Keep Calm & Swim On!

Have you ever started something and immediately had the thought “Why on earth have I not been doing this all along?”

I have always been into fitness, all of my siblings and I played sport, well I did the girly version of sport, Irish Dancing, which I absolutely loved, where as my two sisters did swimming and netball. I joined a gym when I was about 14 and have been a gym goer ever since.

I’m not one to become obsessed and feel distraught if I have to miss a gym class, but it is definitely something I enjoy. More recently (prior to falling pregnant), I was taking part in boot camp classes through work. It was such a different kind of exercise to what I was used to and having friends in the class to push you along made it all that more enjoyable.

Upon looking down at the stick in which I had just peed on to see two very visible lines, exercise suddenly took a back seat. After having such heartache the previous time I had seen the same two lines, I became scared and wanted to do anything I possibly could to prevent the same loss we had felt just months prior.

Once we reached the inevitable 12 week mark, I slowly began to relax. I don’t believe the fear ever goes away throughout the pregnancy, but it certainly eased, I began to enjoy long walks again with Rob and D, our trusty run away lab x husky. I also went to the gym and had a consultation with a personal trainer who set up a light program for me.

I was now able to enjoy the odd exercise session without the feeling of guilt.

I haven’t whole heartedly committed to this program but knowing that when I do drag my butt there, I feel content with the exercises I carry out.

Something in which my eldest sister has long preached to me, is do swimming whilst pregnant. She has 3 gorgeous children and swam through each of her pregnancies.

I joined Rob this morning by heading to the gym, him to do a workout and me in my training two-piece with all of my 32.5 week belly sticking out ready to glide through the water.

After this morning’s swim I wish I had have been doing it more often. Instead of feeling guilty about only going for a swim haphazardly I have decided to move forward and embrace my time off and visit the pool a few times a week.

Each time I have managed to get to the pool I have done a maximum of 850m.

This morning ... I hit the 1km mark !!

I was so proud of myself.

I could feel that I was fitter and my breathing was a lot more controlled, with each breath I thought about my pending labour and thought that my swimming could be something I think back to when I am trying to breathe through each contraction.

I felt a sense of accomplishment when I hit the wall at the 1km mark. I felt calm. I felt liberated and I felt healthy.

I am already hanging to get back in the water.