Another Confession

Confession: my primal eating habits have fallen a bit off kilter.  Lately, I've had cravings for bagels, pizza, donuts and other sugary sweets -- something highly unusual for me.  Sometimes it's easy for me to resist these cravings; other things they are so intense, I'm near tears thinking about those foods, and no matter how I deny it, the craving won't go away.  For someone who's been a pretty clean eater for over a year, it's been a hard go lately.

I hate to make excuses for myself, but perhaps I can shed some light into why these cravings are so intense:

I'm having a little CrossFitter in February!

The day I found out I was pregnant in May, we had had a particularly intense WOD at CRCF; three rounds of:
1 minute box jumps
1 minute wall balls
1 minute pull ups
1 min double unders
1 minute push ups
1 minute rest

This WOD destroyed me, and I found it harder than usual.  I was gasping for breath, and it just didn't seem right.  I already had an inkling that I might be pregnant, so I tested that night and voila!  My thoughts were confirmed.

So many ideas raced through my head; a mix of excitement, feeling overwhelmed, thinking it was surreal, and then scared.  Would I be able to still do CrossFit?  How quickly would I have to scale back? Should I skip CF all together and resign myself to a life of walking and water aerobics?  Could I still lift weights?  And how could I still exercise once I had a baby?

I immediately started my online research, but there really isn't that much information out there about pregnant CrossFitters.  (I'll give links to all the good sites I found).  But after speaking to my coaches, I was reassured that I could safely and happily continue CrossFit, but with modifications as needed.

Still, I found that my cardiovascular endurance slowed down greatly.  High metcon WODs, which were always my favorite, were harder.  And some days, my workouts felt easier to get through than others.  It's definitely been a bit of a challenge for me, but I just remind myself that I have a little person inside me, and I need to listen to my body.

Now, I am 15 weeks along in my pregnancy, and my goal is to encourage other women to stay fit and healthy throughout their pregnancies.  I still work out at CrossFit at least three to five times a week.  And I want to share my own experiences with my health, with exercise, prenatal care choices, and other fun stories.

For the next 25 weeks, I'd like to take you all on my journey as I strive to have the healthiest pregnancy possible.  We know that exercise is essential for the health of a mother and baby, and I hope you'll follow me along!

And here's another picture of my little Peanut.  Can you believe how clear the ultrasound is?  I love the little hand waving!