I’ve been waiting until the very end to share my pregnancy fitness journey because obviously I had no clue how I would look and feel at the end. But now that it’s officially here (the end) I’m comfortable sharing the entire process. To be honest, I didn’t do anything that crazy or different than my normal routine. With the exception of a few exercises that I didn’t feel comfortable doing (like direct ab workouts), I kept everything pretty much the same. I also stopped boxing / kick boxing because the high impact just wasn’t working for me during pregnancy. It’s a lot of jumping around and every time I would hit the bag it didn’t feel great to me. I’m SO looking forward to getting back into it after I give birth though, I really miss it and need that cardio back in my life.
Pregnancy Workouts
I’ve been working out with my trainer Joey Bronston for almost 2 years now so he knows my body and physical abilities. Despite growing a human inside of me, I stuck to a very strict 2 days per week schedule with Joey to ensure that I stayed fit throughout the entire pregnancy. Yes, I did not want to blow up, but I also wanted to stay healthy. I’m kind of blown away by the mentality that pregnant woman should be sitting on the couch all day eating donuts and watching TV. Obviously bed-ridden women are another story, but when you have the ability to exercise I 100% think it’s crucial.
My parents both were so worried that I was hiking and working out the same amount after I found out I was pregnant but I had to let them know that I had no plans to stop. Joey did a ton of research when I told him I was pregnant to ensure our workouts were safe, and I always listened to my body. If something was too challenging or didn’t feel right we would stop immediately. It rarely happened, but there were the occasional exercises that just didn’t feel good.
I documented our workouts from the very beginning until now so you can watch how my body transforms, which is pretty incredible to watch. Things really take a turn around month 7 when my belly fully starts to pop out.
During my pregnancy I also tried to get as many hikes in as possible. It was my cardio (any excuse to get the dogs out of the house) and we did the mountain side of Runyon Canyon up until about a month ago (8 months). Paul started getting worried that it was too slippery for me so we started doing the road / stairs, which is not my favorite. Most recently I started noticing that my knee is in pain from all the pressure I put on it when I get into bed. It’s a super weird thing to explain but basically my bed it really high so I get into bed knee first and all my weight goes on it. Walking downhill on a hike is not ideal right now so we are skipping hiking for now.
Pregnancy Diet
As I said above, I didn’t really change my diet too much. Obviously I’m not eating sushi (raw fish) or drinking wine, but I’ve kept everything else pretty much the same. And yes, I eat my eggs runny and I eat soft cheese. As long as it’s pasteurized I’m eating it. Everyone should do their own research and do what they feel comfortable doing–have to mention that for the people who love to lecture me as if, 1) I don’t have a brain or 2) I don’t have access to the Internet / a doctor / my nutritionist. Sidenote: something I’ve learned during this pregnancy is that people LOVE to talk shit to pregnant people. So much judgement and opinions being thrown on you that it was truly appalling to me and I learned very early on that I never want to be one of those people. If someone asks, that’s a different story, but to just impose your opinions on someone is plain rude.
Anyway, now that that’s out of the way, back to my diet. I ate a high protein diet because according to my nutritionist protein is crucial for the brain development of the baby. Good fats are also really important. Of course I didn’t always eat “right.” There were lazy days, nights out, etc. where I would just cave and eat mac-n-cheese but it happened only a handful of times. For the most part I really tried to be good for the baby. Here is what I ate:
Breakfast
2 eggs (scrambled or over easy / medium), half a bagel or toast, and avocado.
I need a substantial breakfast to hold me over otherwise I’ll get hungry after an hour. I also really needed the fuel on days I was working out.
Chai
I didn’t drink chai my whole first trimester. I was trying to detox myself in those beginning weeks and since it’s a fragile time for the baby I felt it was worth giving up. Once I entered my second trimester I started drinking chai on the weekends but eventually worked my way back to everyday. I get unbearable headaches if I don’t have some caffeine and since you’re allowed one cup of coffee a day I went for it.
Snacks
Nuts, fruit, pita chips & hummus, dried fruit, trail mix, smoothies
I need to snack. It keeps me satisfied and hold me over between meals.
Lunch
Salad with chicken (a bunch of different types) or a bowl with chicken.
Kept it really straight forward for lunch. Light, filling, and healthy.
Dinner
Chicken, rice, veggies (so many chicken recipes on the blog)
Fish–salmon bowls, baked fish, etc.
Veggie bowls–quinoa, roasted veggies, beans, greens
I would alternate between these 3 types of meals each week. Things can get stale so I like to find new recipes and mix it up.
Weight Gain
I’ve never been a scale person. I can see in the mirror (or how my clothes are fitting) if I’m up or down in weight so to me a scale is just a tool to make you feel bad. I understand the importance of being weighed during pregnancy (or any fitness journey with a set goal) so it’s really the first time in my life that I’ve been weighed so frequently for me to actually see the number. I started at 114 pounds when I found out I was pregnant (I was 6 weeks). Obviously I stopped drinking alcohol the second I found out so I actually lost some weight at the beginning of my pregnancy. I dropped to 112 pounds at my next doctor’s visit, which was weeks later. I noticed the change in my body in my workout videos, too. I was definitely looking thin (almost too thin in my opinion).
Over the course of my pregnancy I was gaining 1/4 pound per week and my doctor was very happy with this pace. I hardly showed for the first 6 months of my pregnancy, it was kind of bizarre. After we went to Maui for the babymoon I gained 3 pounds in 5 days, which my doctor was not too happy about but realized it was because of the vacation. Can we just talk about how crazy that is?! Once you sit on your ass, eat a ton, and don’t workout you gain weight very easily during pregnancy. When I came home from Maui I was back to working out with my trainer and eating healthy again so I was back on pace with my slower weight gain.
With only one week (technically) left in my pregnancy, I’ve gained about 25 pounds. I can definitely see a change in my overall body. Sure, majority of it is belly, but my thighs are thicker and so are my arms. My face, feet, and hands are swollen so I also know there’s lots of fluids that need to drain out of me. I’m not really worried about the weight gain or swelling. In fact, I’m excited for the challenge of getting my body back after the pregnancy. I’m looking forward to boxing again and of course, rewarding myself with a glass of wine at dinnertime.
This journey has been incredible on my body. I feel like I’ve handled it pretty well for the most part, and I’m grateful for the fact that I’ve had a healthy pregnancy that allowed me to workout the entire time and stay active for myself and the baby. Babygirl is very active inside my belly and who knows what that actually means, but I’m going to go ahead and say that she likes moving around because her mama does, too.
If you have any questions for me regarding my pregnancy fitness journey feel free to leave them down below in the comments.
Here are some more workout videos from my pre-pregnancy days.