What does it mean to have a fit pregnancy?
If you have been following my social media, you may know that I am co-hosting webinars over the next few weeks on prenatal fitness training. So obviously prenatal exercise and fitness have been on my mind A LOT recently.
Not sure where you do the best thinking, but I do mine during my morning shower :) So this morning I was thinking, what does it mean to have a “fit pregnancy”? Does it mean that if you have a high risk pregnancy that limits your exercise that you can’t have a fit pregnancy? Does it mean that we totally disregard pregnancy and keep going hard like nothing ever happened and do what we’ve always done like some advise us to do (this was me for SO long while I was pregnant with Penny AND it caught up with me). Maybe it means that we have to prove how badass we are while pregnant, so we don’t look “weak” or “fragile” (this was also me). So if this is what I thought while pregnant, how many other people think like me too? I’m sure a lot!
But after doing this work for a few years now, and really diving deep into my experiences physically, mentally, and emotionally, working with tons of pregnant clients, and extensive research and education, I now have a much different perspective on what a “fit” pregnancy actually means.
A fit pregnancy is so much more than just exercise. Sure there is physical fitness, but there is mental fitness and emotional fitness. But what the heck does that mean? It means that your pregnancy is well rounded. That you have achieved this ultimate sense of health and wellness during pregnancy. I believe this is far superior to just exercising and being physically fit during your pregnancy.
Research has shown us the extensive benefits of exercise during pregnancy in both reducing pregnancy related pain and also improving mental health. However, we also know the importance of mindfulness, stress management, sleep, nutrition, and optimizing mental health. So what if we focused on a balance of all of these elements to achieve this true sense of a fit pregnancy. Working on mindfulness and stress management during pregnancy can be so beneficial for the labor experience, and also the early postpartum period when there is a significant hormonal shift, sleep deprivation, and a lack of routine. Having a strong foundation in mindfulness and stress management can set you up for success in that early postpartum period.
Sleep and nutrition are also so important in fitness. If you haven’t heard this statement before, some say that 80% of your physical fitness comes from nutrition and 20% comes from exercise. This is totally contradictory to the kool-aid we are being told to drink on a daily basis. Aren’t we told that the more exercise we do, the better we will look and the faster we will achieve our goals? I know I drank the kool-aid for far TOO long. Really, nutrition and sleep are so so important to health and wellness. You will not be able to make improvements in exercise unless you are maximize your nutrition and getting at least 7-8 hours of restorative sleep for recovery. This translates to pregnancy. You are growing another human. You need sleep! You need high quality nutrition for these processes to happen and to stay well-supported. If you are experiencing a high risk pregnancy or have significant exercise limitations due to your pregnancy situation, you can still work on fitness! This is a great time to tap into these other elements and work on what you can control and release the rest!
Let’s not forget about mental health. I have lived with “high functioning” anxiety for years. I always dismissed the symptoms and just “pushed through.” But man did this come back to bite me during my labor experience and postpartum. Anxiety reared it’s ugly head, especially during my early postpartum period. And I did what I have always done - push through. 3 years later, I am finally working through this anxiety when I knew it was not possible to continue my old ways while raising a small human. So I am here to say, let’s make routine mental health a priority during pregnancy. Let’s make it part of the “fit pregnancy” we want and the health & wellness that is preached so much.
Have you thought about the idea of a “fit pregnancy” like this before? I’d love to know what your experience has been and any feedback you may have on this topic.