About three weeks ago, I got together with one of my girlfriends who is expecting her second child about a month after mine. We got to talking about how differently we feel about the “pregnancy experience,” the second time around.

We both didn't feel as healthy as our first pregnancy. We talked about our diets: forgetting to take a Pre-Natal vitamin (whereas we used to take them religiously), choosing chocolate bars instead of spinach salads and feeling the need to FORCE ourselves to drink more water. We talked about our lack of exercise and just overall feeling of “wellness”.

We decided that we motivate each other to get back to feeling good about our bodies and about our pregnancies.

I went home that night and decided to dust off a workout DVD from my first pregnancy. As I tried to focus on the guided moves, my toddler was not having any of it. I ended up not completing the DVD and feeling disappointed.

That evening, I “Googled” different tips and tricks on staying healthy throughout pregnancy. What I found ranged from prenatal yoga, walking, healthy meal solutions and meal replacement smooties. But the more I read, the more I felt like everything online was geared towards first time mamas.

With a toddler who naps for less than 30 minutes each day and a husband who works away, I didn't find anything that would really fit well into my life. On our daily check-up, my girlfriend and I decided that we would make our own “Healthy second pregnancy solutions”.

Some of you might be feeling the same way, so I thought I'd share our plan.

Water, water, water

It's no secret that feeling hydrated gives you more energy and helps you make better food choices. We decided that we would stock each floor of our homes with water bottles and challenge ourselves to drink at least five each day. Having water available, without needing to search for it, got us drinking more without thinking about it.

Mom and toddler dance party

Every morning, we decided we would crank some tunes and dance with our little guys! It was fun to see how into it our kids got when we were dancing our butts off with them! We'd discuss what moves were busted out that morning and what songs really got our hearts pumping. In the process, I learnt that my son is an Usher fan, but isn't so crazy about Justin Beiber.

Effortless weights

We each had a set of strap on wrist and ankle weights kicking around. (They can be purchased from Canadian Tire for about $15-25.) When we got up, we strapped on our weights. After about 10 minutes, you won't even notice them and at the end of the day when you take them off, you feel like you're walking in space! We also kept 5 lb weights in our kitchen and every chance we got, we did a set of 10 to 20 lifts. Every set counts!

Stairs

The idea of going up and down the stairs a hundred times doesn't seem like very much fun at all, so we decided to trick ourselves into making a couple extra trips a day. “Forget” your socks in the morning, run up to touch up your makeup or take laundry downstairs without a basket (turns into more than one trip usually!)

Buddy up

Having someone to report to helped us stay accountable. After about a week, we both started to feel better. More energy meant more drive to keep going!

Now we've decided to add a weeky trip to local indoor playgrounds and instead of sitting and visiting while the kids play, we challenged each other to see who can do the most push-ups, squats, etc.

I can honestly say that by incorporating these simple things into my daily life, I've started feeling better about my pregnancy. Getting pregnant is such a miracle and to get down on yourself (or your body), doesn't make sense.

Remember, the better you take care of yourself, the happier and healthier your children will be!