Staying motivated to work out while pregnant
Staying motivated to work out while pregnant? I don’t.
Thanks to second trimester energy, I’ve been keeping up with exercising 4-5x a week. Some of those workouts are just walking on the treadmill for 20 minutes, but I do my best to get my body moving in a way that feels good for me and babe.
But I’m definitely not motivated. I basically have none. Often times exercising sounds like the worst possible scenario for my day. In fact, I was rarely motivated to keep to my 5-6x week schedule before I got pregnant—add to that extra weight, fatigue, frequently being off-balance. Ya, I’d rather just not work out. But eating or napping always sounds good!
So the title of this post is a lie. I don’t stay motivated to work out. I do it because it’s a habit. I do it because I know it’s the healthy thing for me to do and because it’s good for me and baby girl.
If you need convincing, here are just a few benefits of working out (check out the link if you want a more detailed explanation of each):
Reduce risk of pregnancy complications
Lower odds of delivery complications
Speed post-delivery recovery
Boost your mood
Lower blood pressure
Ease back and pelvic pain
Fight fatigue
Improve sleep
Relieve constipation
I don’t know about you, but even just keeping those bowels moving would be a good enough reason for me to keep exercising! But it has also definitely helped to boost my mood. At the beginning of my pregnancy I was a little hesitant to work out with our history of miscarriage, but once I did start getting back into it I found I was in a much better mood afterwards. So I’ve put in the work of building the habit because, while it’s often hard to get up off the couch to go exercise, I haven’t regretted any of my workouts.
So long story short, I don’t stay motivated to work out. I usually fight myself tooth and nail and come up with a million excuses, but I’ve found these steps help to keep me in the habit:
Doing it first thing in the morning (after breakfast—don’t exercise on an empty stomach while pregnant)
Listen to my body and exercise in a way that feels good
Don’t stress out and give up if I take 3 or 4 days off during a week instead of 2—it’s not going to hurt me!
Eat well and fuel my body and baby in a way that will sustain us and support healthy exercise
Often the best things we do in life don’t happen because of the elusive inspiration or motivation, but because of habit and hard work.
With all that, I want to remind you there’s a difference between health and fitness. I’m currently 27w4d and my focus this pregnancy is on my health. That means eating well, getting good sleep, and moving my body when it’s appropriate. Fitness and working out fit into that when it’s safe and healthy to do so. If I’m not feeling well or I’d benefit more from taking a nap or sitting on the couch for a while, I do that instead.
Also, I have my doctor’s consent to exercise while pregnant. If you’re pregnant, talk to your doctor before starting a workout program to make sure it’s safe for you and babe. Growing a healthy babe should be your first priority in this short, beautiful time in your life. If you can’t work out, don’t stress—there’s a whole lifetime after you baby is born.
What are some of your tips for working out while pregnant??