Motivation to Workout When Pregnant

My alarm is blaring. 

I roll over and can’t believe my eyes. Could it be 5:10 already? How is that possible? I swear I just crawled into bed from getting up to pee 5 minutes ago! Maybe I’ll try to workout over lunch instead…

But the lunch workout never happens. And neither does the evening workout I tell myself I’ll do as my lunch hour ticks away.

Let’s face it - finding motivation to workout is tough! And perhaps I’m having a little pity party for myself, but it seems 10 times harder to workout when pregnant. I’ve contemplated the reasons for this and came up with the following:

• I feel huge.
• I’m tired from having to get up 3 times during the night to use the bathroom.
• My workout clothes no longer fit. (Lycra is the enemy of all pregnant women!)
• I can’t achieve any measurable results.

I can tell myself that I’ll feel better if I get up and workout, but how do I know if it’s actually doing me any good?

When weight loss or a healthy lifestyle is your achievable goal, you can tell the difference in the way your clothes fit, in the way your mile time decreases, and in the way your LDL has lowered.

But no matter how active you are during pregnancy, the scale continues to climb, you grow out of your clothes, and your “mile time” has become something you attempt to attain in less than 18 minutes. Unmotivating.

So what’s a pregnant mama to do?

I know I need a little help with motivation, so I set out on a search for ideas. What I came up with are 5 ways to motivate yourself to keep active while pregnant.

1. Set a different kind of goal - One that’s non-food and non-weight related. Even though you can’t get measurable results from working out while pregnant, you can reward yourself for staying healthy. For instance, my goal for this week was to get up and workout 4 mornings. I’ve made it 2 so far, and if I get up tomorrow and Friday, I’m rewarding myself with a pedicure. Think of something fun you’d like to do, or maybe some retail therapy you’d like to indulge in, and make that your reward for staying healthy.
2. Buy some nice-looking/fitting maternity workout gear. This is one area that would probably benefit me a lot. I have a hard time spending money on maternity clothes. My “gear” consists of my husbands old T-Shirts and my old running shorts. I’m so embarrassed to show them, I couldn’t even take a selfie for this post. Yikes. :/
3. If possible, find a workout partner. If you have any other friends or a spouse who are looking to get out and about, see if they want to join you for a workout a day or two a week. Just being accountable to someone can get you out of bed in the morning.
4. Try something new. A new workout DVD geared for pregnant mamas. A swim at your gym’s pool instead of a walk on the treadmill. Mixing it up will keep you interested. Just remember to keep it non-strenuous and check with your doctor first if you have concerns.
5. Most of all, keep your eyes on the big picture. We won’t be pregnant forever (thankfully!) and there are several benefits to keeping active while pregnant. On mornings when we just don’t feel like getting out of bed, even with snazzy new clothes and a new DVD to try, think about those benefits. And most of all, remember that a healthy mama = a healthy baby!

As I’m wrapping up this post with the information I’ve found, I’ve decided to set 2 goals. One = To keep up my morning workouts. I honestly do feel better! And two = Purchase some actual maternity workout gear for Pete’s sake! These stretched out T’s and shorts are unmotivating (and unattractive… let’s be honest). :)

Any other ideas for staying motivated to workout while pregnant? I’d love to hear ‘em! Please post in the comments below.