I am so excited to welcome Kim Spaetti of The Lavender Ladies!

I’m writing this at 27 weeks pregnant, so I’m nowhere near the end of my pregnancy. I decided that it would be a good time to “freeze” my membership at my local cardio class last week before another month worth of dues was going to kick in. This week, while at work I started to miss the classes and felt like I was literally out of shape already. Was it guilty of me to feel this way? After all, there was a reason for my decision, right?

I Used To Do Step Classes…

I have been working out since I was in high school….cheerleading, dance, and general physical education. Then on to college where I religiously took step classes (remember those?!), dance classes (tap, flamenco) and various weight training classes.

I have belonged to tons of gyms and have tried to stay active while working my 9:00am-5:00pm jobs. Heck, I even met my husband at the gym!

I started getting into running in the early 2000’s because my hubby started to run to get into races. It was something we could do together and really transformed our lives for the next 10 years. We’ve gone on to do races of all lengths and he’s even done 2 full Ironman’s!

Prenatal Exercise Is Important

Nothing was going to stop me from staying active during my pregnancy so that I could stay fit and hopefully get back into the game safely after the baby arrived. What an amazing feeling when I finished a marathon 9 months after having my first baby! I plan to do the same after having baby #2.

I feel much stronger and in shape this go around than with my first pregnancy. At this far along, I am still able to run and even incorporate more weight training than before! Since I’m pretty small framed, my baby bump always makes an appearance pretty early and always shoots straight out! I feel like I look ready to pop already (compared to other women who really are in their 3rd trimester)!

Listen To Your Body

When I get to this stage that my belly can no longer take some of the workouts that I once loved: rowing, burpees, ab workouts, etc…. I result to gentler exercises such as prenatal yoga, easier cardio moves and specific stretches that strengthen while keeping in mind the change in my center of gravity and posture.

Do I wish I could continue what I have been doing…..heck yes! But the truth is….MY body is telling me that it was a little too much. While I want the glory of having said that I worked out hard until the end, its just not in the cards for me.

I will admit, I am jealous when I see women who are further along then I am, who are still able to do things that I can no longer due. I’ll get over it, but I feel like I need to prove something…..like I am superwoman or that I have no limitations.

Adjust Your Expectations

While I am still running 5K races (and will continue to do so at my own pace and comfort level), the last one I was in, I was kind of disappointed in my time.  Why do I torture myself so? Why do I think that my body hasn’t changed and that I can do everything I could before this huge belly developed in front of me….not to mention the 20 lbs that I have gained already.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that at some point in the pregnancy we have to accept that we have some limitations and that we have to expect our life to slow down a LITTLE bit. Not everyone can say the same, though, of course. Some women are still doing handstands in yoga, and other women are running half marathons at 8 months pregnant.

Let’s give them a hand and not the evil eye. Let’s praise the amazing body for what it can do. We are NOT all the same and that’s what makes us unique. We don’t all bounce back after having our babies. Some of us have battle wounds in the form of scars and stretch marks.

Some of us look like we were never pregnant to begin with. While I wish I can say that I don’t envy a lot of women and how they look and their capabilities during their pregnancies, I do look at my beautiful daughter and remember one thing: she’s mine, I created that….and no one can take that away from me.

The pregnancy will be over at some point and you’ll forget all about the delusions that ran through your head during that period of time. In the end, you do win the prize. It’s just a short period of time to embrace your marvelous body and what you actually did just accomplish.

What reservations did you have when you were pregnant? Did you let them get to you, or did you try to make the most of it?

Kim and Jamie are sisters who are from California that now live in Illinois. We love sharing our love of non-toxic household and personal care items by personally reviewing them for you! You can catch up with them at The Lavender Ladies and on Instagram.