Wellness Wednesday: How to Handle Pregnancy Fatigue & Stay Motivated While Pregnant

Happy Wednesday, friends! I have been getting a lot of questions on how I stay motivated and active during my pregnancy so for today’s WW post I thought I’d share the a few ways I stay motivated to live a healthy lifestyle (because at  8 months pregnant, it’s not always the easiest!)

Go to Bed Early / Get you zzzz’s

During the first trimester, I want to go at bed at 6 p.m. I was SO tired. Once we would get the kids down for bed around 730pm I would get straight into bed and put a podcast or book on and fall asleep with no guilt. I didn’t care if the sink was full of dishes or the house was a mess. I listened to my body and slept when it needed. I also felt way more energized in the morning and that is when I workout and get most down with work – so it was a win win!

Use the “10 MIN” Trick

Not feeling a workout? Try the 10 minute trick! It works every time for me! The hardest part of working out is that first step. I tell myself, “I’ll just workout or walk for 10 minutes – that’s it”. This just gets me started. Once I begin, I actually enjoy it and want to do more! I never end up just walking for 10 minutes. Even if I did, it’s better than nothing! It’s all a mind game! And after a workout/walk or whatever I did to get myself moving – I ALWAYS feel 100% better and happy I did.

Stay Hydrated: 

Drinking enough water has been a struggle for me this pregnancy, but is it SO important and will be even more important when I am breast feeding.

It’s never too late. Start small.

I think the term “working out” scares some of us into thinking it has to be this dreadful hour long extravaganza. Or some may think, “I’m 25 weeks and have never worked out a day of my pregnancy, why start now?”  But remember every little bit counts.  Start small. Example: A 30 minute walk – ( call your mom during it and it will make it go by really fast ) walk the flights of stairs during your lunch break. Look up a 10 minute strength exercise on Obé – I love their express workouts and they have prenatal workouts too!  It doesn’t have to be a big thing, every little bit counts.
You will have more energy.

It’s funny that on the days I made the effort to work out during my first trimester, I had more energy. I NEEDED that energy to keep up with work, my kiddos and not be stuck laying in bed all day. It’s true, working out will give you more energy. So just when you think you are too tired to do anything, get yourself out on a walk and gain a little energy for the rest of the day.

I work out to FEEL GOOD about myself, my pregnancy, and my baby. You will too!

Trick Yourself

Is your house a mess? Just looking at it probably gives you a headache. Or are the work tasks piling up until the overwhelm overwhelms you too much and you have no motivation to do anything!?

Try this little trick: tell yourself you only need to do one thing.

Maybe it’s doing one small task at work, cleaning off the counter or throwing in one load of laundry.

Start with something small.

Once you finish that one thing, see if you still have the energy to tackle just one more small thing.

If you find that the “do one thing” is not effective, try telling yourself just “15 minutes” and then you can have a break.

You can accomplish SO much in that amount of time, even if you have no motivation to do more after the timer goes off.

You might find that after you complete a few tasks or work for 15 minutes, you get in a groove and are able to accomplish way more than you originally thought possible!

And if you only end up doing one thing? That’s okay. That’s one less thing you need to tackle later!

Be Patient & Listen To Your Body: 

Pregnancy is no time to try to achieve your fitness goals, but I think maintaining healthy habits is so important. I feel like so much of my body changes each and every day so working out has become a great way for me to keep anxiety at bay and maintain some sense of normalcy.

Remember that it’s just temporary

I know for me, it’s been really difficult being this tired right when things are so busy in my life. With the business, my kids, my husband and the home build, I have very little, if any down time. So letting myself rest or nap is even hard for me to do. I also have days when I don’t feel motivated to work and I know it’s bc of my pregnancy fatique.

One thing to remember is that you will not be pregnant forever so of course so you won’t feel this way forever. Plus, there are many different pregnancy stages so of course you do feel differently at times all throughout the pregnancy.

When you aren’t feeling the best, remember that it will pass. Just be a little patient,

Other Pregnancy Blog Posts:

Maternity Favorites 

3rd  Trimester Must Haves

30 Maternity Looks

First Trimester Q&A

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