Some encouraging words

Yesterday I visited the gym again, which was awesome, and I had two very lovely encounters that I want to share. First of all, I have to say that my definition of what it means to go to the gym has changed dramatically since I've been pregnant. Before I got pregnant, going to the gym consisted of one hour of hardcore aerobics (step class, running, spinning, etc.) followed by 30 - 40 minutes of weight lifting and toning. That was great. Now, that's all changed. When I go the gym now I can only walk "briskly" (between 3 - 3.5 miles an hour), making sure my heart rate doesn't go above 140 bpm, and swim some laps. I am allowed to lift up to 25 pounds, but I don't feel comfortable doing that since it uses some auxiliary muscles that I'm afraid to strain. Either way, it's A LOT less intense than it used to be...and that's taken some getting used to. In any case, I was walking on the treadmill yesterday, at a steady 3 miles an hour, and there was this skinny little something running her tail off on the treadmill next to me. I was trying not to look at her, but I couldn't help it because she was running really fast IN JEAN SHORTS with her LONG HAIR HANGING DOWN. Yeah, it wasn't even pulled back...anyway, about 2/3 of the way through my workout, the woman started waving at me and tapping my shoulder. I took out my headphones and she said, "How long do you walk for?" I told her that I'm limited in what I can do, but I try to get in at least 30 minutes or 2 miles. She smiled and said, "That's so great! I know so many pregnant women and they don't do any exercise. Heck, I know people who aren't pregnant that won't walk 30 minutes a day! Good for you!" I was SOO happy. I know you all know about the issues I've been having with my weight lately, and it felt nice to have someone encourage me in my efforts to stay healthy. I finished that part of my workout feeling invigorated.
Then...as I was heading to the pool, I ran into one of the trainers from the gym (Brandon) who I've always talked to. After being out of the country for the summer, and after not going to the gym for so long, it's literally been months since I've seen him. Actually, the last time I saw him was probably around May. He works weird hours so I rarely run into him. Anyhow, I saw him yesterday and he came running over to me and said, "Wow! Look at you!". I felt a bit embarrased, I'll admit, because I could remember how thin I was the last time he saw me, so I launched into this sob story about why he hasn't seen me in so long and how I wish I could work out more. He just laughed and said, "Stop worrying! It doesn't matter, it's not about you, it's about the baby! And anyway, once he's born you'll get back in here and lose all the weight you want! I'm so happy for you!". It was SOO nice. I left the gym feeling so refreshed, not just physically from the workout, but emotionally from those nice comments. Brandon is right, it is about little H. Claudia made that comment on here last week after I posted about my weight issues, and she was right too. I guess in the end if it means that little H is growing and healthy, who cares, right?
That's the real point: it's not just about me anymore. I guess I'm just learning lesson #1 in motherhood.