bye bye baby weight

Hey ladies! I’ve been asked what I’ve done to lose my baby weight. One thing that I did was work out while I was pregnant. You might be thinking I’m crazy: why would I want to work out while being pregnant?  I wanted to stay fit which not only would benefit my baby but would help prevent me from putting on unnecessary weight.

At the beginning of my pregnancy, it was still easy for me to do all the workouts to which I was accustomed. I would attend classes at my local fitness center. I loved going to the aerobic classes. Being in a group setting with other attendees and having the classes directed by an instructor motivated me to work harder. It helped me at times to successfully push through the wall when I felt that I would rather quit.

However, as my pregnancy progressed, it was hard to keep up with the aerobics routine I was following. As a result, I started looking into workouts that would be more suitable for me.

One type of class that I found that was not only suitable for me while I was pregnant but was even more suitable afterwards was a class called “Ball’ates.” It’s a mix of ballet and Pilates that really worked out my arms and legs. Since I couldn’t work out my abs, I just focused on strengthening my legs and arms.

In addition to taking classes at the fitness center, I walked on the treadmill with it being in the inclined position, worked out at home following routines I found on Pinterest designed for pregnant women, and remained as active as I could be the rest of the time.  

At the beginning of my pregnancy, I weighed about 105 pounds, and just before going into labor I was 140 pounds.

While it’s important to remain active, it’s equally important to maintain a good diet. While pregnant, many women make the mistake of eating more often and more than they need to. Many women think eating for two is an excuse to just eat whatever they want. Women using that rationale gain more weight than they need to during their pregnancy, and those unnecessary extra baby pounds are more difficult to lose as a result.

I’m not saying I was a saint while pregnant. There were days when I would just want to eat and eat and eat, taking an extra cookie or grabbing an additional slice of pizza! Like many other women, I would justify such runaway eating with the excuse that I deserved those extra helpings because I was pregnant.  

Go to the gym with friends!

I did my best, however, to eat healthy while pregnant. It was hard, so whenever I craved any sweets, fatty foods, or snacks with empty calories, I would hurry and divert myself in order to follow a more healthy route. I’m not telling other pregnant women to never eat what they are craving! After all, sometimes it’s the body telling women what it needs.  In that situation, it’s best to make an individual decision. I’m just mentioning what worked for me!

Logan Canyon nature Walk

Easy walk during pregnancy and after

 safe to take baby with also!

Now a word of caution about unreasonable expectations for working out after the pregnancy. After giving birth to my son Liam, it took time for my body to heal, and when I did resume working out, I couldn’t follow my routines with the same intensity as I had before. Initially, I worked out as if I were still pregnant, but this time around as a plus, I was able to work my abs.

It took a few months for me to start performing those exercises at the same level as I had before I had been pregnant, and as I said earlier, I had to be patient and just keep working toward my goal.

Oh, and it didn’t hurt that breastfeeding burned some extra calories, too.  

Now, to be honest with you, I’m not eating as healthily as I should be, particularly during the holidays with all the tempting foods and treats available to me. I do, though, use portion control. I still eat what I want, but I control how much of it I consume.

As we all know, the Holidays are the hardest time of the year to stay on track with eating and on getting to the gym. I do my best to workout everyday though. If I don’t make it to the gym, I put on an Insanity Workout disk while Liam is sleeping, or I follow other workouts I found on Pinterest.

You can find so many different workouts on Pinterest, many of them make working out fun! And when you are enjoying a workout, it’s easier to get through it.

Either at home or at the fitness center, I love routines that are upbeat motivating. Zumba is a great class that is fun that burns a lot of calories and that doesn’t feel like a workout. Additionally, some of my favorite classes at the fitness center are power body sculpting, switch, hard core, and ball’ates.  

After 6 months of working out and following portion control, I now weigh around 103 pounds. My goal now is just to tone my body and follow a healthy lifestyle.

Now, no one has to follow exactly what I did, so just do what feels right! It’s possible for anyone to attain goals or proper weight and fitness. Don’t give up! Keep on working for what you want!  And above all, be active!

http://www.pinterest.com/deidrechambers/

 Pinterest has some great work outs and motivational quotes!