9 Strange Things You Can't Do When You're Pregnant

My friend, Christine, shared the article, 9 Strange Things You Can't Do When You're Pregnant with me. I was aware of some on the list. I really liked #7 - Clean the inside of an oven. My husband gets assigned some fun cleaning responsibilities when I'm pregnant, the shower is my favorite to pass off.
I was a little embarrassed about #9 - Drink caffeine. I was so exhausted during my last pregnancy that I slipped in a few Diet Cokes. Don't tell little Phoenix that his mama was neglectful. Next time I'll do better!

Will this pregnancy ever end?

Sorry, friends. I've been neglectful with my blogging. I'm huge, miserable, and ornery. I've got a week and a half until my due date and we're doing everything to get this baby here. The other night I sat on an exercise ball to try and make the baby descend. When I got off my back seized up and I had to crawl to the bathtub!
But the baby's growing great, I love feeling her (or him) move, and we're thrilled to be almost there.
I hope you're all having a wonderful, healthy summer. Someday soon I'll have some brain power return, be able to write fitness articles, and get excited about being fit again.

Exercise Through the Hard Times

I usually enjoy exercise. I love pushing myself through a hard workout. I love getting sweaty and having a reason to shower. I love knowing that my muscles are strong and I can keep up with my wild boys.

At my current state, I consider vacuuming a challenging cardiovascular exercise. How did I regress from running marathons to absolute slothfulness? I decided I needed another angel in my life and am expecting my fourth baby in August.

There are times in all of our lives that fitness has to take a backseat – sickness of a child, taking care of an elderly parent, overload at work, a new baby. I’m sure you all have a list of your own. The ironic thing is at these times we need exercise more than ever. Why?

• Exercise decreases stress by increasing your health and overall sense of well-being.
• Exercise is meditation in motion – you can forget some stresses as you exercise and often be able to focus better on the problem later. I also find that solutions come to me as I’m out on a run or bike ride.
• Exercise increases the production of your brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters, called endorphins. Anything that gets you moving quickly can give you that “runner’s-high.” I often get sluggish and tired in the afternoon, but if I go on a short walk or dance with my kids I feel much better and can usually avoid crashing on the couch. (I said usually, sometimes the nap is a necessity!)
• Exercise improves your mood – Regular exercise can increase self-confidence and lower the symptoms associated with mild depression and anxiety.
• Exercise helps you to sleep better – people who exercise have lower cases of insomnia and sleep is improved because you experience smoother transitions between sleep cycles and you stay in the stage four (deepest sleep) cycle longer.

But what do you do when life is on overload and you barely have energy to get dressed each day? I suggest you employ the normal tricks to help you fit in fitness:

• Make a workout date with yourself on your calendar.
• Lay your exercise clothes out the night before. (I always feel so guilty when I have to put them away clean.)
• Place the alarm clock across the room so you have to get up.
• Find an exercise buddy who motivates you.
• If possible ride a bike or walk instead of driving.
• Chores count too – yard work, housework, cleaning the car, anything that gets you moving will burn calories and help you feel better (guess I shouldn’t joke about vacuuming being exercise).
• Park at the end of the parking lot and take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Sign up for an exercise class or a triathlon to get yourself motivated (If I pay for something I’m guaranteed to do it because I hate to waste money).
• Do little spurts of exercise – dancing with your children, lifting weights while you watch television, walking or doing calf raises while you talk on the phone. Every little bit counts and a few minutes here and there can add up to great results.

Use all of these tricks and any others that work for you, but also realize that you are going through a hard or busy time and give yourself a break. If you don’t get to the gym on a morning you promised yourself to go, remind yourself that you probably needed sleep or some snuggle time with your child. Don’t beat yourself up. Focus on the positive and recommit to getting out of bed tomorrow.

Yes, I can barely waddle around the block, but soon I’ll have a gorgeous baby. The prize is well worth the pain. Every one of us is going to go through trials (many worse than the discomforts of pregnancy). If we focus on the positive, try to take care of our health, and rely on the Lord we can use these hard times to make ourselves a better person, we can come out smiling on the other side.

(i) Exercise: Rev up your routine to reduce stress by Mayo Clinic Staff

(ii) How does exercise improve sleep by Scott White

(iii) How to fit exercise into your busy schedule by Ehow Staff Writer

Feeling Huge

This pregnancy has really done a number on my self-esteem. Even though I'm trying to strength train and do cardio I'm gaining a lot of weight, my muscles have all gone to squish, and I have cellulite on the front of my thighs (we're not even looking at the back anymore). Have you ever seen cellulite on the front of someone's thighs? Disgusting.

I know I'm growing an angelic baby and I am thrilled about that.

How do all of you keep things in perspective when you're expecting, hormonal, aching, and wondering if a second bowl of ice cream isn't a fabulous idea?

Sugar = Poison?

The past couple of days I've consumed an entire piece of The Cheescake Factory's Black-out Cake. If you've ever seen one of these slices, you'll understand why I'm disgusted with myself. They're bigger than a dinner plate and richer than Ghirardelli chocolate. Yesterday I seriously could not move out of my chair. I was so weak and sick it terrified me. I started wondering if it was the sugar overdose. I did some research online and found everything from cautions to too much sugar during pregnancy because of gestational diabetes to an article that basically equated the effect of sugar on a fetus to be as awful as alcohol, cigarettes, or caffeine.

Oh, the guilt!

The hard thing is there isn't a lot of solid research out there, but I guess I understand that. None of us would want to be the guinea pig to see what hurt our baby or not.

So I've decided to be careful about excess sugar for the next few weeks and see if I feel better. I'm not giving up jam on my toast but I did hide the rest of the Black-out Cake in the outside freezer!

Any advice? Have any of you noticed an adverse effect from sugar on you or your children? I definitely feel gross if I eat too much and I think my children get whinier, but I've really never equated sugar with poison as some of the articles I read suggested.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks,

Cami

A break from running

Last Wednesday I ran 3 1/2 miles, at a decent pace for a pregnant lady, then I walked 3 miles. I received three phone calls that day telling me to slow down and two friends at the gym said the same thing. I complained to my husband that night. His response, "These people all care about you. Maybe you should pray about it." I did and the answer humbled me, "This baby is a miracle. How dare you jeopardize that?" I'm done running. I'll keep exercising, but force myself to keep it under control.

Have you ever had a time in your life when you were forced to slow down? How did you deal with it?

Weight Gain

I had my first doctor's appointment yesterday and I haven't gained any weight yet. Happy day! I know I shouldn't have gained any weight at ten weeks along, but the only time I feel good is when I eat. So I'm eating far too often! Luckily, I can't eat sugar (makes me more sick) so at least I've eliminated the chocolate and ice cream consumption.

Do any of you have a goal to lose weight this new year? Even though I always tell myself that the scale doesn't matter and the only important thing is how I feel and how I fit in my clothes I still monitor that darn number on the scale. It is good to know if you're getting too far away from your happy number. Luckily for me, the scale is completely unimportant this year (as long as I don't break 200 pounds, which I did with my second son).

My goals this year are:

#1 - Have a healthy baby

#2 - Enjoy my wild boys and sweetheart

#3 - Polish and submit two novels (before the baby comes)

#4 - Serve More

I'm so proud of myself for finally writing some goals down. I'd love to hear your goals.