preggo exercise + goal digger gear giveaway {CLOSED}
okay, pregnancy health goals. from the start, i wanted to do whatever i could to feel like my normal self while growing a tiny human. you are essentially devoting almost a year to the process when you consider 40 weeks plus the "fourth trimester" of recovery and i wanted to have a bit of a strategy in place. food and supplements and nutrition are a HUGE part of pregnancy but there is also the sweat factor. for me, i feel my best when i get moving. the routine has to be modified and i have to be more aware of my body's cues, but for the most part, i have stuck to my regular exercise routine. it makes a significant difference in my mood and energy and overall wellbeing.
ben and i really like to be active together. we get up bright and early and get in a good sweat sesh to start the day. it gives us some extra time together plus it removes our excuses (which can inevitably pile on as the day goes on). we are also all about the home-based workouts. again, taking away our excuses. the past few years have been comprised of seasonal mixes of running, tabata, cardio interval training, and yoga. we will stick to one video series or schedule for a few months until we feel like a change and then, we switch it up.
before elinor was born, we did a lot of distance running. 5-6 miles a day, 5-6 days a week. and we usually tossed in a 10-12 miler once a week for good measure. we had the desire and TIME to devote to it so...we ran. in the months leading up to my pregnancy with elinor, we bought the insanity workout series and got into that. it was a major shift from running and challenged us big time. that's the fun of mixing it up - even when you think you are in good condition, a fresh plan works your body in fresh ways and you can improve and tweak areas that you didn't think needed it. insanity kicked our booties and we loved every second. plus, the exercises were 30 minutes, in your living room. perfect for busy life AND a preggo bladder that wasn't as accommodating for extended outdoor runs...
i did insanity all the way through pregnancy with elinor, up until the day before delivery. i viewed it as my physical training for the very physical act of labor. it gave me energy and kept my body loose and made me feel strong. since i really went for it during pregnancy, it made those postpartum mandated "rest" weeks feel like an extra treat and definitely helped with my recovery. and as soon as i was feeling up to it, i got back into it. slow and modified at first and building from there. as we settled into a groove as a family of three, we added in family runs with our jogger and we shifted our 30 minute workouts as necessary to accommodate breastfeeding and sleeping.
i had a similar approach to staying active during this pregnancy. i wanted to keep doing what felt good for as long as possible. the early weeks were spent running (because the fall is for outdoor running) and practicing yoga with some muscular-structure work mixed in. focusing on sweating and stretching and toning. and as i headed into the second trimester, i ordered insanity max:30 for us to do. i was able to complete the 60 day challenge with almost no modification. after that, we took a few weeks for some yoga and then jumped back in for another 60 days. it was kind of cool to see what i could still handle with a growing belly and notice the changes that were taking place as baby grew. we are still at it and it still feels good. i have been adding in more deep stretching and breathing to "train" for labor which gives me a good balance.
i am hoping that staying active will once again help labor to be quick and productive and for recovery to be smooth. both ben and i feel like we have worked pretty hard and have earned those precious postpartum weeks off. it will be nice to rest a bit and let my body heal. but i also know that i will be ready and excited to get back into it and see what i can do with my body after our little one arrives. i have set some goals for myself for the next few months and i look forward to tackling them!
do you set goals for yourself? physical ones? mental ones? health and wellness ones? i would love to hear!
which brings me to the fun part...sharing a super rad shop with you that provides fab gear for all you GOAL DIGGERS. check out goal digger gear created by my talented friend, Hallie. aaaaand...modeled by her hardcore sister Sam who is a skeleton athlete. serious stuff. Hallie has created a line of fun and fab apparel that works double-duty as fashion items and workout gear. the cutest and comfiest tanks with some added sparkle.
and wahoo! Hallie has generously offered a tank of your choice for a giveaway! just comment below and say hello and let me know which style/color of tank you would like. and hey, maybe share a personal or fitness goal that you have... the giveaway runs from now until MONDAY MAY 11 at midnight. the winner will be randomly selected and contacted on tuesday morning.
oh, and one last thing. you can also get entries on instagram so head over there to play too!
***WINNER***
congratulations to @cakeyhiney!
you are the winner of the #swankygoaldigger giveaway!
drop me a line at swankyanddapper@gmail.com to claim your fab tank!
and thank you to everyone who entered...you guys rock.