In last week’s workout post I confessed that I had recently had a difficult time staying motivated and active. I made the goal of exercising 5 times this past week, and I’m happy to say that I actually worked out 6 times! Finding the motivation to exercise while 36 weeks pregnant is not an easy task, so I’m really glad that I was able to accomplish this goal. The weather was beautiful almost every day last week, so that made getting outside much more appealing!
As far as pregnancy goes, I’m still feeling pretty good and I’m not overly tired (yet). The skin on the top of my belly (straight across my ribs, actually) has recently started to burn. I know that this is the skin stretching and it’s driving me crazy! I’ve managed to avoid stretch marks so far, and I did not come this far only to get them now! Thankfully they haven’t made an appearance yet, they are just taunting me with the possibility of their arrival. I feel like I moisturize the area about 20 million times a day (actually it’s probably around 10 times a day, but it feels like I’m constantly reaching for something to help make the itchy/burning/numb feeling go away). Another pregnancy symptom I never anticipated is the fact that my ab and core muscles are gone. I don’t want to be able to see them…but being able to use them would be nice! Every morning when I get out of bed I’m pretty sure I look like a turtle stuck on its back. You never realize just how often you use your core muscles until you can’t use them like you used to. Thank goodness for forward momentum!
After a 3.2 mile brisk walk while 36 weeks and 5 days pregnant.
Below are the workouts I completed this past week:
Monday, 10/5. 3.1 mile walk in 61 minutes. Walked around the lake and did 20 dips, 15 inclined push-ups on a bench, 40 lunges on flat ground and 40 lunges up a hill.
Tuesday, 10/6. 2.16 miles on the elliptical in 30 minutes. Exercised on a tough hill setting and got Braxton-Hicks contractions every few minutes. Followed the cardio up with 17 minutes of dumbbell exercises (3 sets of 15 reps of 7 different exercises).
Thursday, 10/8. 2.2 miles on the elliptical in 30 minutes. Felt pretty good this time and didn’t get any contractions. Followed up with 20 minutes of dumbbell exercises. I was kind of sore and tired from my workout 2 days ago!
Friday, 10/9. 3.07 mile walk around the lake in 65 minutes. Met up with Tom after he finished a run and walked 2 miles with him.
Saturday, 10/10. 3.15 mile walk in 1 hour. I needed to mail something at the post office so I walked with the package and then continued my walk around the lake after mailing it. Talked to my family on the phone while walking, but still managed to keep up a quick pace. I felt great and it was an absolutely gorgeous day!
Sunday, 10/11. 3.2 mile walk in about 70 minutes (my watch died half way through so I don’t know exact time or mileage). Tom and I went to a formal event on Saturday night, so we just went on a leisurely walk around the lake. It was another gorgeous day!
Note: My mileage around the lake changes daily because sometimes I take a short cut or exit the building a different way. My watch isn’t off as it may appear with all these random 3-point-something distances.
This next week I plan to exercise 5 times again. I felt much better while 36 weeks pregnant than I did while 35 weeks pregnant, and I’m pretty sure that it’s because I made it a priority to get moving more often.
