Thank you, Expecting and Empowered, for sponsoring this post, Expecting and Empowered | 5 Reasons to Stay Fit during Pregnancy. I was selected for this opportunity by Expecting and Empowered; the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

My third trimester... looking back on it now, and just two weeks postpartum, it already seems like ages ago. I shared with you a few months ago on how I was working on my self-care this year and how much the pregnancy fitness guide, Expecting and Empowered, played a huge part in my second pregnancy.

I knew when I found out about baby Lillie, the aches and pains that I had with my pregnancy with Ollie was just not acceptable this time around. First of all, I had a toddler that would require me to keep going throughout the weeks as my belly grew. Secondly, the pain I experienced the first time around was not just "normal" pregnancy pain like I had been told with baby Ollie and I was not just going to accept it.

Most importantly, going through month after month of my second pregnancy, I wanted to control my energy levels, be more consistent with my fitness and nutrition goals, and work specifically on the muscles that needed that extra TLC for a healthy and happy pregnancy. This is why Expecting and Empowered, a comprehensive pregnancy fitness guide, was so important to me. I know that when it comes to fitness, it is so important to workout smart and safe especially during pregnancy.

But why stay fit during pregnancy? I have my top five reasons not only how Expecting and Empowered enabled to me to stay fit, but also the importance of remaining active through these nine (really ten) months of your life.

1. Exercise boosts mood.

You may have heard this before, but it is honestly no different in pregnancy: exercise boosts mood. The more moving you do, the better you feel about yourself. Each day that I worked out during this second pregnancy, I could definitely feel my energy level increase, my sleep was better, and I had less emotional pregnancy moments. It was also great that the Expecting and Empowered guide modified my workouts week-by-week so as I grew, I knew that each stretch, lift, and lunge was properly done and I was not hurting myself or my baby.

2. Exercise reduces stress.

This also may not be a shock, but can be easily forgotten. Exercise reduces stress inside and outside of pregnancy. However, with your growing body (and sometimes slowing body), it is super easy to give yourself the self-talk that there is "too much to do" before baby comes to workout. Instead of giving into your self-talk, exercise to clear your mind. Keeping yourself happy and healthy mentally and physically creates a positive environment for your baby to grow in, and that's a win-win.

3. Exercise helps maintain healthy weight gain.

I've never heard a mama-to-be say, "I want to gain a bijillion pounds during pregnancy." However, I have definitely witnessed friends go the "eat-whatever-I-want" route during their months of growing a baby, which definitely puts them at risk for a ton of potential problems. Too much weight gain during pregnancy can make your weeks more difficult, super uncomfortable, and enhance the risk of things like gestational diabetes, delivery complications, and childhood obesity in your baby. For me, the more I exercised, the more I wanted to eat healthy. Knowing that I was putting in the extra effort to stay active allowed me to focus just as much on the food I put in my body as well. I would definitely be more likely to stick to the apple or salad than a bag of cookies the days I did wall sits every time.

4. Exercise minimized labor time.

Did you know that exercise minimizes that second stage of labor by up to 30%? This is that time from when a mom is fully dilated until the baby is actually pushed out! The ladies at Expecting and Empowered says that this is likely linked to women would workout having stronger abdominals, which helps them push. This definitely was proven for me. I'll share more of my birth story larger but with Lillie, 10 pushes in three minutes and she was here! That sounds way better than hours and hours of pushing like I have heard some friends have to do!!

5. Exercise promotes a faster recovery time.

With Ollie, I struggled to bounce back, and with all labor, you have to take it easy the days just after giving birth. You gave birth to a human being for crying out loud. But with Lillie, I knew that Ollie would need the attention and care -- like most toddlers do. So just as much as keeping up with him during pregnancy, I wanted to make sure that I bounced back well also. I definitely listened to my body those first few days back home; however, moms who exercise during pregnancy typically do have faster recovery times than those who do not. Why wouldn't you want to feel more like yourself sooner?!

So how do I get Expecting and Empowered for myself?

Expecting and Empowered is the best suggestion I have to help you workout during your pregnancy and it is easy to get. Check out my previous blog post to find out why I loved it so much and then simply shop the Expecting and Empowered guide here, and purchase the guide for yourself. I know you won't regret it!