jiggle butt

Yesterday in yoga I realized my rear end had become jiggly.  This is something I’ve worked hard to avoid my entire adult life and a quality my yoga teacher praises as being essential for childbirth.  Well, looks like my body is ready for having this baby!  In every class we do juicy hips- hip circles, figure eights and samba-like shaking to become soft and supple.  She reminds us frequently not to clench lower body muscles during standing poses.  Flowing squats (starting with arms high in the air then squatting and bringing hands to the ground or bolster)  are used to strengthen and tone the pelvic wall instead of traditional kegels.  In Jane’s classes we strive to be comfortable in our new bodies and quiet in our minds, plus the beginning is like therapy as we go around the room introducing ourselves and mentioning anything we’re concerned about or would like focus on.  We do what feels like hours of shoulder strengthening exercises (which I’ll get around to posting one of these days!) to build strength for hours of baby holding.  And after class my friends and I round it out with Arizmendi Bakery‘s pizza of the day.  What’s not to love?

This morning I decided to take the bus to the JCC because free parking has a 2 hour limit and I didn’t want to pay for the garage.  I had scheduled my morning with water running, Hebrew lesson and a massage!  I saw my bus coming so began running and waving my arms, but it drove away without me.  I was indignant that the bus driver didn’t wait for a pregnant woman but still made it to class on time via another bus and a slightly longer walk.

Today and also on Tuesday I felt strong and motivated in the water.  Tuesday’s class was crowded with girls I knew so naturally I focused more on chatting than exercising but still got a good workout.  Today the instructor didn’t show up.  She’s a doula so we all know that she often doesn’t have time to find a sub.  Six of us were there so we ran the class ourselves, moving up and down the pool in pairs, remembering what exercises we could.  This suited me just fine since I needed to leave early.  After 40 minutes I moved to the warm pool to stretch, then took a leisurely shower and hurried upstairs to my Hebrew lesson.  My Hebrew is actually improving since I’ve been doing my homework lately and I was able to read and make sense of a couple paragraphs before going back to writing and verbs!  The reward for exercising and studying today was a wonderful prenatal massage.  I’m so glad I purchased the Yelp JCC deal when I saw it  (a cheap month’s membership and a massage) and am sorry my month is ending soon.  Back to paying for water classes next week!

easing back pain

Everything I read says back pain is an inevitable side effect of being pregnant.  Coming off the past couple years of PT for slipped and torn discs in my lower lumbar, I’ve been pleasantly surprised during most of my pregnancy that my back pain has actually diminished.  Unfortunately it does flare up occasionally and, unlike before I had extra baby weight in the front, sitting feels better than standing.  This is not conducive to physical exercise and I find it slightly annoying when people ask if I’m exhausted that I have to admit my body is giving out before my physical energy.  It’s new for me to get used to resting frequently throughout the day in order to carry on with my daily activities, but at least I have the luxury of doing so.

I almost skipped water running this morning because sleeping gave me no relief last night and I was feeling plain weird in my body when I woke up.  I decided to drive, park in the JCC garage, and give myself permission to quit class at any time.  Fool proof plan. Miraculously, the minute I was in the water I forgot all of my aches and pains and thoroughly enjoyed the entire hour of class.  Being around other mommas-to-be and feeling weightless does wonders for a pregnant girl!  The substitute instructor today was unusually good, dancing as she demonstrated our moves on the pool deck, and allowing us time for socializing mixed with working.  I pushed myself to the point of breathing hard a couple of times and went directly to the warm pool, skipping my usual laps after class.  As soon as I exited the pool, my feeling of bliss disappeared, but I’m already looking forward to Thursday’s class!

the workout:

1 hour water running, time split between stationary, moving across pool, arm weights

mixing it up

Once again I seem to be finding a million other things to fill my time instead of blogging. Fortunately these other things not only include working and Baby prep, but working out and resting. This past week I’ve been unusually tired again- a result of not sleeping long enough at night because my hips are uncomfortable. I’ve tailored my workouts to accommodate this and a new discomfort in my right side, probably due to strained ligaments in my growing belly.
Ironically, I finally found a belt that offers enough support to run comfortably. I’ve tried it only once but it was by far my easiest jog in quite a while and I can’t wait for renewed energy to run again!
My swimming stamina continues to increase. I’m still swimming just half a mile each time I get into the pool but instead of 3 sets of 300 yards, I’m doing 2 sets 450 yards, split into 150 of each stroke (free,breast, back).
Finally, I went to two more prenatal classes this week: a yoga class at Yoga Tree yesterday and a water running class at the JCC this morning. I figured since I wasn’t sleeping anyway, moving around in the water might offer relief to my hips. I was right! I came out of the class feeling energized and like I’d gotten a complete, full body workout. Water can be a tricky place to gage workout intensity since I don’t sweat but I always listen to my body and follow my breathing so I don’t overdo it!