The Handboarding Mom: How to Stay Fit & Have Fun While Pregnant

There are many changes that go on with your body during pregnancy, unfortunately a lot of them are almost unbearable.  

The best way to beat the pregnancy bloat and blues, is to stay active at least 30 minutes everyday.  

I am currently 9 months pregnant and have stuck to an exercise routine of 5 days a week: that include running (up to week 26), walking, elliptical, weight-training, Zumba and my favorite of all, handboarding/bodysurfing.  

Since your body is fully submerged in the water when you are handboarding, you don’t feel the extra weight you are carrying, the bloat in your feet/hands/face or the cramps in your back.  The second I am in the ocean and diving under a wave, I nearly forget I am even carrying a baby inside of me.  I may have to wear my husband's wetsuit, since mine does not fit anymore, but the stress release on your body that the salt water gives you is worth looking like a beached whale, while you strut into the ocean for a handboard session.

I do only suggest handboarding while pregnant, if you are already comfortable in the ocean and were already were handboarding before you were pregnant.  And of course, you should always consult with your doctor before any physical activity.  

Here are my tips that got me through 9 months of handboarding while preggos!

• Know your limits and listen to your body.  As your body and baby grows, you will start noticing you are out of breathe all the time and you get tired a lot faster. Pre-pregnancy I was comfortable out in 4-5 foot waves and could stay out for hours, but immediately after I was pregnant I only wanted to be out in easy 1-3 foot waves mostly.  I got exhausted really fast swimming out to the break when the waves were big, so I never went out in waves that were too big for my comfort zone.  Everyone is different, so just listen to your own body and don’t do anything you are not comfortable with.
  
• Stay away from Shorebreak.  Shorebreak is not my favorite type of wave to handboard anyways, but when I was pregnant I completely stayed away from them.  When you handboard shorebreakyou can easily get your body thrown right on the bottom of the sand, which is obviously high risk.  Look for breaks that are deeper out in the ocean that have a nice long, rolling break.  And of course, for all safety purposes make sure you are wearing fins.  
  
• Go out with a buddy.  You should be cautious while doing any physical activity while pregnant, especially when you bring in the unknown elements of the ocean.  Once I hit my 2nd semester, I made sure to always have a buddy with me in the ocean just in case and as extra precaution I would go out right in front of the lifeguard tower.  
  
• The saltwater cures all. The third trimester can be miserable and the ocean is the best place to be.  By the end of the day you are overcome with bloat, back cramps, exhaustion, etc. and the best cure for me was the cold ocean.  I immediately feel better and my bloating goes away.  I may not be able to fit in my skinny jeans after, but my swollen feet can fit into my shoes again.

If you don’t handboard yet, you can still enjoy the ocean while pregnant by just taking a dip and going for a swim.  But why not make it more fun and even get in a workout, and grab a handboard while you're  at it!  

The pregant mom's board of choice is The Slyde Wedge!