Strengthen Body & Shed A Few Pounds

I Could Lose A Few Pounds

Staying fit and active before and during your pregnancy is extremely beneficial for you and your baby!  Not only that, but it also increases your chances for an easier labor, delivery and recovery! Over weight women risk gestation diabetes (dangerously high blood sugars), preeclampsia (a potentially life-threadening condition affecting the mother's blood pressure, kidneys, brain, liver and placenta), a higher risk of c-secions, and in increased risk of potentially fatal deep vein thrombosis (blood clots of the legs).

I had been very over weight in my early twenties and was terrified to get pregnant in the future because its almost impossible for your body to bounce back from pregnancy if you are overweight.  The older you are the harder it becomes too!  I'm thirty now and will probably be reaching my 40th when I have, if the Lord permits, my third and last child:

When I was 25 pounds over weight

When dreaming of their wedding day, most girls see themselves a few pounds lighter than they currently are.  When dreaming of being pregnant most are terrified of gaining too much weight.  For your wedding, you might do a crash diet and shed some weight, but if you don't curb your eating habits they will bounce back on your booty!  When pregnant you don't have the luxury of being able to do a crash diet, and dieting while pregnant is a huge risk if not done properly.

For my wedding, I didn't have to diet, the stress and anxiety of planning a wedding in just two months melted the weight off of me!  I was skinnier on my wedding day than I had been in over a decade!  I felt like a bubbly bride on my honeymoon!  Sexy, loved and on top of the world!

My husband took this of me during our honeymoon.

 Fast forward a few months later, and I had gained a good amount back!  What bothered me the most, was that so many people began to complain and comment to me on how much weight I had gained since the wedding.  Yet I was still in my normal range that I had been for years!  I felt like there was something wrong with me.  It hurt that so many people believed that I was at my most beautiful when I was a skinny bride and that the normal me was just not cutting it!

Yet I understood their concerns, and it really hit me when I gained over ten pounds during the holidays!  So I decided to take control over my health and body in the new year; knowing that if I didn't do it now I never would!!!  I began eliminating junk food and the majority of carbs from my house.  I switched from cereal to oatmeal, and from regular milk to almond milk.  I learned to cook several healthy vegetarian meals, and I joined a gym!  In two weeks I dropped six pounds, but didn't see much improvement after that.

I need to step up my workouts and eliminate the foods that I still was hung up on!  I gave up bread and coffee because of the sugar.  I began walking on a treadmill, then added the elliptical machine, but still it wasn't enough.  I then in February joined Pilates and that was life changing!!! I began to tone in ways that regular cardio hadn't helped me in the past!  I was hooked!

It didn't happen over night.  After three months of taking two hours of Pilates a week I still wanted to see more of a dramatic change!  Yes I was more toned, to the point that everyone was noticing how my derrier and chest had lifted and become much firmer!  But I wanted to be so fit that I wouldn't have to worry about bouncing back from having a baby.  So I added another two hours of Zumba to my weekly workout routine.  The combination was explosive!

Motivational pictures & a way to keep track of my workout outfits :)

Here are some tips that I have found online that are amazing!

• walk for 30-60 minutes 3-6 days a week (any kind of good cardio that gets your heart pumping)
• Strength train 2-4 days a week! (prenatal pilates and yoga etc)
• Practice your keels ALL the time
• AVOID crunches after your belly starts to pop to decrease chances of abdominal separation 
• Hug your belly regularly to continue to strengthen your abs
• * Strong core muscles can help give you the strength to push your baby out and recover quickly!
• Stay hydrated and remember that your baby eats what you are eating also!