For example, my body (notably my back and hips) tells me that elliptical machines and treadmills are a no-no, but that bicycles are just fine. It also tells me warns me not to dip down too low when I squat, and it makes sure I suffer the consequences if I even dare.
All this to say: When you are pregnant, your body is not your own. This is something my mother always tells me, and it's something that empowers me to want to take the very best care of myself in all ways, in body, mind and spirit. Even if it means taking things day by day, I try to remind myself that my body is not something I can push around over these nine special months.
"During these nine months, you are your baby's universe."
Wow. If that does not affect you, I don't know what would.
On that note, I will be sharing with you ways I keep in shape and maintain a healthy balance in my life. Since everyone is different, things that work for me may not work for you, so just keep that in mind. :)
And please, if you have any recommendations or have a different perspective, do share!!
Thanks,
-Alesia D.
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Yoga on the Hill
As mentioned in my last post entitled "Stress Busters - Pregnancy Edition" under my Fitness and Wellness section, I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather we have been getting + free events across my city, and do #yogaonthehill. I made sure to plan my day around this outdoor activity so that I could make the most of it and ensure I did not miss it.
To begin, my day started at 7:30 a.m. My pregnancy led me to crave oatmeal cookies that day, so I quickly ran out of the house unshowered (oops!) to get a couple of missing ingredients, and got crackin' on that baking! While I waited for the oven to preheat, I took a quick shower (no dirty people around here!) and started forming my oh-so-delicious-I-can't-believe-I-just-made-these oatmeal cookies. And by 10:30 a.m., all was done, the kitchen sink was full,and I was scrambling to get all my things together before heading out to my first outdoor Yoga sesh! My "things" included my new +Thyme Maternity exercise gear, my +Ray-Ban aviators, a tall bottle of ice water, washed and cut up lemons as well as fresh-from-the-garden mint leaves—and my Yoga mat, of course!
I made sure to get downtown early so that I could park far and get a bit of cardio in before and after my main workout. It was such a perfect day, it was the best option! This way, I got to save money on expensive parking fees, do some complementary exercise, get some fresh air, observe people as they whizzed by me and really increase the appreciation I already have for MY city.
By 11:55 a.m., I finally arrived to Parliament Hill and found myself a spot. Not a great view of the instructor, but with hundreds of others there, I expected nothing less. Plus, it's refreshing to just be in the presence of so many others wanting to do good for their bodies.
At 12:00 p.m. sharp, the class started. NICE!!! I was so proud of myself for taking initiative and being part of something like this! As we furthered into the class, my body recognized a lot of the moves (as my mother was a Yoga instructor for many years, and I attended many of her classes) and flowed with all the other yogis. The only thing I could not do were all the exercises involving laying on my stomach. (But justifiably so—after all, I AM 6 months pregnant!) During those periods, I simply alternated between doing the cat/cow poses and looking around at my surroundings. I did all that while soaking up some awesome Vitamin D.
Tourists seemed especially intrigued by and interested in this activity, and I noticed that many seemed keen to take pictures of all the participants. This event really adds to Ottawa's unique charm and fitness-oriented #lifestyle.
Seriously, I am planning on doing this all over again next Wednesday. It's too good, too fun, and too temporary not to every week (or at least, when possible).Until next time!
-Alesia D.
August 7, 2015
______________________________________________Stress Busters
à Pregnancy Edition
Pregnancy often leaves you tired, distracts you from what you once loved to do and leaves you with a sense urgency to clean things, all the time. Well, at least for me, anyways.
Just last week, I was taking a look at my +Kate Spade agenda and realized I had not made true time for myself... To pamper myself and take a nice, long moment to appreciate what was happening to my body—and to my whole entire world for that matter. Instead, I've been running around doing never-ending chores, washing an endless pile of dishes, getting baby Lukas's nursery ready (which requires a lot more brain power than I originally thought it would take) and taking care of/visiting our families, to whom my husband and I are both close, among other real-life responsibilities. Seriously, sometimes you just need a freaken' breather from it all. So I decided to take action and make a list of all the things that help me relax, whether they be simple or more complex. This list includes:
- Getting a pedicure, once a month;
- Getting a prenatal massage, once a month;
- Taking up Yoga, once a week;
- Walking through farmers' markets and buying fresh fruit and vegetables;
- Making fresh smoothies using those fresh fruit;
- Taking baths;
- Grocery shopping alone, with no time constraints;
- Lounging in the sun by a pool, whenever possible;
- Going out for a walk with hubby, preferably downtown, at least once per weekend;
- Watching some good old Real Housewives on +Slice TV; and
- Anything else that takes my mind off the daily stresses and chores in life.
Once I reestablished what my interests were, I took to my agenda again and started planning. Here's a look at how July since my "aha!" moment:
Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
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7
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8
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9
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10
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11
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12
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13
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14
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15
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16
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17
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18
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19
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20
AHA!
moment
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21
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22
Pedicure @
1:30 p.m.
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23
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24
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25
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26
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27
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28
Bubble bath + massage from hubby
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29
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30
-Prenatal massage @ 11 a.m.
-Berry picking
-Taking dip in nice, cold pool
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31
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This, my friends, is only the beginning.
As I enter my seventh month of pregnancy in August, I have penciled in a few outdoor Yoga sessions, have another massage and pedicure booked, scheduled a few pool dates with friends and bought a few +LUSH Cosmétiques bath bombs to enjoy long soaks in my bath tub. I want to look back on this period in my life and see it as nothing short of fabulous and amazing.
I want my baby boy to know that his mama loves and values herself enough to take good care of herself. I am hoping my actions today will help guide him into choosing a strong and confident woman tomorrow. I want him to feel love radiating from my body and spirit into my womb and ultimately into him. Because, how can you possibly love somebody else if you do not first love yourself?
I have to say, taking better care of myself by setting time aside for me has given me a sense of ease. Even by just looking at my agenda, I feel energized knowing I have positive things up ahead that will nourish my soul. And when I am nourishing my soul, I have no doubt baby Lukas is reaping the benefits just as much as I am.
Having said this, I encourage all moms and moms-to-be to set time aside for themselves. It is so, so important. Take a break from your busy schedule... You know you deserve it. :)
Thanks,
-Alesia D.
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| Freshly pedicured #feet finished off with a French! |
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| Best bath tub ever. |
Alesia's Pregnancy Routine #1
Legs
Since my doctor advised me against any and all workouts back in May for two whole months for medical reasons, I have had to focus a lot more on nutrition to keep my weight-gain in check (I will be posting more and more healthy and some not-so-healthy recipes to my "Recipes" page as I go to supplement my writings). But since I got the thumbs up from her two weeks ago, I have been hitting—more like lightly tapping—the gym four to five days a week.
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| Me and Baby L workin' it out @ almost #23weeks |
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For the past two weeks, I have been focusing on increasing my cardio. Depending on how much time I have before work, I will do anywhere between 15 to 25 minutes of this activity, followed by light stretching. My goal is to regain the strength I lost in my last two months of inactivity, without overdoing it.Just yesterday, I finally felt ready to introduce some strength training after doing some cardio on my bike. My go-to was legs!!
So here is what I did:
-3 sets of 13 dead lifts with 16 lbs weights (I used between 60 and 70 lbs pre-pregnancy)
-3 sets of 14 sumo squats with 20 lbs
-2 sets of 10 walking lunges (mostly because I couldn't do anymore for the life of my lol)
-3 sets of 15 donkey kicks
And to end things, I made sure to stretch at the end of my workout.
There you have it! My first attempt at strength training in forever lol.
My verdict: I felt a little tired yesterday, but I feel great and sore today. A good kind of sore though, so I'm giving myself a high five for that!!! :D
July-15-2015
Many even tried to throw in discounts or freebies such as free personal training sessions, but thankfully, gyms around me
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