I have to shake my head and laugh as I share this week’s thoughts, because more than ever, my body is becoming a blimp with this pregnancy! This boy is sure to be an 8 or 9- pounder! Look out, NFL scouts, and American Ninja Warrior– I’ve got a real champ on the way!
The differences that my body is going through with this third pregnancy reminds me to make to make the point that every pregnancy is unique, just as every child is unique, and the way every mother prepares to bring her child into the world will be her own. Your body will do what it has to do to accommodate the beautiful, growing life within you, and the more relaxed and fit you can be through the process, the better for you and baby! It doesn’t matter if you’re a first-time mom, or a mom again, your biggest, most blessed, and biggest day is coming, and being pregnant doesn’t mean keeping yourself healthy and in shape takes a holiday. It’s more important now than ever, and it’s about much more than the pounds.
Fitness has always been a lifestyle for me. Years of splitting my time between being on the road with my husband, modeling, my charity involvement, and being a hands-on mom to our kids has taught me to make my own opportunities for exercise wherever I am. There are wonderful trails around our home in the Nashville area, and we hike as a family. Even on the road, we find spots with open-air and natural beauty to explore. Walking and stretching are wonderful ways to work simple cardio and exercise in into any day. A trip to the zoo wraps education, exercise, and fun altogether, too.
Yoga has been my preferred method of fitness, keeping spiritual focus, and de-stressing through the high-tension times life brings. Yoga can be done anywhere, with little equipment—just a mat, if you have one. The stretching and strengthening in yoga helps your body to adjust and compensate for the kicks, pushes, pulls, and pressure (especially on the back and the bladder) that are constant! Prenatal yoga basics of breathing, meditation, calm, and core-strengthening really helped me through my previous two natural birth pregnancies. Prenatal yoga not only alleviates back pain and promotes “breathing through contractions” in delivery, but strengthens the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles that play such crucial parts in a healthy delivery. Yoga helps a woman to trust that her body can move and open in the ways that it needs to, instead of tensing up in fear! Another benefit and blessing is that while you are learning deep-breathing and poses, you are bonding closer with your little one! The Hero position makes me feel like I am hugging my sweet little boy, still inside me! The moments you devote to yoga are “mommy and me time” even before baby’s arrival!
Healthy moms have healthy babies, and keeping fit in mind, body and spirit makes any fears in delivery so much easier to face because you learn just how amazing a mother’s body is, besides everything else! We CAN do this! Celebrate with a liitle dance—more great exercise!
You can learn more about pregnancy yoga positions here.
PLEASE NOTE: Consult your physician before beginning any fitness routine, and before making any major changes to your diet and exercise regimens.