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How to Set Realistic Fitness Goals During Pregnancy

Hey there, mama-to-be! Congratulations on this amazing journey you’re on! While you’re busy nesting and dreaming of tiny shoes, let’s take a moment to talk about something super important — maintaining your fitness during pregnancy. Grab a cozy seat and a snack (you’re allowed to indulge!), and let’s dive into why staying active is a great idea and how you can do it safely and enjoyably!

Why Fitness Matters During Pregnancy

First off, let’s chat about why keeping fit while pregnant is essential. Exercise can be a game-changer, helping to:

– Reduce those pesky pregnancy-related pains — say goodbye to chronic discomfort!

– Lower your risk of gestational diabetes and hypertension — nobody wants extra complications, right?

– Boost your health and immune system — better outcomes for both you and baby.

– Decrease the chances of birth defects and delivery complications — let’s keep this journey smooth!

– Enhance postpartum recovery — because you’ll want to get back to feeling like your wonderful self as quickly as possible!

And hey, setting realistic fitness goals can do wonders for your mental health, too! Achieving those targets will leave you feeling accomplished and keep you motivated to balance activity and rest as your body changes.

Understanding Your Body Changes

Pregnancy is a wild adventure, and your body is going through an incredible transformation! Here’s a quick rundown of what to expect:

– Your growing baby (and uterus) is shifting your center of gravity, so balance will become a little tricky.

– Increased blood volume might make you feel breathless at times. Deep breaths, mama!

– Space for your thoracic organs is reducing — a little reminder that you’re growing an entire human!

– Check out our prior post Understanding Your Body: Changes to Expect During Pregnancy for more details!

With all these changes, you might experience common discomforts like nausea, swelling, and the dreaded fatigue. Remember to listen to your body — it knows best! Now isn’t the time for new personal records; just focus on feeling good.

Setting SMART Goals

Ever heard of SMART goals? They’re all about being Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Sure, it sounds fancy, but it can really help you map out your fitness journey!

For instance, you might aim for:

– A set distance or time for walking each week.

– Trying out different prenatal classes to keep things fresh.

Want more tips? Check out our prior post Changing the Way You Goal-Set through SMART Goals for extra inspiration!

Finding Activities You Enjoy

Let’s be real — if you dread your workout, it’s way too easy to skip it. So, let’s find activities you actually love! Consider these fun options:

– Walking: Get those comfy shoes on and explore your neighborhood!

– Swimming: A fantastic, low-impact option

– Prenatal yoga: Perfect for relaxation and flexibility

– Strengthening exercises: Building muscle is super beneficial!

swim
yoga
strength

Spice up your routine by mixing it up! Aim for 2-3 days of cardio and 2-3 days of strength training each week. And don’t forget to check out our post on Safe Exercises for Each Trimester of Pregnancy for tailored advice.

Creating a Balanced Routine

As your body evolves through pregnancy, it’s essential to adapt your exercise routine. Think about incorporating a variety of activities:

– Cardiovascular exercises: Get that heart pumping!

– Strength training: To keep those muscles strong.

– Flexibility routines: Yoga and stretching help maintain your range of motion.

And don’t underestimate the power of rest! Active recovery days can be delightful; think gentle yoga or a relaxing stroll. Shorter workouts might be beneficial, especially if you’re feeling nauseous or fatigued early on. Just remember to ease up on activities that challenge your balance as your bump grows!

Staying Motivated and Accountable

Want to keep that motivation high? Here are a few tips:

– Track your progress: Celebrate milestones, like walking a mile in 20 minutes. Yes, you can do it!

– Support systems: Friends, family, or prenatal groups can make a world of difference.

– Celebrate win after win: Non-scale victories are just as important!

Prioritizing Mental Health

Physical activity is a fantastic way to boost your mental well-being during pregnancy! Embrace mindfulness and relaxation techniques — if you’re curious about this, check out our post on Mindfulness and Meditation Techniques for Expecting Moms.

And remember, if you ever feel overwhelmed, don’t hesitate to seek help. The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-833-TLC-MAMA — they’re here to support you!

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, setting realistic fitness goals during pregnancy is essential, but it’s all about enjoying the journey! Embrace every little victory, stay flexible with your plans, and don’t hesitate to share your own fitness experiences or questions below. We’re all in this together, and your unique story makes our community stronger!

Happy exercising, and here’s to a healthy, joyful pregnancy!

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Changing the Way You Goal-Set through SMART Goals

Have you ever been really excited about a goal or the idea of achieving something, but then eventually the excitement wears off or life gets chaotic and you have to push that dream to the back-burner? Or maybe you’re tired of feeling like you have the same New Year’s Resolutions year after year, but never get to where you’d like to be. It may even be starting to feel like you’ll never reach your goal.

Don’t worry – same here!

The good news? The issue may be in how the goal is set rather than what the goal is. Setting big or vague goals is often the downfall of many well-intentioned goals. We’re here to help you revamp the way you approach goal-setting to help set you up for success, every time!

There are 5 key components to setting a goal that will make it more effective and clear, and they are represented in the acronym SMART.

SMART Goals are:

SPECIFIC
measurable
attainable
relevant
time-bound

SPECIFIC

The first component of setting a SMART goal is to get specific. Think about what would define the success of achieving this goal; what will it look like when you’ve accomplished it?

For example; instead of I want to lose weight, a more specific goal could sound like I will lose 8 lbs. Rather than, I want to be a better runner; try I will go for a run 3 times a week.

Making your goal as specific as possible sets you up for success by identifying what it is you are striving for. In other words, it is hard to hit a target that you can’t see, and getting specific helps eliminate any vagueness or guesswork for you!

Measurable

The next key part of a SMART goal is to make it measurable. Making it measurable digs deeper into the specificity of your goal. Assigning a number, value, or other form of measure to your goal allows you to track your progress as well as having a clearly defined target.

Using the example above, I will lose 8 lbs, assigning the value 8 lbs makes your goal something you can measure. You can determine when you are halfway there, or when you have reached it!

Making your goal related to something you can measure helps to make it feel less conceptual and can even provide a roadmap for how to achieve your goals. In the above example, I will go for a run 3 times a week, not only is the success of the goal clearly defined, but how to get there is spelled out for you! This step can be a great time to start thinking about your goal in terms of real-time and effort.

attainable

As you start thinking about how to measure your goal, the important concept of attainability will come into play. Lofty goals may sound impressive or inspiring, but can quickly become unrealistic and may have the opposite effect.

One of the great things about SMART goal setting is the option to break your goal up into achievable chunks. For example, if your goal is to lose 25 lbs, starting with losing the first 5 lbs in a month or establishing an exercise routine by completing 4 workouts per week may feel more realistic and less daunting.

The point of goal setting is to challenge yourself, but certainly not to set yourself up for failure! It’s far better to set a goal that feels possible and continuously progress yourself to keep achieving more, than to set an impossibly high goal that is never attained.

relevant

Why is this your goal? Is this in-line with what you want, and what you are working to achieve? Use this component to make sure that your SMART goal is still relevant to your conceptual goal – even at its first step or stage!

This is where it is so helpful to have a trainer or coach helping you identify your goal! Conceptually, the goal of becoming more active or getting more fit can lead to very different SMART goals for different people. Fitness goals are not one-size-fits-all; not everybody’s fitness journey will include weight loss, and not all goals will require the same types of workouts to achieve.

If you’d like some guidance identifying the right SMART goal for you, send us a message!

time-bound

Lastly, SMART goals are time-bound; meaning, they have an end date. If your goal is to lose 8lbs, when should this happen by? A month? A year? 10 years?

Adding a time-bound component to your goal helps to keep you disciplined and on-track. You’ll know what you are working to achieve, how to get started, and when you’ll be done!

Let’s put each component into action and see what that looks like!

Conceptual goal: I want to lose weight.

SMART Goal: I will increase my calories burned each day to lose 8lbs in 6 weeks.

Conceptual goal: I want to be more flexible.

SMART Goal: I will complete one yoga and two stretching sessions a week for the next month to become more flexible.

now what?

Now that you know how to transform your goals into SMART goals, you are well on your way to achieving them! Download our free SMART Goal worksheet below to help you plan your goals, or contact us for specialized help from a Certified Personal Trainer & Fitness Nutrition Specialist!

let’s set your goals!

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