Pregnancy and Fitness

At 38 weeks, I have pretty much stopped going to the gym. I use my in-laws' treadmill and elliptical machine, and I spent the weekend cleaning out my mother's house. So, I'm still moving around and "getting exercise," but I'm not engaged in a fitness regimen. And that's okay.

I'm up 30ish pounds, give or take. Right on track with recommended pregnancy gain. Although, I feel like I can really eat now, which I did not experience much during the rest of the pregnancy. Only now do I have an increased appetite, but I guess Scooter is trying to gain a pound or two before his big debut. After his birth, I will likely keep a food log for a little while, but this is not because I want to be obsessive, it's because *I know* I'm eating with wild abandon, and that will have to be tapered off after the baby comes. I'm enjoying my increased basal metabolic rate, but it won't last forever.

Regarding fitness and pregnancy: In many ways, it's hard to get down with the regular gym visits because no matter how much I put in, I was still going to gain weight. No matter how long I used the elliptical, and no matter how much weight training I still tried to engage in, the belly continued to grow and grow. Vanity is an ugly thing. To my horror, I noticed that my thighs touched. And yet, from behind, you almost can't tell that I'm pregnant. Almost.

But, at the same time, if I had let myself go completely to pot, it would be that much harder to regain fitness and a body I can feel comfortable in. If I'm up thirty pounds, and I can lose half of that in that first 6 weeks of post-partum, then I only have an extra fifteen pounds to shed after that. Sounds reasonable.

A fit body without extra weight moves around better. I feel these extra thirty pounds in my feet and back. As vanity goes, the benefit of having a body I can feel comfortable in leads to enough confidence that I doesn't need to focus on the negative aspects of living in a body that's uncomfortable physically, emotionally, and psychologically. That kind of simple confidence can free me up to concentrate on other things. So, it's worth pursuing a fit figure post-partum.

Additionally, in a relationship that is partially built on physical attraction, it's worth staying attractive to your partner. I won't "let myself go" and neither will Michael.