Happy Mommy Body: 30 Weeks

30 Weeks

The last two weeks have totally flown by! Last week while hubby was out of state for work, I was in a minor car accident which ended up chewing up a lot of time between going to the hospital (just a precaution to make sure the baby was ok - she is!), talking to insurance companies, getting a rental vehicle.... WOW! This was my first ever accident - who knew they were such a major inconvenience? All is well now, though I'll be losing DH to a work trip again next week and I'm sure time is just going to keep on flying by right up until the due date, which is now just 10 weeks away.

I've got a few new exercise modification for all my pregnant lady friends :) Alas, I cannot take credit for coming up with these gems - they are courtesy of WBFF Pro Michelle Macdonald (http://www.yourhealthyhedonista.com) and IFBB Figure Pro Jessie Hilgenberg, who just so happens to be 30 weeks pregnant too!

Chest Elevated Lying Leg Curl: Depending on how big your bump is, this is a great way to use that lying leg curl machine at your gym (because sometimes the gym just doesn't have seated leg curls!). Make space for your belly by propping yourself up on your forearms, while maintaining a neutral neck and spine. Drive your hips into the bench, and try to minimize the movement in your lower back throughout the movement; reduce the weight if you need to in order to ensure strict form here.

Glute Kickbacks on Lying Leg Curl Machine: I mentioned in an earlier post that the Glute Kickback Machine wasn't exactly pregnancy-friendly, as the "chest" pad hits right at belly level; an alternative is to do your kickbacks using a lying leg curl machine. Get onto all fours behind the lying leg curl machine. Place your working foot on the underside of the ankle pad, and drive through your heel to kick back. You may need to fiddle around with this one (both the machine and your body placement) to get the right alignment and motion.

Dual Cable Lat Pulldown: If you're finding that the knee pad on the lat pulldown machine is getting uncomfortably cozy with your belly, you can do your lat pulldowns using a dual cable machine instead. You could use a regular bench/seat to sit on during the exercise, or I have done them just kneeling on the floor. You could also use a stability ball, which would have the added bonus of incorporating some core work!

I've really enjoyed following Jessie on Facebook and reading her articles, which can be found here: http://www.fitnessrxwomen.com/author/jessie-hilgenberg/