J.39/ How to feel your best in Pregnancy
Growing another human being is no small feat, you’re literally making cells upon cells that turn into bones, muscles and organs. It’s no wonder we don’t feel quite like our selves when we’re pregnant, the fatigue, hormones, changes in our body physically, it can be a lot! There are ways though we can support our body during this time and really rely on supplements, good food and exercise to ensure we still feel good.
To feel our best while pregnant, the journey starts before we’re pregnant, our health before we even start trying for a baby is a great indicator on how our body will be during pregnancy. If we are living a healthy and active lifestyle already than this will correlate to our health during pregnancy. It’s important to take care of yourself and put your health first before becoming pregnant, prioritise good nutrient dense food, prioritise exercise, prioritise your mental wellbeing. When you do fall pregnant your same routines and caring for yourself will not change, you’ll be able to seamlessly still be in the same mindset of prioritising your health and wellbeing.
Your health basics of nutrient dense wholefoods, daily movement, daily sunlight, mental wellbeing and staying hydrated will be your pillars to achieve optimal wellbeing during your pregnancy and these will become your non-negotiables. Not every day will be a perfect health day either and that is okay! Aim to be prioritising your health at least 80% of the time that way you’ll still be able to treat yourself and live a balanced lifestyle. Having a 80/20 lifestyle is a great way to avoid feeling bad about let’s say missing a workout because you’re tired or getting takeout because you don’t feel like cooking. You’ll still be enjoying a healthy lifestyle but you’re also not be beating yourself up for being human. If you can I would recommend also having filtered water, the less toxins your body has to process the better. When I say nutrient dense food, I mean aiming for whole foods rather than processed foods, think about every meal you have and how you can pack more nutrients in. Eat a wide variety of vegetable, fruit, proteins and carbohydrates to ensure you’re getting a good range of different nutrients. You may also have to adjust your exercise regime when you become pregnant and that is okay, it’s still going to be very important to continue to be active daily, but the intensity may change.
Supplements can also play a big role in our health and wellbeing whilst being pregnant, but I will stress that those core basics above are your gold standard, taking supplements will not replace a poor diet. I like to suggest a good practitioner only multivitamin while pregnant as this ensures you are meeting all your nutrient criteria for you and for baby. Other supplements you may want to include are a fish oil for inflammation and brain health, a probiotic for gut and immune health, protein and or collagen powders to keep you fuller for longer, magnesium to help with bowel motions sleep and muscle aches and electrolytes to name a few! It’s important to speak with a qualified Naturopath before starting to take any supplements as you want to know you’re taking the correct dose and also the right product for you.
With pregnancy it is a huge change in our hormones so sometimes this can affect our stress response, the way we perceive stress and our reactions. It’s important to reach for support when you need it, this might be talking to your partner, family, friends, a hotline or a professional. Other ways to help manage your emotional wellbeing are, yoga, practicing mindfulness, getting a massage, going for a walk in nature or filling your cup doing things you love.
If you’d like some specific information on how to support yourself before, during or after pregnancy, please reach out or book in a 1.on.1 appointment here
