It's greener on the other side
OK, it's confession time... In my last pregnancy I gained so much weight I don't even question why my body aches so constantly. Because how can a tiny, 125 pound, 16 year old girl gain roughly 3/4 her body weight, carry that around for months on end, and not have side effects from it.
It wasn't that I was depressed or ate a lot of food; it was that I had absolutely no knowledge of how to care for myself, especially whilst pregnant. I got to the point that I desperately wanted to start working out, but I had gotten to far into the pregnancy without any exercise that it would of been to much of a risk to begin that kind of strain on my on my body at that point.
So, I vowed that when I became pregnant for the second time I would take excellent care of myself! I think I have done a pretty good job of sticking to that so far. Yes, there are some things I could be doing more of, but I think once the first trimester fatigue reduces that I will have more energy to stick to the plan.
So far I have worked out at least twice a week; whether it be walking on the treadmill at a high incline for 30 minutes or taking my dogs on a nice long hike (Utah has fantastic mountain trails!). Once I get my energy back i'd love to start pursuing yoga again. I did this with my last pregnancy, and it was SO relaxing! I think that the yoga also aided in my labor.
The biggest component in keeping me healthy with this pregnancy is, of course, eating nutritious foods! It does help that I cook... I know that a lot of vegans and vegetarians do well with getting nutritious foods, but they come at the cost of being stuffed with preservatives, because they have to buy pre-made food. Sadly, most of my recipes I do not give out, but one of the best vegan recipe blog sites I have ever seen has to be Kathy Patalsky's. I have made a good share of her recipes and I have always been so impressed with how amazing everything turns out. Not only is she to adorable for her own good, but she just has so much passion for food and life!
For the vegans and vegetarians I was referring to earlier I will tell you that some of the simplest dishes are not only incredibly delicious, but very healthy. My very favorite would have to be Tofu Scramble. If you just gagged at the thought of Tofu it is because you have never had properly cooked tofu. No, tofu is not the tastiest thing in the world when you eat it raw or improperly cook it. The best thing you can do with it is soak it in vegetable, faux chicken, or mushroom broth (after draining and squeezing out the tofu). Tofu scramble consists of drained, marinated (or I give it a good douse of amino acids; which is very similar to soy sauce, but very nutritious) tofu and any vegetable your heart desires! Sometimes I make it with whatever I can find in my fridge; which can be as little as fresh spinach, tomatoes, carrots and onions. Other times I like to make it nice and complex with ingredients like asparagus, zucchini, and bell peppers (my favorite are yellow and red), all mixed in with the ingredients for the less complex version. I always make sure it has spinach in it though. Spinach is just one of those ingredients that adds tons of oomph as well as nutrition!
Here is a picture of some I made a while back.
Also green smoothies, as odd as they may look, are not only amazing for you but if made with the right proportions can be really tasty! My favorite combination is pineapple, spinach, cucumber, green apple, soy/almond milk, and sometimes mango (the mango doesn't do much for sweetness that's why I usually only do the pineapple).
If you try them out then i'd love to see some pictures of what you come up with!
Have a great day everyone.
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