Are you thinking about bringing kiddos into your life? When you enter a chapter where this becomes your reality we often think about our health as a whole and all of the things that we can do to improve it, or make it the best we can for that pregnancy.
Fitness can be a part of that journey…but how?
To start there is a delicate balance between training and stress. If you are actively trying to conceive you may experience various amounts of stress and adding fitness on top of that can be adding another stress to the table. But, if you can add fitness in a way that can help improve your health, but avoid adding more stress to the fire then you will be able to use fitness to help you on your journey.
So what do I recommend??
Well the first recommendation is that if you are about to bring fitness into your life for the first time (or the first time in a long time) then you need to start with something that you enjoy. The best way to create a lifelong fitness habit it to choose something that you feel good doing. This also will keep stress levels down as well and as I will repeat more than once in this blog…stress reduction will be key.
Not sure what you enjoy…okay, let’s talk about some things that you can try.
First, walking. Honestly, do not underestimate the power of walking. I love to walk…I prefer to walk outside and generally in the summer it’s not crazy for me to get out for an hour walk almost everyday, but if you live in the great white north you know that may not always be accessible (or in my case, I just don’t do cold and winter…sooooo) but if it’s something that you can do start with a walk. Walking can be so therapeutic honestly. Not everyone may agree with me on this, but I’m a music lover so throwing my headphones in and turning on something that makes me feel good is the key to an amazing walk. Some people prefer to use walking as a form a meditation and I can 100% get behind that as well, but I’m definitely a music walker. Podcasts can also be fantastic for walking as well and periodically I will throw a podcast on when I’m walking. Walking is fantastic for the body, but its also gentle on the body so if you are looking for a starting point give walking a try…you may just be surprised at how much it will do for you.
The second recommendation I have is strength training. If you’ve been around for any length of time you know that strength training is my drug and I will recommend it all day long to anyone who will sit and listen to me talk so you knew it was going to make this list. There are so many benefits to strength training and when training to conceive it is no exception. Strength training can help improve body composition and build muscle mass which can be beneficial during the preconception phase. Strength training can help to prepare your body for the changes you will experience during pregnancy including posture and additional weight (including the change in the centre of gravity). Not to mention the fact that strength training just makes you feel fantastic and powerful which can be helpful as you are trying to conceive. We’ve already talked about how difficult this chapter of trying to conceive can be so anyway that you are able to increase your confidence can be super beneficial! When it comes to structuring your strength training it will vary to be what you enjoy the most. You may enjoy training full body a few times a week or you may prefer to work on a split of some kind and train 4 or more days a week. Always remember that it’s important to be doing something you enjoy and something that fits in your life so choose your style of strength training based on what works for you.
The final piece I want to add that I believe is important when training to conceive may not appear as “training” on first glance, but I promise you it’s important. Breathing exercises and meditation is a key part of the training to conceive journey. We already talked about the importance of managing stress on this journey and breathing and meditation can play a crucial role in helping to do this. Incorporate breathing and/or meditation into your routine daily, even if it’s only a few minutes. This will help you train your mind the same way that strength training trains your body and it will help to allow the stresses of the day to fall away, even if it’s only for a few minutes. There are lots of apps out there with guided meditations if that works for you (Insight is a favourite of mine), but I also use the breath app on my Apple Watch a lot as well often just setting it for 2-3 minutes. It doesn’t have to take a lot of time, but it can be super beneficial to help the stresses fall away.
There are so many things to consider and think about when you are on a conception journey and fitness is only a small piece of it. If you are looking to add fitness to your conception journey start small and stick to the things that you truly enjoy, no matter what that looks like. Managing stress levels is a key piece of the journey and your exercise or fitness routine should not add more stress to that journey.
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