These tips from yoga instructor and fitness instructor Julie Wilcox from her latest blog post , reprinted with permission, provide pretty comprehensive guide, including dietary suggestions for the yoga-loving moms-to-be.
Pre-Natal Tips
Establish your weekly cardio/strength training and yoga schedule, alternating between the two day-to-day.
An effective program might look like this:
- Cardio and Strength Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
- Pre-Natal Yoga Tuesdays and Saturdays. Follow these guidelines in your yoga practice:
- Always keep your legs far apart enough to make room for your baby bump
- Avoid deep back bending
- Avoid deep twists
- Avoid inversions
- Incorporate restorative yoga in your yoga practice to reduce stress if you are particularly anxious during your pregnancy
Your muscles are more flexible when pregnant due to hormonal changes (more oxytocin).
Lift light weights to keep your muscles strong and toned. Heavy weights come with the risk of excessive strain on the body. It’s best to do more repetitions with lighter weights during pregnancy.
Make sure to get enough sleep. If you are having trouble sleeping, learn Yoga Nidra, which is the yoga of sleep.
Meditate: Meditation will help keep you and your baby calm.
Make sure to eat healthy and nutritious foods remembering that general guidelines explain that pregnancy only requires approximately 300 more calories per day. According to the NIH, the right amount of calories to eat for most pregnant women is 18000 during the first trimester, 2200 during the second and 2400 during the third.
DIET
Below are examples of some great meal options
Breakfast:
- Egg White Omelet (with veggies)
- Homemade Muesli
- Steel Cut Oatmeal With Walnuts, Maple Syrup and Cardamom
- Smoothie (organic all natural fruits with low-fat milk or almond milk) topped With Low-Fat Granola
Lunch:
- Salads With Protein (stay away from high mercury fish)
- Vegan Soups (legumes add extra protein) With Whole Grain Toast And Nut Butter
Snacks
- Carrots with hummus
- Popcorn
- Nuts
- Kind Bars
- Green Juice
Dinner:
- Fish And Lean Meats With Veggies
- Vegetarian Protein Mains With Vegetable Sides
- Whole Grains
It’s important to get enough Folic Acid in your diet. Ask your doctor if you need supplements.
Post-Natal
Want to get in to incredible post-birth shape? Once your doctor says that you are ready to get back to your ideal body, you can do the following:
1. Increase the intensity and duration of your cardio workouts (1 hour is a good amount of time for weight loss) as well as the frequency to 5-6 days a week. You can add back more vigorous, various and challenging forms of exercise including spinning, dance classes and HIIT.
2. Establish a serious abdominal strengthening program, 4 days a week, working all of the different abdominal groups.
3. Add weight to your strength and toning exercises to maintain and enhance muscle definition.
4. Get back to regular yoga classes and try flow yoga, which burns more calories than more static forms of yoga (and if you are intermediate to advanced in your practice). Core yoga classes are also great for the post-natal period.
5. Continue to eat healthy and balanced nutritious foods, again only allowing for about 300 extra calories per day – only if you are breast feeding.
6. Make sure to use the proper muscles to pick up your baby and make sure to use your muscles evenly (switch sides regularly). This will help avoid low back, neck and shoulder tweaks.
7. Continue to work on your flexibility. The more flexibly you are, the more you can prevent injury due to new movements your baby will require.
8. Continue to meditate, practice restorative yoga and yoga nidra, especially if you are sleep deprived. Research shows that meditation can be as effective as sleep in providing rest. Each of these forms of yoga reduces stress and will help you deal with all of your new parenting challenges.
9. Get weekly bodywork. You deserve regular massages! Bodywork helps reduce stress and also any aches and pains due to your new mommy movements.
Good luck, mamas!
