“Energy is that amazing feeling that comes to life inside of you when you’re happy and believe in yourself.” -Richard Simmons
This has been the best week I’ve had in a while overall. I’m happy and feeling good about where I’m at in my pregnancy.
I’ve done a lot less stressing about things that are out of my control over the last couple of months, especially in the area of pregnancy. So this past week I have really spent time focusing on what is in my control.
How have I done this exactly?
*I’ve been tracking my macros to make sure mom and baby are getting all the nutrients they need in the proper amount. When I found out I was pregnant I was in a bulking phase of my fitness journey trying to gain some muscle. I wasn’t tracking macros and eating more intuitively. But in the last month or so, due to the decrease in my activity levels working from home & being unable to get the same intensity from my workouts through home workouts, I felt it was time to track macros again. This is important to me because it helps me mentally see that my diet is healthy which prevents unnecessary weight gain which can lead to gestational diabetes and other pregnancy complications. Due to my age and weight, gestational diabetes is something that I have spent too much time stressing about. As many of you know, I had to do the early GD test at 16 weeks, which came back completely normal. I will be doing the test again at my 24 week appointment in a few short weeks. Since it is not healthy to worry and stress, I have been making sure I control what I can control, which is my macros. This does not guarantee that I will not develop GD but it has helped me stop worrying about it. I am not watching the scale either, because that is one of many triggers for me. If I know my nutrition is on point, then the rest is out of my control.
*I’ve been going on more brisk paced walks around Downtown Greenville with my mask of course. I’ve always enjoyed cardio. If you have been following me for any time you know the Elliptical is my jam. I can tune in to a good book or some awesome jams and be content. But with the gyms being closed, this has been a no go for me. For the longest time, I didn’t feel comfortable taking walks around town because I didn’t have a mask and that is what everyone else is doing since they can’t go to the gym. Being pregnant lowers the immune system making me more susceptible to COVID-19. But now I have my mask and have mapped out the best times of the day to go for a scroll without being anxious about the people around me. No offense to anyone, but I cannot take any chances with my health right now. I have worked too hard for this pregnancy. 🙂Â
* I am finding ways to safely increase the intensity of my workouts. Considering I only own 3 sets of dumbbells (ranging 3lbs to 8lbs), a set of awesome Limms booty bands and a Gold’s Gym resistance band with handles I am very limited. I literally just finished an Upper Body Focused guide designed around gaining muscle mass, so I can lift a lot more than 8lbs at this point in my fitness journey. Finding pregnancy safe ways to increase the intensity of my workouts without injuring myself has been a little bit of a challenge, mainly because I have never really trained at home much. I am a gym girl through and through. At first it was finding the motivation to workout from home. Then it was learning how to perform the exercises with the Gold’s Gym resistance band without it sliding off my feet hitting me in the neck or even worse giving me a back eye. With every challenge comes that feeling of success, which is where we are at now. I have finally found that burn that I love so much from the gym with home workouts that do not put me or the baby in harm’s way.
*I have developed a great skin care routine. I will be honest and say I have never been one of those girls who has it all together when it comes to taking proper care of her skin. I go to sleep with my makeup on. I only lotion my legs during the summer when I have a tan. Yes, I know this is terrible. But since being in lock down and with my growing belly, I have developed a much healthier skin care routine for my entire body. Although I am still experiencing breakouts, thanks to pregnancy hormones, my skin feels softer than it ever has before. This all started with the hope of preventing stretch marks and clearing up some acne. But now it is part of every day routine that helps me sleep better at night, because after all a bedtime routine has been scientifically proven to help you get a better night’s rest.
*Finally I am writing and reading more.
I have found that writing is really helping me process everything that is going on around me right now from pregnancy to working from home. Being able to share my experience feels amazing as well because I know there has to be other women and even men who are feeling the exact same way I do. I still do not spend a lot of time journaling, because I have found that is not really the type of writing that I am into. As stated before, I love sharing with other people with the hopes that it helps someone else but even if it doesn’t it makes me feel better and that is what is important.
Ever pick up a really good book and read the entire book in one day? That has been the case for me more than once during this quarantine. I have always loved reading but struggle to make time for it. That is not the case anymore. Somedays, I choose to just read over picking up the remote and watching tv. But most importantly, this has become part of my bedtime routine. Whether I read for 30 minutes or 2 hours, I have found that reading before bed is really helping improve my overall ability to wind down and fall asleep.
The last couple of months I have really struggled with letting things that I cannot control stress me out. I thought I had moved past this stage of life but with all of the sudden changes, and I do not like change, I found myself right back in that downward spiral of stressing about everything whether there was something I could do to change it or not. Taking a step back and reminding myself that I am not superwoman, even if I feel I am, has helped me find a better place mentally. I would like to make sure you all understand, I am not counting macros or doing any of these other things because I am stressing about weight gain or things that are truly out of my control. I realize if it is meant to be it will be and you have to gain weight to grow a healthy baby. At the end of the day, it is all in God’s hands and I believe with all of my heart he will take care of the things that are out of my control in the way that he sees fit!
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