Related Content

Pregnancy Articles

Feel Your Best While Working & Expecting

Try These Energy Boosters!

A lot of women work throughout their pregnancies. Carrying a baby around, on top of the demands of everyday work, can frustrating at time. You're looking at your work, but you see more of a blur. Your eyes are somewhere between open and closed. Your feet are aching, your back is hurting, and last night posed sleeplessness and discomfort. And it's only 3 PM.

Sound familiar? Is this the typical afternoon at work for you during pregnancy? Are you looking for ways to get an energy boost while on the job? A demanding job can suck the energy right out of you, if you let it. Instead, you can take advantage of your workspace to put pep in your step and become more productive than ever.

Many of these tips are likely best suited for women working in an office, but if you have another work environment, there may still be some tips for you. If you have a more active job, please check out the article Protect Your Back for strategies to ease the aches and pains associated with being on your feet during the day. Also, share your experience with other women who are working and expecting on the Work and Career message board.

For starters, shoot for five minutes of mental or physical activity for every hour you work. Women who sit at desks or perform monotonous tasks for hours on end are most prone to dwindling production and low energy.

Of course, the most effective way to fight this is with good stretching, deep breathing, and proper posture. Bad posture alone can give your brain up to 30% less blood and oxygen, and you need as much of this flowing as you can get. It's important for pregnant women to shift their body weight often to keep blood flowing. Without plenty of the good, fresh stuff, what do you think happens to your ability to concentrate during a board meeting, or to remember order details?

Here are more ideas to rejuvenate your mind and body at work:
  • Massage your own head and shoulders. You don't need anyone's help to do this. Find trigger points of tension in the shoulders and base of the skull. Hold pressure for 6-10 seconds. Don't forget your face and jaw.
  • Push your chair back a foot or two from your desk. While sitting, lean forward until you're in an angled pushup position against the edge of your desk. Do a couple quick sets. When on your feet, try wall pushups. Just keep in mind that your center of balance is not where it used to be.
  • Do some strength exercises using printer paper, waterbottles, phonebooks, or any weighted object you have available. Lift them like weights to perform several upper body exercises, such as biceps curls, triceps extensions and overhead presses.
  • Use a stress ball. By squeezing it in your hand, you can relieve stress and strengthen your forearms and wrists.
  • Do word puzzles, like crosswords, during your breaks to boost your mental performance and focus.
  • Switch hands with whatever you're doing.
  • Stand perfectly still for two minutes. Take a few deep breaths to regroup.
  • Practice proper body mechanics when lifting, bending and sitting. (See "Protecting Your Back" in the Related Content section at the right of this article.)
  • In the morning, take as long as possible before sitting down.
  • Forget the boardroom. Hold walking meetings.
  • Hand-deliver mail, memos and packages. You'll keep that blood flowing.
  • Chat face-to-face instead of by email or phone.
  • Use a bathroom on the other side of the building or on another floor.
  • Have a lot of phone time? Buy a cordless phone and move around while talking.
Another approach you might not think of, but could greatly benefit from, is a nap.
Continued ›
Page 1 of 2   Next Page ›

About The Author

Mike Kramer
As a writer and artist, Mike has witnessed countless motivational stories and techniques.		 Mike Kramer

Member Comments

There are currently no comments on this article