Until I had my daughter I had never been
very interested in exercise. I ran occasionally, but never hugely enjoyed it
(my super yummy mummy friend Julie always says she ‘only runs when chased’ which pretty much
sums up my attitude to it too!).
However, my post baby body was not great, and even after losing most of
the weight, it still wasn’t where I wanted it to be.
So about 10 months ago I decided to join my
local gym. Nothing too fancy, just a well equipped gym with a great crèche. This
was around the time of Wills and Kate’s wedding, so I used to envisage Pippa’s
bottom while I pounded away on the treadmill (that sounds weird….aspirational
envisaging you understand!). I
lost the last few pounds I was hoping for, but found that my tummy and arms
were still ‘problem areas’, and the summer was approaching rapidly (i.e. bikini
season). So, I decided to enlist the help of a personal trainer once a week to
help to tone me up and make the gym a bit more fun (Pippa’s bottom got a bit
boring after a few weeks!). And
although I do not have a body resembling Cameron Diaz yet, I am certainly
feeling healthier, more toned and I’m finding that weight, especially since
becoming pregnant again, has stayed off. I have become a total gym convert, and
honestly enjoy the gym. I have learnt how to exercise efficiently, and safely
when pregnant, and am feeling the benefits this pregnancy in my energy levels.
I am not a stylish gym bunny, but do like
Sweaty Betty for comfortable cropped trousers and long line tops. I have also
invested in a really good pair of properly fitted running trainers, which help
absorb impact when running, so save your joints (unfortunately they don’t make
running easier, or faster just a bit more comfortable!).
I’ve picked up a few tips along the way,
which I thought I’d share, but please, please don’t take these as anything
other than my opinion, and I am no expert. Also, if you are pregnant, do seek
advice before starting or continuing with an exercise regime. During these 9
months, your body produces lots of extra relaxin, which makes it much easier to
injure yourself during exercise, so make sure you only partake in super safe
activities!
Tip 1: Interval training is super effective
at fat burning . By interval training I just mean, short bursts of intensive
exercise, rather than one long jog. I have found that a 10 minute session of
jogging up a steep hill as fast as I can, or rowing 1000m as fast as possible,
is much better at shifting the weight than running for half an hour on the flat.
And this sort of exercising is much more fun, as you mix it up and don’t get so
bored.
Tip 2: When pregnant, unless you are a very
keen runner, try to avoid running and other high impact exercises, and the
Power Plate, as impact and intense shaking isn’t great for your pelvic floor
(Tip 2b: never forget to do your pelvic floor exercises!)
Tip 3: Repetition is key. Doing 2 or 3 sets
of a type of exercise gives better results, so maybe plank for 30 seconds, then
do 12 crunches and repeat two or three times.
Tip 4: Drinks lots and lots of water,
especially when pregnant. Kind of obvious, but some people just never drink at
the gym, and wonder why they find it so tiring.
Tip 5: My favourite classes during
pregnancy are pilates (help with core strength and tone), water aerobics (great
for preventing injury) and very gentle weight training. I’m going to start yoga
soon, and excited to try it out, as I struggle to touch my toes!
This has been such an eye opening post. Although I am not pregnant I am trying to achieve a wedding/honeymoon bod and clearly short intense is what I need to do as nearly a year now in the gym doing long lower intense gym sessions has not yealded the results I was looking for! I am going to go intense from now on!
ReplyDeleteHi, I came here by curiosity, I read an article whilst visiting my son in Shepherd's Bush.
ReplyDeleteYour blog was being featured.
I like it around here, even though I am way past the baby/toddler stage. Keep up the good work.
I blog over at www.everydayiwalkwithyou.blogspot.com
Have a great Sunday :)