It’s time for another prenatal update from our preggo rider and novel blogger, Alicia Brown! Expecting moms take note- spinning while pregnant is a fun and safe way to stay fit during those 40 weeks of gestation. We speak from experience! Read on, Alicia shares her experience.
“Hello again Inner Cycle friends!
As I end my second trimester (HOW is it possible that I’ve been carrying around Baby Brown for 27 weeks now?!?!), I wanted to check in to let you know my progress, ups & downs and my general thoughts on weeks 14-27.
I’ve still managed to keep up my 4-5x per week Inner Cycle schedule, but I have encountered a few hiccups along the way. I know I mentioned in my last blog that I was having difficulty sprinting, but OUCH. What I was feeling before was nothing in comparison to how it feels now. I can barely sprint anymore, and while I’m disappointed because I know I can go faster, I need to think of Baby Brown and take it down a few notches. I find myself constantly trying to push myself to the limit before the “stabby pain” kicks in, then being mad that I pushed it that hard. I’ve spoken to my doctor who said it’s just my body’s way of telling me that the baby does NOT like that, and if I feel actual pain to slow down. So, I’m working on that 🙂 I still LOVE to climb, and resistance is my best friend lately. When I can’t jog or sprint it out, I crank my bike up and climb!
The baby (we haven’t and wont’ find out if we’re having a boy or girl – nuts, I know!) is in full kicking mode now, and it’s so strange to be on the bike and all of a sudden feel kicking. It tends to happen during more upbeat songs when we’re jumping or moving around a lot. If you see me touching my stomach don’t worry, nothing is wrong, I’m just trying to feel the baby jamming out to music. The downside to my bigger, more active baby? I feel like at least half of the kicks land straight on my bladder, so you’ll see me race of my bike during class for that too!
The Inner Cycle and their classes have been a complete Godsend to me and Baby Brown. I genuinely LOVE coming to class and the feeling it gives me. I’m completely exhausted after class, but it’s so well worth it! I’m going to continue classes into my 3rd trimester, and hopefully right up until he/she makes an appearance. You’ll have to pry me kicking and screaming off my bike prior to 40 weeks. My husband always jokes that my water is going to break on the bike, so I’m sorry in advance if that happens!
I also wanted to take a moment to talk about the current #innercyclespringcleaning challenge which I am happily participating in! In addition to posting silly selfies, yummy recipes and taking at least two IC classes per week, the challenge (in my opinion) is really more about taking a reflective look at your life, particularly your body and what you’re putting in it. For the most part, I would consider myself to be a healthy eater, but I do splurge (especially these days!) every once in awhile. I have, however, found a few of the food rules to be a bit challenging…
- Drink at least 64oz of water a day – This one I have in the bag! I typically refill my Camelback at least 5x per day with water.
- Cut back on alcohol – Easy peasy!
- Omit soda and juice drinks (including Diet and artificial sweeteners!) – Ouch, really? I’ve never been big on sugary juice drinks or regular soda, but I am borderline addicted to Diet Pepsi. This one has been tough for sure.
- Eat more fruits & veggies – We usually keep lots of fruits and vegetables in the house. Veggies are no big deal because I love them, but I don’t like a lot of fruits. It’s pretty repetitive eating the same 4 over and over again, but I’m trying my best.
- Deny yourself the nightly dessert – Normally this one wouldn’t be a big deal for me, as we don’t keep any sweets in the house and I’m not a big chocolate lover. However, now that it’s nicer out, the urge to walk the two blocks from our house to Treadwells for a Richie’s Slush is pretty strong!
All in all, I’d say I’m doing pretty well with it. It’s my mental check to pay attention to what I’m eating and say, “do I really need to have this, or could I be substituting it with something healthier?” To be honest, I have no idea how much weight I’ve gained. I get on the scale backwards and told my doctor only to tell me if my weight was worrisome. All I know is that I’m eating a bit more than I usually do, taking IC classes as often as I did pre-baby and my belly is still growing! Good enough for me:)
Even before I was pregnant, I thought the whole “eating for two” idea was just an excuse for pregnant women to eat whatever they wanted without consequence. There is nothing wrong whatsoever if you want to (no judgement here!), but it’s not necessary. Typically, a pregnant woman only needs about 300 extra calories per day to make sure her and baby are healthy, which is an additional piece of fruit and some yogurt. I try to keep this in mind when my cravings for french fries kicks in (which it does quite often!). I can’t imagine having to take off all the baby weight I’ve gained PLUS all of the weight from eating whatever I wanted for 40 weeks.
Overall, I’m excited to get going on my 3rd trimester and meet my baby! July 19th will be here before I know it. Hope you’ve enjoyed reading, and I will chat with you all again in another 3 months or so!”