H2, I love you: A bulging lady learns to adjust

Ever fall in love at first ride?  I did this week.  Those of you with dirty, dirty minds will be disappointed to know that I fell in love with H2 - my new pay-as-you-use spinning studio and gym. 

These bones aint what they used to be.  As the weeks of pregnancy progress I have become slower and developed all the grace and stability of a pot-bellied pig chasing a doughnut on it's hind legs.  It's to be expected.  Relaxin, the hormone released during pregnancy to help ligaments and muscles relax to make room for baby during pregnancy and labour, also can wreak havoc on joints during exercise.  Running is feeling more risky and I needed roll with it if I am going to remain mobile for the other 5 months. 

Along comes H2.  Hooray!  No pesky contract that will sap my bank account during the months when I won't be able to work out. No paying for a full range of equipment when I won't use it all now.  It seems the perfect pregnancy workout for me at this stage.  

Cycling is low impact, while still offering aerobic benefits.  But sadly, recommendations for pregnant women are to avoid cycling on the road after week 12.  Also we are told to work on maintaining fitness rather than improving, to remain hydrated and stop before exhaustion.  Also calories burned should be replaced (happy days).   So for me, spinning is the perfect adaptation to my routine as I reduce the running. 

The gym itself is great.  Simple but pleasing, consisting of a spin studio, a strength and strech area and plenty of bike parking space for the hard-cores who cycle in.  The class I took had a strength focus which saw the instructor leading us up an imaginary moutain.  Her French accent transported me to visions of our class cycling on mass in our own Tour de France.  She offered me adjustments to the bike set-up to suit the needs of my bulging pregnant body and encouraged us all to make it our own workout.  Consequently, I felt good to take the class at my pace, having a great time and a perfect workout with none of the joint-jarring action of my long-gone jogs.

And the female changing room is designed with what we women want in mind.  No messing about with useless extras like wood-pannelled lockers, but simple clean decor with plenty of showers.  And the understanding that just because we women sweat like men doesn't mean we're ok with mouldy tiles.  It's clean and beautiful, finished off with proper lighting to facilitate makeup application - a welcome touch.

H2, I love you. And I can't wait to see you again next week.

check out H2 for yourself

Pregnancy workouts: Maybe not iron-woman, possibly aluminium

I miss the old days of hard sweat in the gym or pounding the pavements out for a long, long jog.  Had a little reminder today of what I missed that tugged at my heart strings.  7am, saw Bianca and I already up and getting ready to head to London for my Advanced Personal Trainer practical exam.  She was a star, getting up and helping me out, surrendering her poor body to my specially selected torture methods.

I've still been training.  I could hardly say good-bye to it for 9 months.  I'd go mad.  But I have a new adjusted for pregnancy routine.  It's not as sweaty, punishing or adrenaline-fuelled.  It's the light version of my normal routine.  And in my estimation, not as fun.

Bianca and I arrived a little early for the exam.  The energy of the gym gets me salivating.  I just want to be released onto the machines, classes and weights, enjoying that Saturday gym-time that needs no clock-watching or rush.  But today we are on a different mission.  And besides, my body is no longer allowed to go quite so mad, for quite so long.

Bad news is, the assessor didn't turn up.  Very unprofessional of them and gutting for Bianca after such an early start.  7am should only exist once a day for her delicate constitution.  We did get a chance to practice the routine, though, and do you know what?  I was jealous.  I wanted to be the one being put through the paces, being told 'more, more, more'!

These past few months, I don't miss many other things.  I don't miss pate or brie.  I don't miss wine.  I don't often miss my platform high heels.  But I do miss my workouts terribly.  There are plenty of things I can do in pregnancy, just not as much, as hard, as challenging as I'd like.

Like the pate, wine and high heels, I will be back into my workouts one day in the near future.  I will doubtlessly get opportunities to work my arms with a baby on each and before long it will probably be a workout just running after them both.  And my Saturday morning gym-time will happen again, but for now my adjusted, slightly-less-than-iron-woman pregnancy routine will do.