Fitness in Baby Steps: Lessons Learned Across Three Pregnancies

I have always lived an active lifestyle. For the bulk of my life I was a dancer and as a girl growing up in the southwestern desert of Utah hiking was basically second nature to me. So it came as a great shock to me that after having two babies in short succession (one in 2007 and one in 2008) I was overweight and, dare I say it, lazy. Things came to a head when my youngest was eight months old. I passed a mirror and literally did not recognize the person looking back. It was time for a mommy makeover.

My running journey began in April of 2009 with the goal of completing my first marathon by fall of the same year. I did it, losing 35 pounds along the way and finding a passion for something that was as cathartic for my mind and soul as it was for my body. Running became an inextricable part of who I was. I ran the races, read the magazines, bought the gear and I loved every minute of it.

When I found out I was pregnant with my third I greeted the news with the happy confidence that I could run through my pregnancy, maintaining my health and speeding recovery after baby #3 arrived.
Things started off with a bang. I continued my daily runs and even summited 10, 064 ft. Mt. Baldy in the San Gabriel mountain range. And then as if a bolt of lightning struck me I was sidelined with morning sickness from H-E-double hockey sticks. Now,  I have read the research and everything says that exercise can help curb the effects of nausea but believe me, if I was running, it was only to worship the porcelain God.

This is not the first time this has happened either. When I was pregnant with my first I vainly attempted to summit  11,749 ft. Mt. Timpanogos in northern Utah. A feat which the year before I had conquered round-trip in just nine hours. This time though I didn’t make it out of the parking lot before watering the wildflowers with my breakfast. You would think after that episode I would have learned my lesson.

Now at almost three months into my third pregnancy here is what I have finally learned:

Sometimes we have to take baby steps.

Every woman’s pregnancy is different. Some lovely ladies can run marathons and do triathlons well into their pregnancies and others, like me, have to take comfort in the small victories.

Like little hikes with my kids and dancing in my living room to happy music.