Goodbye Brazilian Jiujitsu, I will miss you dearly =(

Ok I know this sounded a bit dramatic, but the struggle is real!

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My goodbye to Brazilian Jiujitsu is only temporary. I just have to say bye for now because I can't keep training at this point. Not just because of my growing belly, but also because I lost my only trusted training partner @el-cr. He injured his knee and cannot train anymore, so my BJJ break is somewhat collateral damage.

Initially I had planned to train much longer, at least until month 7 of my pregnancy, but of course unforeseen events, well, they can't be foreseen LOL. Shit happens, life's a bitch, I just need to suck it up.

It makes me sad and I even left our team's whats app group, because it kind of hurts to see messages about how great training was when I can't participate.

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Couldn't others at the gym be training and doing drills with me?

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Sure, but I don't feel as comfortable with them as I do with my hubby, and especially because I always feel like a dead weight slowing down the rhythm.

While most people have fun rolling /sparring, I sit on the sidelines and do drills with someone. That means that that someone has to take a break from rolling. While it's really no big deal (or shouldn't be), since normally team mates should look out for each other, I will not ask anyone to train with me unless they actually offer it. If they don't, I just imagine that they don't want to get stuck with the preggo girl and I won't bother asking... I've always had this mentality of not chasing anyone for anything, but maybe I should be more selfish and just give 2 shits about whether anyone is bothered by it.

A friend of mine just got back from Austria and will start training with us again, and I may ask her to do me this favor. She's female, so a little better equipped to understand what's at stake. We'll see...

In the meantime, the goal is to stay active otherwise!

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I'm not sitting on my thumbs, oh no! I'm trying to stay fit as much as possible, and training from home.

Remember these workout videos I was showing on dtube? Well, they're still happening, just slightly modified. If you're not already sick of them, let me know and I'll film another one showing how I've adapted my workouts.

Not everything is easy and possible anymore, as the belly is getting in the way. I can't properly squat all the way down anymore (it would squish my belly), and I can't lay on my back.

I still feel good and full of energy, but there are a few things I had to also say temporarily good-bye to. One of these exercises is abdominals. That sucks because it was one of my favorites to train, but when you're preggo, you have a baby growing and pushing your organs and muscles apart to make space. That's why pregnant women can't train abs, because they actually risk separating their muscles from doing so.

It also feels surprisingly uncomfortable to contract my abs. I feel that they're there, they're just screaming "noooo" when I make certain movements. Even sitting up from the bed (which I now do sideways) is uncomfortable, as I used to just "sit up" by contracting my abs.

How to modify?

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Planks, planks planks. Side planks, front planks (although I hate the feeling of the weight of my belly pulling me down), and other oblique exercises can still be done.

I focus more on legs and butt

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Why? It looks good when they're toned, but also because they have to carry that increasing weight! And also because I feel guilty for eating so much LOL. It's quite crazy how I'm eating bigger portions than my husband now. II feel like a bottomless pit when it comes to food...

Focus on my back

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Of course, as you have guessed, the back is also a major issue for pregnant women because it has to carry the weight of the belly. Most women get pretty daunting lower back pain and can't deal. The answer is, strengthen those back muscles ASAP! At least twice per week, I lift weights to work on my upper and lower back, and the good thing is that it will also work other muscles (arms for instance) simultaneously. Planks also help with the core, which includes your back!

Focus on arms

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Why? well a mom has to carry her baby eventually, and it will keep getting heavier =) So might as well prepare those biceps and triceps to be up for the task! I'm already practicing with my fattest cat (6 kilos!), see picture below.

I'm very much looking forward to training BJJ again, in about 6 months. Funnily that's also the timeline given to @el-cr to recover from his knee surgery, so we'll likely start at the same time again. At least I won't be alone in feeling clumsy and weak LOL.

Have you ever had to put an activity you love on pause due to health reasons? If yes, how did you "get over" it?