Staying Active While Pregnant During COVID-19

It’s hard to imagine as I write this that so many places we all used to rely on for outside time are closed or access is limited. In our small community, the beaches are closed, and it’s hard to imagine not being able to stare at the ocean whenever I have the need. Never have I understood, valued and wanted freedom so much.

I am learning to adapt and trying to find new ways to still get that fresh air, natural light and little bit of wild freedom that nature always provides for me. 

For exercise and overall health, I’m relying on biking and running in my neighborhood.

I’ve always used running for exercise, but now I’ve changed my runs to early morning times. My husband is working from home, so one of the benefits is I have more time to exercise throughout the day. Here’s what changing my runs to early morning has done for me:

• Provided much need alone time and space from my family (though I love them dearly) and any other human who might be out exercising. 
• A deep connection to nature. Running early in the morning almost guarantees I will see more wildlife; birds, deer, turkeys. For me, there is something so special about seeing a wild animal, I’m instantly reminded of how simple and hard their lives are in comparison to mine. 

What I love about biking any time of day:

• I can go fast on a bike and get a little bit of a feeling of freedom that has been lacking from my life lately.
• I generally go longer on a bike, so I have a bit more me time to really connect with myself and get out of my head and into my body

I’ve also been keeping my activity level up outside, by playing games with the kids. We recently dusted off some old baseball gloves and a baseball so we could play a game of catch. We’ve also found a frisbee is a great way to spend 30 minutes outdoors running around with the kids.

The rainy days in quarantine are really challenging for our family. So we get desperate and try just about anything. Last week, we started a long jump competition in our kitchen, marking with tape where each family member landed.

If your growing belly has you needing to be more mindful, all of these activities can be modified to your needs. And walking is a great replacement for running or biking if those activities are no longer available to you.

Take good care of yourself Mama,

-Michelle