Katie Baines Pregnancy Blog #3 - 'Two weeks out!'

As I sit here writing my final pregnancy blog, I can't help but be surprised at where on earth the time has gone? There are now only two weeks until my due date when we are finally able to meet and say hello to our little man

 

It feels like only yesterday when I found out that I was pregnant and I started to wonder how the next few months would pan out in terms of changes to my body and my life! I was determined from day 1 to continue training at UFit Studio right up until my due date . 

 

I must admit, I did have doubts if that was a realistic ambition, because this is my first pregnancy and I had no idea how late pregnancy would affect my body.

 

Others around me were so sceptical and just smiled politely, worried of how naive I was.

 

I never thought I would be saying this BUT at 8 and a half months pregnant, I have kept my word and continue to attend U Fit Studio on a twice weekly basis! Much to the dismay of those who are just desperate for me to sit down and rest!

 

Even though I am not that big for someone who is a couple of weeks off from giving birth, I am so full of energy still with a spring in my step! I often forget I am pregnant until I try and reach to shut that car door!

 

People say that the reason why I am still so full of energy and am able to continue going to the gym well into my late pregnancy is because I have been one of the 'lucky' ones who have had a very easy pregnancy throughout, with no sickness, back aches or tiredness.

 

I agree to a certain extent as we cannot control all of the hormonal effects of pregnancy, but I do believe that great nutrition and a tailored pregnancy fitness programme have played a huge part in giving me the best possible experience!

 

 

 

 

I appreciate that a tailored fitness programme has helped me to continue coming to the gym so late into my pregnancy, as it is more manageable and I feel completely safe and confident in it.

 

The exercise routines are gentle enough so I do not risk pulling any muscles or harming the baby but challenging enough to feel the effects and strengthen my body in preparation for labour!

 

One effect of exercising that I have found to have had both pros and cons, is the fact that my abdominal muscles have remained tight. In fact they have remained so tight that on two occasions, the midwife has been unable to tell us which way round the baby is and made us worry for two weeks that baby has been breeched! So aside from the extra scans we have had to have, I am most definitely hoping that my tight stomach muscles will spring back quicker post-birth!

 

In the past I have continuously fluctuated between size 16 and 8. Over the years U Fit Studio has equipped me all the right tools to help me achieve something which once seemed an impossible dream; comfortably keeping within the same clothes size for more than 2 years! 

 

Although they have helped me to achieve my desired physique, U Fit Studio have given me something more precious than that. With their endless support of my own determination over the years, I have learnt so much about myself and my capabilities. I never knew I had such determination and perseverance in me until I started training at U Fit Studio.

 

Not only have they played a big part in helping to transform my body but they have 'toned' my mind as I am so focused, goal driven and ready to face any challenge in life.

 

Including getting me through labour!

 

 

 

 

This mind-set has not only helped me to enjoy my pregnancy and stay fit, it has also helped me in both my personal and professional life. I have learnt that any limitations whether it be physical or psychological come from within yourself. The power of the mind is immense; if you are in a positive mind-set surrounded by positive influences then you can achieve anything!

 

So, two weeks away from giving birth, aside from the fridge, freezer, kitchen cupboards being cleaned several times in case the in-laws come round. I feel ready and hugely excited to face my next challenge! I don't feel frightened or apprehensive of what is ahead of me as I know whatever pain I will experience is a positive pain and it brings me that one step closer to meeting our baby boy. Where is the sense of achievement in anything if it comes all too easily without the pain and endurance?!'

 

I can't wait!

 

Katie x

‘Uniquely Competitive’ – Who’s YOUR competition?

My little thought for the day…

It was a cold winter’s school day back in 1998 on the big sports field across the street from my secondary school, and there I was in shorts that were too long and an off white T-shirt that was too small. This was the moment where our sporting school captains picked who they wanted for their competitive teams for ‘the big date in the calendar’…’Sports Day’.  One by one, names were called and my other class mates jumped for joy as they were joining their friends to compete in what I would call now days ‘The Hunger Games’. (The competition was tough and personal)
By this time my heart began to sink as I was left standing alone, and not picked for either teams. I was not wanted.

The truth was, I wasn’t a ‘Sports Man’ and they knew this. However what they failed to notice about me, was that although I wasn’t your traditional sports man with the latest Nike trainers, I WAS a competitive person, but in a different way to them.

In my life, I have always prided myself on the fact that I work well within teams of people, I love people, I love meeting new people and engaging with them and learning about ‘their story’.
 I have never been one to base relationships with people on rivalry or even worse…Jealousy.
I personally feel that this isn’t healthy as it can on occasion lead you to self-doubt, and a negative outlook. We are all different, we are all unique (It sounds clichéd, but I believe this to be true.)


 So here is my point….
Competition is healthy, it’s fun, it’s entertaining, it drives people to succeed, it can sometimes come with huge rewards and benefits, but where is that ‘Real’ sense of competition?

I believe competition should start and continue within ourselves.
I like to keep the ‘Ethos’ in life that every day I should set out to do better, and be better and my daily challenge is to keep this in mind for every aspect of my own life.
This concept isn’t a new one, and it has certainly been said before, I just believe that sometimes we can lose focus on what is really important, and where our goals should be.

‘I only compete in my life to improve on my best, and that in itself brings achievement, happiness and complete satisfaction’.
So the next time you are in the studio and you happen to notice the person to your right, doing an extra squat or lifting a heavier weight than yourself, don’t allow yourself to feel like you’re not winning, just know that you are in your own race, and if you keep going, you’ll be at the finish line being the person you aspire to be.

(You can also remind me of this statement, when you see me in a pool of sweat in the studio, begging to have 60 second rest! Ha ha)

Thank you for reading

Ben York

Member Representative

Head of Front Of House

Cheat workouts - My response to the shut up and train culture

Cheat meals are a funny business. I don't think that anybody should ever have a cheat meal, I'd like to live in a place where everyone just eats what they want to eat all day every day.



I think this is possible whilst remaining healthy, here's how:

I want to feel great during as much of my life as possible. What I don't want is energy swings, bad digestion, interrupted sleep and low mood.

I know that by eating good food, sleeping well and exercising regularly I will feel as good as I possibly can most of the time. There are times where I don't feel on top form, like every body, but I can promise you that 99% of the time it is as a result of a poor nutrition choice, a bad night's sleep or from having missed training.

The other thing is that after a while, training should become a hobby. Eventually everyone gets in to it. You start to become hungry for more progress. As a result I want to recover from my training as fast as possible. I have no interest in walking around feeling like an 80yr old for 4 days of the week. So, again I know that by eating lots of clean food I will get that.

It's a no brainer isn't it, the food that you really want to eat for long term happiness is the food that makes you feel good most of the time.

But there is an exception.

Every now and again, you will be faced with a situation where you are looking at a slab of chocolate cake (or whatever doesn't make you feel good but tastes lovely) and you will make the decision there and then to have some, even though you know it won't help your long term progress.

Now who exactly are you cheating?

Where in the rules does it say no chocolate cake?

Who's rules say no chocolate cake?

Well I don't follow anyone else's rules, I follow my own rules. I would expect you to do the same. All you can say is that I understand the implications of what I am about to do and weighing up the benefits and the costs of this action I have decided that I am OK with doing it.



It only becomes a cheat meal if you regret it afterwards. That means you let your emotions get the better of you. You let your cravings get the better of you and you made a misinformed choice.

So here I am, staring at that piece of chocolate cake and I think.

- I eat well most of the time so my metabolism will probably deal with this chocolate cake no problem
- I am not on any strict fat loss goal.
- I have eaten enough protein vegetables and fat for the day to make sure my body stays healthy.
- I'm going to really enjoy it.
- I might get a bit of digestive distress, but most likely one piece of cake will go largely unnoticed.

So I say go for it.

And that's it. If you really care about your progress you will say no. For example I will always decline an alcoholic drink if I have trained in the last 24 hours or I plan to in the next 24 hours. Which means that I almost never drink.

I just don't see the point.

So can this apply to physical training?



I apply the same logic...

On average I'll get in 4 sessions per week. However sometimes I just really don't want to do my programme.

You know the days, you're fatigued from previous workouts, stressed from work, you have no energy and you know that if you do your normal routine your going to get about as much out of it as if you didn't do it at all.

Well this happens on occasion, really not very often, maybe once every 6 weeks.

What do I really need to feel good?

What I need is a reduced volume session where I do something which I haven't done in a while and just have some fun.

So I will usually spend a bit of extra time foam rolling and a bit longer on my warm up. After all I need it because I'm hurting.

Then I'll just do some stuff I don't usually do, which makes me happy.

I'll finish with a bit of HIIT training and then that's it.

Some people might say that I am cheating myself and that I should just do it.

But I disagree, occasionally it is a great thing to do something just for the fun of it. Every time I do have a cheat session, the next training session is a million times better because I have given myself some time to recover properly and I actually do better than ever.

We don't need to be 100% strict 100% of the time. You just need to use your brain and make sensible, informed decisions.