When I was pregnant with Caden my legs started to begin bothering me around 22 weeks. I first noticed something was different when I went for a run and had to stop and walk because my legs felt so heavy and were causing me pain each time I took a stride. At my next OB appointment I was referred to a vein specialist and learned that I had varicose veins. Varicose veins are diseased blood vessels that have become permanently dilated (enlarged) and can no longer carry blood back to the heart efficiently. As the dilated veins begin to leak, oxygen-poor blood pools in the varicose veins and waste products accumulate in the legs. Untreated varicose veins can cause aching, heaviness and swelling, and can lead to blood clots and leg ulcers if left untreated. It was certainly not what I expected to hear. I was healthy, active, under the age of 30, and sitting only 10 pounds above my pre-pregancy weight. Instead what I had was a family history of bad veins. No amount of healthy living … [Read more...]
Losing The Baby Weight: Pregnancy & Exercise
Follow my blog with Bloglovin This week starts the first post in the Losing the Baby Weight series. Like I mentioned last week it has been difficult for me to start writing about this because there are so many different variables that come into play with how quickly a mama recovers after having a baby. Here are the topics for the next 4 weeks: Wednesday, June 12: Pregnancy & Exercise Wednesday, June 19: What To Expect After You Deliver Wednesday, June 26: The First Six Weeks Wednesday, July 3: Nutrition As a personal trainer and yoga instructor I felt confident in my ability to answer my clients questions regarding exercise and pregnancy. Then I became pregnant. Welcome unwanted advice and opinions from strangers. It might be because I taught yoga and bootcamp classes up until I delivered but I heard my share of comments that were pretty judgmental about how active I was while pregnant with Caden. I have learned that you will never please everyone. Being a good … [Read more...]
