Meri27’s BodyBlog

Life is so unexpected sometimes. I found out I was expecting just as I was preparing for my first figure competition back in November. What a shock that was!! Almost immediately, I had to significantly decrease the impact and intensity of my workouts. Since then, I’ve been trying to stay in shape as much as possible, without pushing my body too hard. Instead of spinning or high-intensity elliptical cardio sessions, I’ve now opted for a nice long walk. I’m lucky if I get a 2 mile walk in, 4 days a week. Some days I just feel like someone sucked all the energy out of my body. It’s crazy how different you feel when you’re carrying another human being inside of you!! This being my first pregnancy, it’s very hard to know when to listen to your body or override it and proceed with your workout.  I’m trying to listen to my body, as difficult as that may be sometimes. My diet used to consist of a pretty rounded low-carb mix of lean meats, veggies, nuts, strawberries, the occasional indulgence, and LOTS of coffee to keep me going. Shockingly enough, I did not have a terrible withdrawal from caffeine, even though I quit cold turkey the day that I found out I was pregnant. My body seems to require some different things now. I’ve had to incorporate more carbohydrates, as I just haven’t seemed to be able to stomach some of the very healthy lean items that I was accustomed to eating (such as a meal of mixed veggies and grilled chicken). I’m starting to feel very large!! (I know, however, that this is not the case considering my so-far 7 pound weight gain, as of  18 wks.. ones mindset is a hard one to change, though!!) My current struggle is to keep in mind what I need for my growing child, and not what I want to stay as lean as possible. (I was 16.5% bodyfat even throughout the first month or so.) As of now,  I’m planning (and hoping), considering it all goes smoothly, to get right back into the swing of things very soon after the baby is born, (might be a long shot, but I plan to be back hardcore in the gym in August) and hopefully be ready for a competition in March!