had to be limited to the types and intensities of exercise being done prior to pregnancy; I hadn't been running before I became pregnant, so I stuck to walking. Any activity with an increased risk of falling was to be avoided (goodbye biking, rollerblading, etc). I was not to lift anything greater than 35 pounds. Abdominal exercises and any others that involve putting pressure on the stomach should be ceased after the first trimester.
Fitness NOW:
Since Addisyn was born 3.5 months ago I feel a heightened motivation and desire to get into shape and stay in shape, and I feel that there are several reasons for this: 1) For so long there were so many things that I could not do which has inspired me to want to do those things now that I am able to. 2) I want to be an active, physically fit mom to set a good example for Addisyn. 3) I have made choices to do what is best for Addisyn (breastfeeding, cloth diapering, being a stay-at-home mom), and now it's time to make choices to do what is best for myself as well.
Getting into shape with a young baby certainly has its obstacles too. Physical activity has to be reintroduced and increased gradually because the hormone relaxin (which is responsible for loosening tendons and ligaments in pregnancy to allow for the widening of the pelvis) is still present and could lead to over-stretching or pain and injury to joints. I also have to be somewhat conservative in my activity level (moderate exercise is perfectly fine) because I am breastfeeding - loosing too much fat too quickly could decrease my milk supply. Another obstacle that not every new mom faces is having a husband who works away from home for several days at a time. We have a gym membership, but at this point I am unable to go for 4-6 days at a time while my husband is away at work. Timing is probably the final concern when it comes to exercising, I have to make sure Addisyn has been fed just before I leave for the gym when Matt is home, or before we go for walks (or in the future, runs) to make sure that I get a good amount of time to exercise before she needs to be fed again. I also prefer to not have to feed her immediately after exercising as lactic acid builds up in breast milk just as it does in muscles during physical activity. We haven't had an issue yet, but many babies will not breastfeed and will fuss when lactic acid is high because of the altered taste of the milk.
So, I am slowly getting back into working out and increasing my fitness level. I just had my first 3 days back to the gym since Addisyn was born this past week, and it felt great! I've done a little cardio on the StairMaster a few days, and am slowly getting back into doing some weights. We have invested in a descent jogging stroller too so that I will be able to take Addisyn and go jogging while Matt is away - we walked a mile with the stroller today and anticipate trying a short run (maybe a mile?) tomorrow.
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