My adventures with pregnancy workout DVDs

Before getting knocked up, as I think I've mentioned here before, I was a huge fan of Spinning classes. I probably haven't been to a Spinning class since October of 2010. Now, I have no gym membership. When I lived in NOLA, I walked a lot, to do errands and for exercise (at Audubon Park). Now, I don't have a park quite as accessible to me (there are some nice ones in Baton Rouge, but they require a drive). Also, it is getting HOT outside. Yay Louisiana!

My solution: DVD workouts. I have three so far. I've found yoga to be really helpful in easing my back pain and anxiety, so I bought two of those:

Crunch Yoga Mama Prenatal Workout
This is a nice workout for the beginning of the day. The pace is gentle, but there are some great poses for loosening the hip area. This instructor is the kind of yoga instructor I prefer for an in-person class, too - she comes across as calm, friendly, and not show-offy or competitive. For those who are very experienced in yoga (I am not), this DVD might not be challenging enough. But I enjoy it, and I feel great afterward!

Prenatal Yoga with Shiva Rea
This one is a bit more challenging, but very easy to customize - there are 3 ladies, one from each trimester, wearing different colored full-body leotards! It's kind of funny. I found this one a little harder to follow the first time I did it, and had to pause the DVD a few times. It uses more props - blocks, strap, and a chair. Overall, I think it's great, but there are a couple of small issues I have: 1) you are supposed to breathe evenly, yet if I followed her "inhale...exhale" commands, I would not be breathing evenly AT ALL...so I ignore them, and 2) instead of mats, the ladies on the DVD are practicing on these lovely large square rugs...when I work on a sticky mat I have to change its direction sometimes so I can still see the TV.

My third DVD is more of a toning workout:

The Perfect Pregnancy Workout Vol.1
Before doing this workout for the first time yesterday, I was able to convince myself that I was still in fairly reasonable shape. HA. Not so much, apparently. I'm still doing some massage, so I figured my upper body strength was still decent. I also figured I still had a fair amount of stamina and endurance. When I saw that there were two levels for the workout (Beginner and Advanced), I figured I'd be Advanced. Wrong, wrong, and wrong. I mostly followed the Beginner instructions (though I did use dumbbells for the arm exercises) and it was STILL a challenge! In all fairness, when my baby's dad saw the intro portion to this DVD he commented that this woman, while pregnant, could probably kick his ass. She is BUILT. She is also lovely and has a cute accent. And makes me feel like a slouch. Well, now I have a new workout goal, and that is to do this DVD at least once a week for as long as possible. If I can manage to do that, surely I can manage to push this baby out!

Resolutions

I made two New Year's resolutions this year. The first was to do more yoga, which, technically, I have already achieved. I've taken 4 yoga classes so far in 2011, and I only took 1 in 2010! Seriously, though, on the awesome New Year's retreat I attended, I enjoyed the yoga classes and decided it needs to be a bigger part of my life. I've done yoga occasionally over the years, but it was never really my thing. After discussing it with a good friend who's also a yoga instructor, I realized that I just needed to find the right classes for me. And I'm happy to say I think I've done that!

My main goals are to gain flexibility and strength, and also to ground myself and decrease anxiety. I've been to yoga classes in the past that seemed sort of competitive and show-offy. To be honest, that probably only turned me off because I'm not super-advanced at yoga. I, too, can be competitive and show-offy when it comes to stuff I'm good at ;) I've found that I prefer the type of yoga where you spend a long time in one pose, gradually letting it deepen, as opposed to doing fancy combinations of several poses in a row. Therefore, I've started attending the "Restorative Yoga" and "Essential Yoga" classes at my gym. And, yeah, I'm usually the youngest person in the room, but I don't mind.

My other resolution was to continually strive to be kind and loving toward others. Sounds simple enough, but it can be a real challenge. I remember a line from a book I had as a kid, that said, "Be nice to the mean kids. They need it the most." I don't remember what book it was from, but it has stuck with me.

There's a vulnerability that comes with treating everyone kindly. They may not return your kindness. They may try to take advantage of you. Still, I've found the rewards to be much larger than the risks. When I think about the various things people have "taken" from me, or got away with because I was too trusting, they are very small in comparison to all the things others have given me, or shared with me. The generosity I've experienced from others is pretty amazing, when I think about it. Problem is, I don't always think about it. Sometimes I dwell on the negative treatment I've received from others.

Being vegan has opened my heart in ways I didn't anticipate. I started on my journey towards a vegan lifestyle two years ago, for health reasons. The health benefits have indeed been great, but there have been surprising effects on my soul. I feel that I don't place as many limits on my compassion now that, for example, I don't have to block out the plight of dairy cows to enjoy ice cream. Now, I know plenty of kind and compassionate people who are not vegetarians or vegans, and I realize that many of the choices I make, like filling up my gas tank, effect others negatively. But I think this particular lifestyle change has had a big influence on how I relate to both animals and people, and has helped me empathize and realize we're all in this together.

Here's to increasing the love, health and happiness in 2011!

P.S. The Russian approved of, and devoured, his birthday cake :)