I hit 34 weeks this past weekend; yay! I am counting down the days and weeks even though I'm slightly terrified for D-day!
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33 weeks and going strong! Not much has changed over the week besides the growth of my STOMACH! Mamma mia. I didn't realize how big it was until I looked at the picture above! :)
As I have approached the home stretch we are gearing up for the final weeks! I have decided to take this upcoming weekend to meal prep for post delivery. I hear the last thing you want to do post baby is cook. I figured if I have meals already pre-made and frozen, life will be a tad bit easier. Maybe? I will post what recipes I used next week. I wanted to swing back around to the beginning and talk about the benefits of exercising while pregnant. I still feel like it is underestimated and the more you know the better!! EXERCISE CAN HELP DECREASE OR PREVENT: Constipation Back Pain Gestation diabetes Pregnancy-induced hypertension Pelvic and Rectal pressure Swelling Leg cramps Nausea Varicose veins Insomnia Fatigue Surgical or medical interventions during delivery Urinary Incontinence Postpartum weight retention Anxiety Depression EXERCISE CAN HELP INCREASE OR IMPROVE: Cardiovascular fitness Circulation Muscular strength and endurance Mood states Functional capacity Self-esteem Energy levels during pregnancy Sense of well-being Posture and bio-mechanics Recovery time Need any more reason? Exercising is one of the BEST things you could do for yourself AND your baby while pregnant. If you find yourself too tired or achy to hit the gym, try and at least going for a 30 minute walk around your neighborhood. Movement gets the blood flowing and will help sooth the body. Until next time! Cristina Hello Ladies,
Welcome to the 32 week blog post! Can't believe how slow this trimester feels but at the same time it feels like I don't have much time left! This past weekend was our baby shower and it was beautiful. I won't talk about it much but I wanted to mention one awesome gift that we got that I had never heard of prior. Someone got us a great gift that actually can monitor the baby's heart rate. No, it's not for exercising .. not yet at least :p, but it is to monitor the baby's heart rate while she sleeps. How cool is that? I think it will come in handy and help us sleep with ease at night knowing everything is OK. Here is a little more info on the product! Check it out! www.owletcare.com This week I wanted to talk about controversy in the fitness industry while pregnant. It has come to my attention as of late that many people don't understand how exercise BENEFITS pregnant women AND their babies. Some people have gone as far as telling me I need to be careful or why am I still working out? It got to me a little bit so not only did I decide to document my workout today (it will be posted on my Facebook page and Instagram page) but I figured it was appropriate to talk about the benefits of exercise as well. Why is exercising during pregnancy beneficial? Hello Ladies!
I am currently standing strong at 31 weeks and 3 days. That means D-Day is soon! This past week we had our hospital tour and got a little insight as far as labor and delivery goes. To be honest, it all scares the heck out of me!! Maybe it is the unknown that is scary but since people have been doing this for years, I'll just assume it can't be THAT bad.. Appointments with my OB are every 2 weeks right now (until I hit 36 I think, then it's every week). Last appointment, I asked my Dr. about a bulge that appeared in my abdomen when I do certain exercises that engage my core muscles . She responded by saying, that is diastasis recti. I knew exactly what it was at that moment and was slightly disappointed. However, she reassured me that almost everyone has this and it's extremely common. I asked her what exercises I could do postpartum to help this heal faster and she actually asked me to let HER know what exercises are best. I told her I would put myself through some postpartum core rehab and then report back (I'll do the same here). I figured today would be a good day to dive into this topic and explain what it is in more detail and how to deal with it! What is diastasis recti? As I mentioned earlier, it's a very common condition in pregnant women (and immediately postpartum) where the abdominal wall splits. If you think of a six pack of abs, there is a line that runs down the middle of them. This line is called the linea alba. It is actually a tendinous fiber which doesn't have much give (like muscles do). Further along in pregnancy, when the abs start to stretch out, the linea alba can only stretch so far. Therefore, the superficial muscles (the six pack you see), end up tearing from the linea alba. No biggie, because they can go back together postpartum. Since some separation is normal in almost every woman's pregnancy, I'll touch upon evaluating the extent of the gap and how to handle it. How to figure out if your abs split? Note: this test is not 100% accurate due to location of separation. - Lay on your back with knees bent. Place 2 fingers below the belly button and do a crunch then repeat with fingers above the belly button. If your fingers penetrate the location, chances are there is separation. Keep in mind, I did this on myself frequently while pregnant. My separation actually occurred at the very top of the abs (where I never checked) and slightly to the left. The abs can split between the "packs" as well. |
AuthorCristina Panagopoulos is the owner and founder of CW Physique, an in-home personal training and nutrition company. She has been in the fitness industry for over a decade and loves helping others transform their lives. She is certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine as a personal trainer and metabolic coach along with American Fitness Professionals & Associates certified Nutrition and Wellness Consultant. Over the years, Cristina gained specialty certifications through the American Council of Exercise for Orthopedic Exercise and Pre and Post Natal Exercising. Cristina started this blog as a casual and personal journey through her experiences of pregnancy and later on motherhood. She wants to educate females on proper fitness and nutrition who are going through pregnancy and motherhood. For more information, please email Cristina directly at [email protected] Archives
October 2016
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