Training for Two
Meet my client Danielle. She’s been ‘training for two’ for the past few months as she is having her second baby in the New Year.
http://www.youtube.com/user/TTiFitness?feature=chclk#p/a/u/1/0VKC-C78mJY
I made a video of her training, as I think Danielle is a fantastic representative for strong, fit and dedicated women (whether you are pregnant or not!).
One of our friends Erin said it best when we trained her while she was expecting her first child, Jude. She said the way she figured, she had to train for her delivery just like she had to train for her other fitness races she had completed (marathon runs, adventure races. etc.). Her due date was her ‘big event’, and her training with Taylor prepped her for the day she had to ‘deliver’ her results (yeah, that’s right, pun intended!).
The video I made of Danielle, I specifically entitled, “training for two”, because I think that so many times we hear both men and women making the joke about “eating for two”. You know… eating ice cream and junk food, putting on extra pregnancy or ‘sympathy pregnancy weight’ for the guys. Sound familiar?
I can’t think of a better time to focus on the complete opposite of what mainstream convention tells us we should do. It is the best time to stay 100% committed to eating healthy nutritious food and working out with a specifically designed program.
When I first found out Danielle was pregnant (as I’ve done with all our members who are expecting) I sent her a link to Dr. Cassandra Forsythe’s page. Taylor and I met Cassandra at a fitness business conference in Providence RI a couple years ago. One morning at the conference we started our day with a conditioning class complete with battle ropes, planks, pushups and multiple Kettle bell exercises. Needless to say, it wasn’t an easy class (actually I do recall a certain husband of mine making a sprint to the bathroom about half way through). Cassandra was pregnant at the time and I was impressed by her work in that class; she was one tough, fit, pregnant chick! She would frequently look at her heart rate monitor to make sure she wasn’t exceeding her desired heart rate, she took breaks as she needed, but she didn’t hold back in that class!
Her blog is a great resource for any expecting moms who want to feel comfortable and confident in continuing their fitness while expecting.
http://www.cassandraforsythe.com/blog/New+Pregnancy+Exercise+Research+/
http://cassandraforsythe.blogspot.com/2010/01/benefits-of-exercise-during-late.html
http://cassandraforsythe.blogspot.com/2009/12/second-trimester-exercise-experiences.html
At Taylored Training we have trained quite a few moms during their pregnancies and we have had fantastic success (measured by how these moms feel both during and after their pregnancy).
If you are expecting or plan to be in the near future here are our recommendations for working out:
1) Find a good coach who will build you a program that is both safe and effective for your pregnancy, taking into account our fitness level prior to your pregnancy as well as any past pregnancy complications.
2) Don’t start new fitness modalities during this time like running, kettlebell training, boxing etc. Please note: Danielle has been working with Kettlebells for quite some time, so we chose to continue her KB training while closely monitoring that her heart rate doesn’t get over her desired rate during her sets while taking adequate rest between her sets (at this point in her pregnancy she takes about double the rest time she would typically take between sets).
3) Don’t push it when you are sick! When you aren’t an expecting mom, typically fit individuals can recover quite quickly after being sick. However, when you are pregnant, take more time to recover after having a cold or the flu as your body just simply needs more recovery time.
4) Eat healthy whole food. Make sure you still always focus on getting in plenty of fruits, veggies, lean protein and healthy fat. Consult your doctor for additional specific supplements and make sure you always have a good pre and post workout snack including carbohydrates and lean protein.
5) Listen to your body. Take time to get lots of sleep, eat good food and regularly workout. You will feel better and feel confident about your body (that goes for everyone!).
