Hey Chicks,

As you might already know, I am 19 weeks along with my first pregnancy and I have to say this is the most exciting time of my life! Just yesterday we went for our ultrasound where the gender was revealed, but it is a surprise until the next post as we are doing a special reveal – stay tuned!!

As mentioned in my announcement post I will be blogging throughout the pregnancy and post baby to give you a glimpse into how I plan to stay healthy during the months ahead.So far, this pregnancy has been amazing. With only some food aversions a few times and complete exhaustion in the beginning but other than that I am feeling pretty great.

One of the things that I have found has really helped with my total exhaustion has been staying active. Yes, I know this sounds counter intuitive and or impossible at times but truly this has really helped me to balance out especially on the days that I just want to lay down anywhere and sleep (literally any floor will do).
While my workouts have decreased slightly in intensity due to my own head getting in the way – I am a nervous first time mom worried about hurting the baby with jumping and impact movements even though my doctor told me it is more than OK I just cant get my head around it. I am still keeping up with my workout plans. Doing HIIT (high intensity interval training) 4 times per week, LISS (low intensity steady state) cardio on my treadmill at a max incline to really work the pregnancy booty 2 times per week and walking daily on top of each workout.

My goal is NOT to lose any weight but to maintain my strength so this is what I have been doing and so far it seems to be working. Mind you my push ups are a lot harder than they were before I began growing this human inside me.

The other thing that has really helped me out in the energy department is keeping my eating in check! I have been lucky so far that I have not been sick nor had any crazy cravings except for fresh fruits, I cannot get enough fruit. Other than that it has not been that much different that my regular eating habits. The trick for me has been remembering that even when pregnant, yes you are building a human but that only means an extra 200 calories a day not double helpings at each meal. Thinking about this and keeping it on my radar when eating has really allowed me to stay consistent and keep my blood sugar balanced aka keep me away from sugary cravings!

Also, I find eating intuitively. Meaning I eat when I am hungry and stop when I am full. If I do eat too much it only makes me sleepy and slowly I slip into a food coma so eating this way and honoring myself and my growing babe has been ideal in keeping energy levels in check.

For any peeps out there interested in trying out one of my HIIT workouts (no you do not have to be preggo to try it out) that I have been doing lately I have included below for you: Enjoy and let me know how it goes!

20 Minute HIIT Workout:

Perform some dynamic stretches before you begin the workout: jog in place, arm swings, arm circles, squats, forward leg swings and jumping jacks. This will get your heart pumping, blood flowing and get you pumped up for your workout.

Workout:
1 Minute: Step out weighted jumping jacks with overhead press up
2 Minutes: 30 Seconds Plank with alternating leg raises
30 Seconds inch worms (walk hands to feet then back out to plank)
Repeat both for 30 seconds
1 Minute: Standing mountain climbers with weights (low impact marching version but fast movements)
2 Minutes: 30 Seconds pivot squats
30 Seconds squat hold with pulse
Repeat both for 30 seconds
1 Minute: Low impact 1 arm burpees
2 Minutes: 30 Seconds Push Ups
30 Seconds Dips
Repeat both for 30 seconds
1 Minute: Weighted forward punches holding mid-level squat
2 Minutes: Alternating forward lunges for the entire 2 minutes (add weights overhead for extra resistance and intensity)
1 Minute: Fast feet in place
2 Minutes: 30 Seconds Pliet squats with overhead tricep extension
30 Seconds Pliet hold with bicep curls
Repeat both for 30 seconds
1 Minute: Weighted step out jumping jacks with overhead press up
2 Minutes: 30 Seconds Reverse Lunges with forward kick on same leg (right side only)
30 Seconds side lunge with front shoulder raise (right side only)
Repeat both for 30 seconds on opposite sides
1 Minute: Left leg bridge raises (to intensify wrap a resistance band around foot pushing towards ceiling and hold tight)
1 Minute: Right leg bridge raises

Cool Down Stretch: 5 Minutes perform some static stretching to lengthen and open up muscles.

Remember to check back next week for our gender reveal!!!!!
Amanda xo