In our Fit Pregnancy feature, blogger Jennifer Jordan speaks her mind about maintaining a healthy pregnancy. Every two weeks through March 31, 2007 she’ll weigh in on exercise, diet, wellness and other health-related issues as she manages her own journey from pregnancy to motherhood.
This past May I endeavored to get pregnant or run the New York City Marathon, to which I’d gained entrance through the lotto system. Turns out dividing my attention between trying to get pregnant and training for the marathon worked. I got pregnant. Training for the marathon was like looking for something else when an item goes missing. As soon as you begin looking for something else, the thing you really wanted in the first place inevitably turns up.
Due to my volatile fertility past — a chemical pregnancy and a miscarriage — when I found out I was pregnant I stopped running. After my miscarriage I considered all the things that could have contributed to my body’s not being able to sustain a pregnancy. I was a very serious runner and thought maybe that had something to do with it although I’m pretty sure it didn’t. I’ve read just about everywhere that it’s OK to exercise while pregnant. I’ve read books and magazines and I even talked to my nurse practitioner after my miscarriage who confirmed that plenty of women have kept fit during their pregnancies and had healthy babies. For me, as for everyone, exercise should not be an option when preparing for a healthy baby, it should be a MUST. Having a healthy baby, after all, starts with a healthy YOU.
Now I find myself once again in the first trimester of pregnancy, during which all those things that no one can explain go wrong. And I haven’t run for over a month — not an easy feat for someone who’s been running since she was 12. That said, I am committed to remaining fit during my pregnancy. I plan to engage in some sort of exercise every morning. Whether it be simple stretching to get the kinks out, a full workout to include weight training or a nice walk in the park with my iPod, I’m sticking with an exercise regimen. I may even try prenatal yoga. After all, you only get circa 300 extra calories a day to help nourish your little one; with the hunger cravings that have hit me, I’m going to need to exercise every day.
I’m interested to see how other women in my situation did when they found out they were pregnant. Some may not have changed their routine a lick, while others may have done a total 180. Let me know your experiences!
My body craves movement and my mind craves being outside. As long as I am mobile, I can satisfy both. Plus, once I have the baby, I have a master plan to get back in shape: I deferred my marathon entry until 2007, the perfect time to start training for the NYC 26.2 miler!
Author by Jennifer Jordan
