The Other Half of the Equation

Exercise is important.  If I didn't know that already, being married to a PE teacher pretty much means I'll never forget it.

Exercise is especially important during pregnancy.  I want an as-easy-as-possible labor, to stay in shape, and, most of all, a happy and healthy baby, so staying active is definitely a priority for me.  Therefore, I have tried to be consistent in working out, but lately I have been increasingly tired and easy to wear out, and it is kind of frustrating...and leads to some guilt.

on one of our recent walks

The other day, when the sun was shining and it was the absolutely perfect temperature outside, Mickey and I had a few free hours, so we decided to take a walk, as we often do.  We live in a beautiful, walkable neighborhood and took advantage of all the space we have to roam.  We reached a point, though, a lot earlier than I would have liked, where I just couldn't go any more.  I hated it.  I hear stories about Mrs. W hiking while pregnant, see pictures of ballerinas still dancing at 9 months online, and know that Casey and Erin were still teaching and planning all day and caring for 2 children all night in their recent pregnancies, and I feel rather like a wimp.

In this last week or so, though, my abilities have waned.  Just walking my little route has gotten harder.  Something in my normal exercise routine left me so sore the next day, Mickey had to bring me Tylenol at work.  The past two days, my feet/legs have been ridiculously swollen by the time I went to bed.  And, some days, after Mickey leaves for work, instead of being good and going for my walk, I go back to bed instead.

I know it is all part of it, but I am struggling to find the balance between continuing to do as much as I can/think I should and listening to some wise mothers around me and partaking in the mantra "I am enough."  I know pregnancy isn't all butterflies and daisies, but I still feel like I should be able to DO certain things.

All this being said, I do think that one of the major reasons I have not been terribly uncomfortable/have had a pretty good pregnancy is because I have stayed active.  In case you are curious, here is my typical "workout"...it is definitely not a daily thing, but I do feel great when I do it.

fyi: this is fake.
I wasn't really working out at the time.

Arms:
*Note: I have reduced the weight I use dramatically because I know that my muscles are loose right now, and my doctor has said this is fine for me.  I don't think I could do my "usual" weight at this point anyway.
-bicep curls
-over my head
-bent arms
-lifting arms to the sides
-leaned over, backwards
-pulling straight up

Things I learned from Spinning Babies:
-hip circles on the yoga ball
-legs up on the yoga ball to stretch my back
-neck rolls
-windmill stretch
-cat and cow/pelvic tilts

squats are HARD.

Things I learned from Mickey:
-squats with a yoga ball against the wall
*Note: I think these are SUPER important.  They are also my absolute least favorite thing ever at the moment because they are growing more and more challenging.  It helps (motivation-wise) if Mickey does them with me, even though he is like squatting with tons of weight and adds fancy stuff to the end and I'm just struggling through a plain old squat.
-leg stretch: I lay on the floor and lift a leg straight up in the air.  Mickey pushes it (gently!) until it gets tight, then I push back against him as hard as I can.  When I release, he's able to push my leg a little farther, then I push again...we do this 3-4 times so I get the best stretch possible.

STRETCH:
-butterfly stretch
-legs in second
-whatever feels good

Scarlett likes working out, too.