The Whole Nine Months - Tips and Tricks for Surviving Pregnancy
Ashleigh and Bronwen are Neat Ambassadors but more importantly, new mums! They found navigating the world of pregnancy advice overwhelming and confusing and wanted to share what they learnt during this time to help other expectant mums! Here are some of their thoughts on what worked for them (please note, you should always consult your GP!):
Above all else, keep moving. We were both quite up for the idea of spending nine months on the sofa with a packet of chocolate digestives, however we had an inkling that this wouldn’t keep us happy for long. We aren’t suggesting you sign up for that marathon, or set yours eyes on a new PB — but it is possible to continue with your favourite workouts throughout your pregnancy and you will really feel the benefits. Why? In the 1st trimester it helps with nausea, in the 2nd trimester it keeps you sane and fit enough to carry your growing bump, and in the 3rd it helps keep you strong for labour and beyond.
In order to keep up with the above, you need to make sure you’re feeding yourself properly. The first 12-16 weeks are the hardest; you’re fighting nausea whilst trying to hide the fact that you’re pregnant (one day all Ash consumed was a packet of Digestives whilst Bronwen lived exclusively on beige food for two months). Eating well will help your baby develop as well as help keep your energy levels steady.
Tips & Tricks
- One-on-One: If you are able to manage it, invest in a session with pre-natal PT as soon as you find out that you're pregnant. Every body and every pregnancy is different - so it's a great chance for you to have one on one time to deal with your specific questions and potential issues (and gives you the confidence to continue doing what you’ve been doing).
- Learn from the pros: Seek out teachers who know great modifications for their specific workouts. Then if they're ever away you will know what to do.
- Learn to adapt: Learn modifications for the trimester you're in. You will have to adapt as your body changes - this will allow you to feel confident in your favourite class/at the gym/on the common throughout the 40 weeks.
- Let go of your ego: Listening to your body is really important. There will be days when getting out of bed and getting to work on time feels like a major accomplishment – so let that be it!
- Do the things that feel good! Prior to getting knocked up, neither of us were big Barre go-ers, but from 30 weeks onwards it was practically all we did and it felt great; low impact, focused on the areas that we wanted to keep strong and it was a fun and challenging workout.
- Size up! Be okay with your body changing: buy a bigger bra, a bigger pair of leggings and maybe a bigger pair of trainers (our feet went up a size). You feel way better wearing clothes that fit you than you do squeezing into pre-pregnancy kit. (And pregnancy boobs are awesome – they deserve a flashy new bra!)
- Walk everywhere you can. You will slow down as your lungs run out of space but it still feels good for the soul. Invest in a great new pair of trainers (see above point) and wear them everywhere. This makes impromptu walks easy and effortless.
- Eat what makes you feel good at each phase but try and get in your greens in (a shake makes this easy!). In particular when you’re feeling sick, knowing you had a shake with all your fruit and veg in it means the bag of bagels or bowl of mash can be your go-to for the rest of the day.
Overall, the most important thing is to be kind to yourself, and in awe of what you are creating. Your body is truly a miracle and deserves to be loved and cherished.
Here are our top picks for trainers and classes:
Personal Trainers
For PT's who can get you doing the right sort of exercises we'd recommend:
Teachers we loved:
- Anya or Tee's classes at Barry's Bootcamp
- Nicole de Souza at Xtend Barre
- Danielle Smyth, Katy Bateman or Becky Farbstein at Union Station Yoga
- Mercedes Sieff at Triyoga
We also loved the pregnancy yoga at Triyoga, and the barre classes at Heartcore