Ultra-marathon runner, Blackmores ambassador and Nike trainer, Bec Wilcock, announced the arrival of her gorgeous baby boy, Beau Patrick this month. Known for running some of the most gruelling ultramarathons in the world, Bec has admitted that pregnancy meant big changes for her fitness routine. Here she gives us the low down on how to stay fit with a baby on board.
Here are Bec’s 9 tips for staying fit through your pregnancy
1. Make sure you wear the right work out gear. It’s essential to wear a support bra that fits your new breast size. Check that you’re wearing good quality, comfortable shoes that are the correct size – this can be a game changer for your whole body.
2. Break up your workouts by reducing time. For example 30 minute walk in the morning and a 15-20 minute body weight circuit in the afternoon.
3. Train with a professional. Even if you know what you’re doing it’s always good to get some pregnancy training advice and someone to look at your form. I’ve been a trainer for 10 years and I still workout with another professional when I can.
4. Enjoy your sleep while you can! I slept 10-12 hours a night and even took a little pregnancy nap during the day if I needed it. This is how your body recovers and gets quality rest so your little bump can grow.
5. Don’t be afraid to switch up your fitness routine every day – this will keep things interesting. My baby bump favorites included swimming, resistance training, yoga, Pilates and modified HIIT sessions (working up to 70% of your max effort).
6. It’s important to modify your movements and exercises throughout the different trimesters. For example, I stopped running at 32 weeks and found a new love for walking long distances.
7. Know your body! From Trimester 1 to birth, I listened to my body and accepted the days I needed to slow down or stop.
8. Monitor your target weight. Knowing my healthy weight range guided me week to week with my pregnancy. This way if I was ever underweight or gained weight abnormally fast I could consult my doctor about it.
9. Resistant Training is great for overall strength and can be done in both the gym and at home. I recommend a mixture of sumo squats (holding 1 Dumbbell or Kettlebell); static lunges with bicep curl (using Dumbbells); kneeling tricep extensions (1 Dumbell) and bench push ups.
For a plethora of mumcentric health advice , check out Blackmores Mums Like You website: https://www.blackmores.com.au/mums-like-you
Four Little Creatures 