Tips For an Active + Healthy Pregnancy with Ajoyo

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From the moments you find out you’re expecting a new baby, things change. There is so much to consider — keeping the baby healthy, eating right, exercising, maintaining some normalcy, and working through the stages that come with each trimester. It can all be a bit… overwhelming, to say the least.

And, I’ll admit — my previous pregnancies haven’t exactly been the healthiest. But there’s something about age and wisdom and whatnot that really offers some perspective. So I’ve learned a lot in the span of 6+ years (nearly 3 years of which I have spent pregnant).

Here are my tips for maintaining a healthy balance during your pregnancy:

1. Find ways to move comfortably.

For me, this has made a huge difference this time around. I was basically sedentary during my first two pregnancies. This time around I’m still go, go, going with my kids; but I’m also finding time to workout.

Sometimes this just means going for a walk, with or without the kids; with or without a fun place in mind. 

Sometimes it means tackling the household chores instead of sitting down on the couch. 

Sometimes that means getting in some stretches before bed. 

Just make yourself move comfortably. Period.

Which brings me to my next point… 

2. Make exercise fun, not a burden. 

Working in a gym has been a huge blessing, that’s for sure. But for the first trimester of this pregnancy, I just couldn’t work out. I could barely hold food down, so workouts weren’t on the agenda. But when the second trimester hit, I knew I had to get back into the swing of things.

And I enrolled myself in a few classes to hold myself accountable.

Between circuit training classes, kickboxing, teaching cycling classes, and finding a passion for zumba, I’ve been keeping a pretty regular exercise routine ever since.

 

Here’s the thing — it’s definitely NOT pretty. Cycling has gotten a lot more difficult (bending forward at the waist with my belly is starting to hurt a bit), and I’m probably the least coordinated person in my zumba class; but it’s fun and it’s getting me to work out.

And continuing to workout has created a sense of normalcy in my life — when not everything can be controlled, my workouts make me feel… well, not pregnant. Ha!

3. Eat with balance.

My first pregnancy was all ice cream and carbs; my second was whatever I could keep down (mostly toaster strudels); but this third pregnancy is all about finding a healthy balance.

While it would be a complete fabrication to say that I’ve eaten completely healthy this pregnancy, I definitely have eaten intentionally this pregnancy.

What does that mean? Well it means that I’m making myself a smoothie in my Vitamix each morning — it consists of a mix of frozen fruit, frozen vegetables (think kale, spinach, etc), some protein powder, and Ajoyo Almondmilk.

Ajoyo Almondmilk has been a staple in my pregnancy for a few reasons. One of which is because I need to keep my diet as dairy-free as possible. Dairy caused some issues for Remy when I was breastfeeding and I’m trying to avoid that ever becoming an issue this time around by eliminating dairy now.

It also happens to be delicious and sustainable — it’s non-GMO and loaded with nutrients like B12, calcium, and the always needed (especially in pregnancy) protein.

But I haven’t denied myself access to my cravings either. I’ve eaten my fair share of burritos and donuts (#weakness); and I haven’t given up coffee (I. just. can’t.). So intentionally eating has been key.

Want to try Ajoyo? Head here to enter to win a year supply of Ajoyo Almondmilk AND enter my giveaway (using the rafflecopter widget below) to win a month’s worth of Ajoyo Almondmilk right now!

4. Sleep, sleep, sleep. 

One of the most important things i’ve done this pregnancy is to listen to my body. There have been many days where I feel like I could fall asleep at 6pm. And, instead of fighting it, I just listen.

Sure, that means I’m missing out on some other stuff (like dinner, lol); but sleep is essential for remaining healthy during pregnancy. And I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve also given my 5 year old an iPad to watch Netflix in bed next to me so that I could take an occasional afternoon nap.

Ya know why? A healthy mother is a better mother. Fact.

5. Give yourself grace. 

I say this a lot. I know. But if there’s one thing I’ve truly come to understand as a mother, it’s that grace is an essential part of my day.

I look at my to-do list and add to it daily. I also scratch a few things off here and there, but I’m always going with the flow. The other day I had two more errands to run after running to the DMV. And guess what? The DMV ran extra long — during naptime (Remy’s and mine).

Instead of forcing us all on extra errands, I gave myself (and my to-do list) a healthy dose of grace. The errands can wait.

This is all to say this — know when you’re doing too much and know when it’s time to let some of it go. And, as Elsa (and Remy) would say — Let. It. Go.

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At the end of the day, pregnancy and motherhood are all about this: SURVIVAL. We are all just doing our best to get by and make it out alive. So cheers, Mama! Now go get some sleep!

Disclosure: I received a supply of Ajoyo Almondmilk at no cost to try and review. As always, all opinions herein are my own.