My Baby Prep Story is a series I am doing while my husband and I prep for a baby in the next few years. You can learn more about My Baby Prep Story here.
Did you know that you have 4 cycles? Not just your menstrual cycle?!?
Knowing each phase of your cycle is really important when you are trying to balance your hormones and for your fertility health. But did you also know that you should plan special exercise for each one of your cycles? For example, during your menstrual cycle you should plan light workouts such as….napping! Your enegery is at it’s lowest during your menstrual cycle but once you start feeling energy during this time you can do light exercises such as walking or (light) yoga.
But during your follicular cycle your body is primed and ready to do high intensity workouts. Absolutely fascinating, isn’t it?
I learned a lot about this by listening to these 2 That’s So Retrograde podcast episodes (linked below)
Period Peace with Erica Chidi Cohen
Going With The Flow
With all that being said I decided to that next week I am signing up for a good ole gym membership at LA Fitness. It’s been about 7 years since the last time I stepped foot in a gym.
I tried running, I tried workouts at home (hey Tone It Up), I’ve had yoga memberships…yeah, they worked, but they didn’t stick.
There are too many distractions for me to to work out at home and I also find myself giving up easily because I can.
My husband and I were both in a, “we’re not working out” funk for a couple of years. I mean, we did sell our first home, bought a new house, flipped it, stayed at my parents while we flipped it ourselves, got married, all while running a business….we had a lot going on and we didn’t have a routine.
Angelo joined the gym, LA Fitness, in March and has been going consistently for 9 months, and it has stuck for him. He has a routine and he feels amazing. I 100% notice a difference in his personality, too. Part of his reason for going to the gym is to get his body ready for a baby, too. He believes in epigenetics, so getting our minds & body strong for a baby is important to us.
And you know what, a gym membership is affordable! Only $25 a month. Not bad! And LA Fitness also has a sauna which is a major plus for us.
Why am I joining a gym? To get my body strong for a baby. My posture right now is realllllly bad and for the past year I’ve been dealing with sciatic nerve pain. My goal is to get my body overall stronger and I would love to workout while pregnant.
I recently photographed 2 newborn sessions and the mother’s shared their birth story with me and they both said it was the most amazing birth they’ve had and one of the main reasons they believed it was amazing was because they took care of themselves before and during their pregnancy. Sooo major inspo right there!
I am about to enter my menstrual phase this weekend, so hello hibernation and light walking. I’m excited to share the workouts I’ll be doing through each phase of my cycle and to show you the exercises I’ll be doing to make my body strong for a baby.
Call us obsessed, call us crazy for doing baby prep, but this is something Angelo and I have been practicing for over 6 years just now we’re sharing about it.
I’m curious to know what workouts have helped you get your body ready for a baby before or during your pregnancy?
xox V
