Since we purchased our house a few years ago, hubs and I have entertained the idea of getting a treadmill. We just weren’t sure of where to put it. We have three bedrooms upstairs, and while 1 sat empty for a while, we knew sooner or later another babe would fill the space. Larry was worried that if we put it in our basement, he wouldn’t be able to use it because he would hit his head on the ceiling. We decided, last weekend, to take that risk.
Instead of purchasing one from Craigslist, we opted for a brand-new one. I know this machine will be put to great use so I wanted to make sure we had something of great quality that would last us without any problems. We purchased it from 2nd Wind and are very happy so far with the customer service and sale. They also delivered it and assembled it. I came home from work yesterday and there she was just sitting waiting to be used. 2nd Wind will also come out and service it if something goes wrong.
Buying the treadmill forced me to focus on decorating our rec room. Initially, we thought the space would be great for a bar. But then came the Princess Sofia tent, the Frozen ball pit, and a mini trampoline and soon it became Madelyn’s play place. Larry’s dreams of “The Bear Den” will have to be placed on hold…indefinitely 🙂 Instead, I finally displayed the 2013 Chicago Marathon poster which depicts the Chicago lakefront running path as a favorite place to run. Around it, I have saved bibs from special races (PRs, first 5k/half marathon after baby, etc). Before I hijacked Larry’s “mancave” I made sure he was okay with it and he was. So this is what we have so far.
My second favorite room in our house.
I cannot wait to use it for RUNNING! I was able to manage a slow jog for about 2 minutes yesterday and it felt pretty good, but I didn’t want to press my luck since it’s been many weeks since I last ran. So instead, I did a walking hill workout while watching Usain Bolt on Ellen. How crazy is it that he was on Ellen the same day our treadmill arrived?! After my hill workout, I did some barre-like glute and thigh work and then headed upstairs for dinner. My workouts these past few weeks have slowed down dramatically while my motivation has ramped up.
Things That Work for Me in the 3rd Trimester
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Walking
Something that felt uncomfortable for me for the majority of my 2nd trimester finally feels okay. I’ve been doing a lot of walking along the lakefront-trying to enjoy the weather while I still can. I have a few different 3-mile routes that I tend to stick to.
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Riding My Bike
I’ve been told that pregnant women shouldn’t ride their bikes because of loss of balance or something. I’m happy to say that my balance to still pretty great and bike riding is working for me.
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Elliptical
Hello, early 2000’s it’s nice to see you again. I can’t remember the last time I used the elliptical at the gym before this pregnancy. But the elliptical reminds me of the early days of college when I’d head to the Klotsche center in my fold-over cotton yoga pants and a t-shirt with a Cosmo magazine in hand. My workout gear has slightly improved and I’ve since switched up the literature so it is a more enjoyable experience.
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Spin Class
My go-to cardio these days. As my belly grows and burpees and jumping around are getting slightly more challenging, the spin class has become my replacement when I want a good sweaty workout without the high impact.
Always and forever. The only parts I ever have to modify are abs and positions when the instructor has us on our bellies. When I can’t get to a class, I rotate through DVDs at home. My favorite substitute for an actual class Physique57. They’re challenging, upbeat, fast-paced, and not super cheesy.
My goal in this pregnancy was to stay as active as I possibly could as long as it was safe. I think I’ve done a good job of that. I still feel pretty good until I get to the end of the day and I have some sciatic pain that I’m sure won’t go away now until I deliver, since we’re so close to the end. The only benefit of this is on-demand massages from my husband. Maybe we can keep that tradition up post-baby?! I’m hoping that staying active will help me come delivery day and help me bounce back a little quicker after the baby. And exercise while pregnant makes babies smarter.