Life as it now is...

One would think that there is a lot of information out there about fitness and pregnancy. And there is, to a certain extent. And it usually goes something like this: "It's ok to keep doing what you had been doing before you got pregnant", "as long as your heart rate stays below 140bpm", "as long as you don't lift anything over 25 pounds", "as long as you feel comfortable", etc., etc., etc. But what if you had been performing full-out sprints before you got pregnant? What if your heart rate jumps to 180 just looking at a treadmill? What if lifting 25 pounds is only reserved for recovery workouts? And what if comfort and workout are two words that have never coincided in your training philosophy? This was me...

LIFE AS IT ONCE WAS
As a professional strength and conditioning specialist, I have attempted to stay at the forefront of the most effective means of achieving a top-notch physique. We now know that the body achieves the best results when subjected to intense demands. Such demands may be high intensity interval training instead of steady cardio, heavy resistance loads verses lighter weights, and full body movements that replicate the movements performed in sport. This is how I train my clients/athletes, and this is how I would train myself...before I got pregnant.

Knowing we would soon be trying to have a baby, I set out to get in the best shape of my life. Somehow I knew that the better shape I was in, the easier the whole process would go. A typical week of working out for me looked like this:

• Two or three 25-35 minute long sprinting interval workouts. Sprints were as hard as I could run for 0:15-2:00 with a bit of rest in between. Sometimes on a hill, sometimes flat. By the end of these sprint sessions, I truly couldn't take anymore.
• Two or three full-body strength training sessions, using multiple movements and positions. I stayed with very heavy weights that could be properly lifted for 2-3 sets of 8-12 repetitions. For example, rear foot elevated split squat with 20 pounds in each hand. Or single leg balancing shoulder press with 20 pounds.
• About once a week I would include some jumping/plyometrics drills into the strength training session. These would include burpees, jumping push-ups, lunge jumps, box jumps, etc.

It worked. I got in the best shape of my life. I was in better shape than when training for marathons. I weighed 123 pounds with 12% body fat. I felt fast, explosive, strong, and very capable of doing just about any exercise.

LIFE AS IT NOW IS
And then the wonderful news came that I was, in fact, pregnant! We were completely ecstatic to learn that we would be welcoming a baby boy into our family around Thanksgiving time. Of course, I immediately wanted to keep working out, but was I allowed to keep doing what I had been doing? Could I still jump, run & sprint, push around 30+ pounds, and continue to move and feel like an athlete? Was I relegated to prenatal yoga???

OH THE REASONS...
My reason for creating this blog is to describe my journey as an athletic pregnant woman and eventually a new mom. I want to explain what I have found to be good advice and not entirely applicable advice. I want to share my experiences of what I can and cannot do throughout the trimesters. I've come across a lot of fit pregnancy guidelines that just don't seem to apply to me, and maybe don't apply to you either. I'm not satisfied with simply walking, swimming, yoga, and kegels. My body craves more work to do, and the good news is that I've found that I can still do most of it.

This is just my story, and even though I am a trainer, I cannot prescribe the same regimen for you without knowing your story. You may be just like me, or you may actually fit into the general guidelines. Check with your doctor to make sure your routine is ok. As always, your baby comes first: your fitness goals are only reasonable if your baby isn't in any harm whatsoever. If you care more about staying in shape than the health of your baby, you should've thought about being a mom in the first place.

I will post my workouts, give you stories of funny experiences, tell you what I'm eating, and give you workout tips along the way. Hope you enjoy!