6 Key Elements for a Healthy Second Trimester
Boy, does it feel amazing to be human again. What a rollercoaster the first trimester can be! I’m not sure how your first trimester was, but mine had me on my butt. Morning Sickness was “ALL-DAY Sickness”! Literally, from the second I woke up, till the moment I fell asleep I was: nauseous, had a headache, and felt extremely fatigued. You can forget about working out. Shoot, you could even forget about “eating clean”! I just wanted ANYTHING that was going to make me feel better; unfortunately for me that meant hamburgers, burritos (if you could believe it) and LOTS of sleep. So many people recommend small meals throughout the day to ward off nausea, but for me the tiny meals didn’t settle my stomach, in fact, that was the very thing that set me off. Having something heavy and filling is what kept my stomach calm.
Now, I’m admitting all of this to you so that you can see that #1 I’m far from perfect, #2 the difference between one trimester to the next, and #3 to let you know if you share my story, you’re not alone.
Well well well…here I am in my Second Trimester and feeling like myself again. I’m back to working a full schedule, exercising daily, and eating my whole and nutritious foods. Although I am not being overly strict with myself, I still have some rules that I am living by, even while pregnant and I wanted to share them with you…
Exercise Routine:
- Get outside to walk, jog or play an activity with my family 5-days a week.
We love going to the local high school track/field to play soccer, football, Frisbee, & etc.
- Do resistance training 3-days a week.
I really enjoy doing full-body workouts at home on my FitnessMat. Air Squats, Planks, and Modified Push-ups to name a few of my favorite moves.
- Stretch and Foam Roll 3-days a week.
It’s sounds easy enough, but I have to schedule my stretching sessions into my routine or else they will easily be pushed to the wayside. Stretching opens up your hips and relaxes your back muscles. I highly recommend these three moves to open up your hips.
For more great advice on fitness during pregnancy visit:
http://www.precisionnutrition.com/exercise-during-pregnancy-infographic
Dietary Lifestyle:
- Use FitBook and the My Fitness Pal app to log food consumption.
Typically I eat the same thing every day, but now that I am pregnant, I want a wide variety of foods. Tracking what I ingest helps me monitor the amount of food I’m eating, whether that is too much or too little.
- Eat a Variety of Foods.
It’s important to add healthy, delicious, whole foods into your diet. According to BabyCenter.com, we should consume colorful fruits and vegetables as well as dark leafy green veggies. "Each color group provides different vitamins and minerals," explains dietitian Jodi Greebel, owner of Citrition, a nutrition counseling service in New York.
See “10 Best Foods for Pregnancy” by clicking here:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_10-best-foods-for-pregnancy_10320506.bc
- Monitor Weight Gain.
This isn’t the time to try a new diet or be overly restrictive, nor is it a time to eat whatever you want in large quantities. Monitoring your weight simply means that you will eat all things in moderation, just like you would throughout the year if you weren’t growing a human. All things in moderation!
I sincerely hope this gives you a couple nuggets that you can apply to help make your pregnancy a little more enjoyable. After all, this is one of life’s greatest gifts. I’ll be back for a Third Trimester update in a couple months. Till then…
Live Healthy,
Hilary Hall, FitnessMats Brand Ambassador, CPT, blogger, Owner of Shed n’ Shred Boot Camp and Mom of soon-to-be 3!
