“Are you taking it easy now that you’re pregnant?”
“You know you probably shouldn’t run.”
“You need to get lots of rest.”
“Why are you on your feet all day, this is the time to sit around and do nothing.”
“This is the time to eat what you want and enjoy your curves.”
“You can get fat and not worry about it.”
Um, no, no, no, and no.
Pregnancy is not an illness. It’s a life stage. I doubt that women in third world countries even consider the above. Nope, they still have to work in fields, carry water for kilometres on their heads, look after the other children, complete their allocated daily chores, and still survive.
1 – I’m not taking it easy but I’m not going hard either. I’m listening to my body. If I feel up to training, I train, if I don’t, I sit on the couch and veg out. Simple. But you know what, I feel so much better physically and mentally when I’m active. Even a 30 minute walk can change a mediocre day to a good one.
2 – Yes, I should. I’m a runner and that is what my body is used to. Sure I ran less, and slower, but I still ran. I stopped at 30 weeks. Now at 34 weeks I realise that I probably could have continued to run a little longer.
3 – Not really. I just need to rest when I feel tired. Comes back to listening to my body. If I need a nap at the weekend, I take one. If I’m ready for bed at 8pm, that’s when I go to sleep.
4 – Sitting around and doing nothing sounds like a nightmare. I’m an active person and I prefer to be on my feet than on my ass. I’ve found that sitting causes water retention in my ankles which is uncomfortable and painful. Being on my feet and walking around makes me feel much better and keeps the circulation moving.
5 – No, it’s not. Eating for two is a fallacy. Your body only requires an extra 300 calories a day and that’s not until the second and third trimester. Gaining lots of weight during pregnancy can endanger your child and put them and you at risk of obesity and other weight related problems like diabetes and heart disease.
6 – Now is the time to have more reason to be healthy and fit. Bringing a child into the world is a huge responsibility from conception. Allowing yourself to get fat because you want to eat for two (or three) is not responsible and is extremely unhealthy for both mother and baby.
Is pregnancy a time for laziness or more of a reason to maintain good health and fitness?
