How Pregnancy Taught Me to Love Movement
Pregnancy teaches us infinite lessons. After years of feeling the need to exercise for vanity, during my pregnancy with my first I learned to love exercise and be grateful for the ability to move.
My pregnancy with my first child, Fiona, was full of unexpected challenges. Even with medication I vomited until the day I gave birth, food was never appetizing and due to my lack of a caloric intake, I was really weak. Even though pregnancy posed physical challenges, emotionally I was eager, grateful and soaking in the last moments before we became a family of three.
In the past, I exercised to fight the extra weight around my hips and because I was taught that the purpose of exercise was to look better. Growing up I was never an athlete, nor excited by the idea of an afternoon jog. Actually, I get overheated easily and Saint Louis summers are not for people who are a fire sign (based on the Chinese astrology, 9 Star Ki). I was taught to believe that exercise should be completed each day, and for a certain amount of time. I learned certain exercises were ‘good’ like treadmills and ellipticals and more gentle practices like yoga were not a true form of exercise. All of these factors derailed me from finding the true joy in movement.
About halfway through my pregnancy I started to crave movement to remove the stagnant energy in my body that resulted from being nearly bedridden. I knew I needed something gentle because of my overall weakness, so I turned to prenatal yoga, a practice I already loved. I went to weekly classes and started to feel in control of my body again, which I had relinquished to my pregnancy. From there, I wanted to challenge myself more physically and turned to gentle bodyweight movements. And, here is where my shift happened. For this first time in my life, I was moving because I wanted to and I liked the way it made me feel.
Taking inspiration from my yoga class, after any kind of movement or exercise I sat with my legs crossed and eyes closed to take in the feeling. I noticed how much lighter I felt, how the pressure in my lower back was alleviated, and how I actually had more energy than when I began. I felt proud of myself for taking the time and how my attitude had changed. All in all, I felt really damn good. And, that was the feeling I wanted to keep coming back for.
I have always heard about people who get a runner’s high, but I never resonated with that feeling from high intensity workouts. I internalized it to mean I was too out of shape to achieve this feeling and it wasn’t in my reach. Finding a practice that works for me has created a relationship with exercise that’s positive. My exercise philosophy is to do what feels good for you, and remove judgement about what it is. We all began our relationship with exercise at a different place, and have different barriers to it. I believe it’s less important how you exercise, and for how long, and more important that you keep coming back to it. Consistency in any ritual is what creates really change with our thoughts, bodies and habits. We we are able to release judgement, we can actually do the things that make our bodies feel our best.
Nowadays, I am pregnant again with baby number two and am keeping things gentle, although I do find myself craving a jog postpartum - and I look forward to exploring that. Here are some exercises I am currently loving, and if you’re interested in exploring your relationship with exercise, perhaps start here. Just don’t forget to take a few moments to soak in the feeling once you’re finished.
MY FAVORITE PRENATAL EXERCISES
Daily walks around my neighborhood or our nearby park, roughly 1-3 miles per day, 5-6 days per week.
Melissa Wood Health workouts are my favorite. There’s plenty of videos for beginners, prenatal, postnatal and focuses on different parts of your body.
I turn to yoga often during pregnancy to alleviate all the aches and pains from carrying extra weight. Try Yoga Mama Online for online classes or take a class at your local yoga studio.
