Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Weight Gain Dilemas

Dilema 1: Physical strain 

At my last midwife appointment, 3 weeks ago, I was up 10 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight [so good!]. I started noticing about that same time that walking up the three flights of stairs to our apartment was making me breath a little heavy by the time I got to the top!

This got me wondering... I've never had problems walking up our stairs, except when my arms were full of groceries AKA extra weight. I realized that I need to up my workout routine a little more to counter the weight I've gained [I've been slacking the past few weeks].

I still have at least 15 more pounds to add to this body by May & thinking ahead, if I take this time to kick back & only relax... I will be in big trouble trying to get my buns, & eventually a 7 lb + baby, up the stairs.

Solution: Walk more, embrace stairs, & do body weight squats regularly.

The only way to accomplish this... be disciplined & do it [not my strongest quality]

My goal is to write into my planner a time of day that I will do a 20 minute body weight workout, focusing on legs & back. This will probably occur in the time frame between coming home from work & eating dinner. By sticking to a schedule, the likelihood of fitting in a quick workout is much higher!

A second goal is to walk/jog/elliptical with consistency. Doing a 30 minute cardio workout once a week doesn't do much in building stamina to support a higher body weight. We have a free gym membership to our local Y Center [thanks to my wonderful boss] & we don't use it nearly as often as we should. With the classic Michigan winter weather finally arriving... I will be the last person to take a nice walk outside in the 10 degree weather [I hate snow. I hate the cold. why do I live here!?]. Now is the ideal time to stroll on a treadmill, pop on some tunes, & read a book [most likely about something pregnancy/baby related]. Three times a week would be ideal. There are some weeks where it is just not possible to take the 15 minute drive to the gym & on those night a little Just Dance on the XBox Kinect will get this mama moving.

Dilema 2: Emotional Strain 
I've never weighed this much in my life. My initial reaction to those stinkin' little numbers on the scale was shock & instant insecurity. The baby weighs half a pound, there are other weight gain factors like a growing placenta & the girls up top, but how can all of that weigh 10 pounds?! Has my husband been lying when I ask if my buns are bigger? [bless his sweet little heart]

But I should be gaining weight. My baby needs food to grow healthy. & I know I've been giving her mostly nutritional food. So I'm not adding ice cream & fast food weight to these mama hips. This weight is good weight. So next time I get on the scale, I want to celebrate those numbers [as long as they're within the range I should be gaining] & picture my tiny girl getting bigger & healthier. At my final weigh in, [now this is full disclosure] the goal is to weigh between 145-155 pounds... for this petite gal, that seems like a lot. But those are some beautiful numbers that represent a new little girl that will be ours. Thinking about the weight gain in those terms, it is a wonderful thing & not something to be insecure about.
[it also helps to have an amazing husband who bathes you with compliments & kisses for a boost of extra confidence on those not-so-good days... Oh Matthew you are my prince]

Current Baby Stats:
-19 weeks & 5 days
-Otter is a GIRL!
-She is the size of a mango. Or green pepper. Whichever you can picture better.
-Nursery colors have been chosen & crafting supplies purchased [pictures to come!]
-Craving icecream [& not giving in this month! See The December Dilema blog post]
-Feeling pokes galore - Matt felt 5-10 kicks in a 5 minute time frame. Glorious.

Looking Ahead:
-Naming a baby
-Baby girl ultra sound pictures! [& tips for the appointment]

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