This post is sponsored by Atrium Health.  All opinions are my own. 

I’m so excited to dive into today’s post because it’s one I’ve been getting a lot of questions on from many of y’all!  I’m going to be talking all about pregnancy cravings, nutrition, & exercise.  If you’ve followed me for a while you probably already know that I enjoy a balanced diet, complete with plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, healthy fats, and of course treats!  You won’t catch me turning down a cookie or piece of cake.  I really do have an “everything in moderation” sort of approach and just try to make sure I’m covering my bases on getting enough micronutrients through my food and then not stressing out or feeling guilty about enjoying a dessert.  It’s also super important to me to be active and move my body, so that’s something I’ll chat more about as well!

Pregnancy Cravings & Nutrition

Pregnancy Cravings

Before getting pregnant I always wondered if I’d have some crazy cravings.  You hear about women liking pickles & ice cream together…which seems so weird but honestly now I can understand where some women may get that!  But back to that in a moment.  For the most part, I haven’t had too many weird cravings.  I had some aversions in the first trimester…mostly to meat. It seemed to change week to week though because one week I’d have an omelette with spinach and then the next week the thought of it made me sick.  Super early on in pregnancy I was craving greasy stuff…think french fries from Chic-fil-A.  It’s not like I was there every day, but did I swing through the drive through once or twice?  Yep.  I’m a big believer in just listening to your body so if my body was wanting some fries that’s what I was going to give it.  Overall though, has seemed to subside.

The only lingering craving I’d say is for all the fruit and fruity things!!  So on the “healthier” side of that I’m crushing fruit…especially clementines!! I swear I could eat those by the truckload.  I also LOVE fruit popsicles right now, especially strawberry and raspberry flavor.  Sometimes, though, wanting something fruity presents itself in me really wanting some Starburst candy.  So again, am I having it every day? Nope, but on occasion I have that, enjoy it, and don’t stress out about it.

Back to the pickles & ice cream thing: So I haven’t wanted that in particular but one night I couldn’t decide if I wanted something fruity for dessert like Starburst, or if I wanted cookies & cream ice cream.  So in that moment I thought, “why don’t I just get both and put the candy on the ice cream?!”  Craig definitely thought I was a little crazy and in the end I realized pink Starburst and cookies & cream ice cream probably wouldn’t actually taste good together, but the desire for the combo was born out of wanting both and not being able to make up my mind.  So perhaps that’s where pickles & ice cream comes from…who knows 🙂

I have also been really loving bagels and cream cheese.  So yummy but again, not an everyday thing.

Pregnancy Nutrition

I am really trying to be mindful of eating vegetables everyday.  I know especially in the first trimester that it is hard to stomach certain things, and maybe kale isn’t at the top of your list.  For me, on days when I wasn’t feeling it I would make myself a smoothie and put the spinach and kale in it mixed with almond milk, banana, frozen blueberries & strawberries.  The fruit flavor masks the taste of the leafy greens but you still get all the benefits of eating them.  I employed that trick plenty of times to make sure I was getting in those greens.

Now that I’m in the second trimester it has been much easier to eat things like salads for lunch and we pretty much always have a vegetable with dinner.  Our favorites are brussels sprouts, broccoli, sugar snap peas, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, & zucchini.  We have lean meat with dinner a couple times per week with things like grilled chicken, ground turkey, and salmon.  I also really love to put salmon on spinach salads for lunch or make a salmon sandwich!  Salmon is SO GOOD for you and baby during pregnancy and for baby’s brain development.

Other things I eat routinely are oatmeal or yogurt for breakfast, and I love to mix it with peanut butter for healthy fats and usually always have either a sliced banana or blueberries on top as well.

I would say that overall, my diet hasn’t changed *too* much during pregnancy, except I’m mindful of what I should and should not be eating for baby’s safety, and other than that I am still pretty much enjoying my 80/20 approach of 80% healthy and 20% treats.  I have had pizza probably once a week since getting pregnant…I love it so much and I always have so that’s also not really all that different either!  I don’t count calories or anything like that, I just eat when I’m hungry and try to make the best choices I can.  A big motivator for me to maintain a healthy diet is to think of how the food I’m eating will impact baby girl.  So even though I might not always want a spinach & salmon salad, I know how good it is for her so it’s much easier to take my own preferences out of the equation.

Pregnancy Exercise

Pre-Pregnancy Routine

I wrote a blog post earlier this week about Working Out While Pregnant and talked more specifically about what changes I’ve made to my workouts and what is different with my body so far.  Definitely check out that post because it goes hand-in-hand with this one!  The Atrium Health Pregnancy Guide also has exercise tips in it.

Prior to getting pregnant I was extremely active, and have been for years.  I played soccer my whole life and even D1 in college at Wake Forest. Following graduation I took up running to fill the soccer void and really never looked back.  I’ve done 4 half-marathons and 1 full marathon, and now I pretty much “run for fun”, meaning I don’t really do races anymore, but I do run 3 times per week because I love it, it’s great exercise, and it really helps me clear my head!  So I had been working out 6 days per week for many years leading up to getting pregnant, generally always taking Sundays as my rest day.  (PS-you can catch my weekly workout schedules on the blog every Sunday!)

Restrictions or Modifications

At my confirmation of pregnancy appointment around 6-7 weeks pregnant, I made sure to talk with Dr. Stein at Atrium Health / Charlotte OB/GYN about exercise so I could know what I could and could not do.  Given my activity level prior to pregnancy, she said I didn’t have any restrictions but to just listen to my body.  And that’s what I’ve done!  I continue to workout 6 days a week, and I alternate strength training and cardio days.  Monday-Wednesday-Friday I do strength training and Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday I do cardio.  My cardio is either running or a spin class.  Spin is a great low-impact cardio option for pregnant women!  For running, I can still do about 3 miles but I certainly don’t run as fast.  My mile times have dropped from about an 8 minute mile to a 10 minute mile and I’m fine with that!  I just enjoy moving.  I know as the belly grows certain exercises just aren’t going to be comfortable anymore and that’s okay.  I also love to take walks whenever I can!

In case you don’t know, I am a Certified Personal Trainer and have a Pre- and Post-Natal Fitness Certification as well.  For an idea of a pregnancy-safe strength training workout I would do, I’ve made up a little workout for you below!  It’s great really whether you are pregnant or not. *However remember to always get clearance from your doctor before starting any type of exercise, pregnant or not!*  As your belly gets bigger, certain modifications need to be made to exercises to protect baby and to protect your body.  While pregnant your body releases the hormone Relaxin (responsible for loosening ligaments that allow your pelvis to open up to deliver baby), which makes you more flexible all over.  So keep that in mind as it can create aches and pains and can even possibly throw off your balance, so multiplanar exercises may cause stability issues and pose a falling risk.

Speaking of balance, that’s another thing that will change as your center of gravity changes with a bigger belly.  Definitely don’t engage in any activities with an increased risk of falling (for example I did not go snowboarding on our sibling ski trip this year).  It’s best to avoid twisting motions around the midsection (which is an example of a multiplanar exercise), as well as positions laying flat on your back or on your belly.  Any core work that creates a “coning” or “doming” effect in your midsection should be avoided since that can potentially lead to diastasis recti…so traditional abdominal work like crunches and planks will likely be out once your belly has grown and you can’t properly engage your transverse abdominis.  Side planks, though, are actually great because they don’t put the pressure on the front of your abs and instead engage other muscles that can continue to give you a strong core and pelvic floor.

You will also want to avoid hot yoga or hot pilates (it’s important moms-to-be exercise in a cool environment) and avoid repetitive, strenuous movements, contact sports, or standing still.  If you want to read more about the physical activity recommendations, fetal response to exercise, benefits of exercise, and absolute and relative contraindications/warning signs to discontinue exercise from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, click here. That article has a ton of great information in it.

And don’t forget to stay well hydrated!!

Pregnancy Strength Training Workout

CLICK HERE to download a printable PDF version of this workout.

xo,

Bess