Oh Baby! Pregnancy, Fitness & Family

Let’s face it, my generation (the Millennial Generation) did not exactly grow up with the best health and nutrition values. I have many memories from childhood eating Totino’s Pizza’s, ice cream cones, fish sticks and the Fun Pak frozen meals (you know – the one with the Penguin on it and ‘brownie dessert’). Many of these items contain fake ingredients, soy products and items I cannot even pronounce. But, it was what we were told to eat and so we did. This lack of understanding of nutrition continued into the middle school and high school cafeteria. It was not until I got half way through college, 25 pounds heavier than I wanted to be, that I realized I had completely slacked on feeding my body appropriately. Then a switch went off, I started to work out and really put a lot of whole natural foods into my body. I am so grateful for this, because now when I have children I can pass this knowledge onto them at a young age.

I have a sense of excitement while I am typing this, because I have seen how much of an impact working out can have not only on your own body, but also on your family and values you teach your children. Several memories that stick from my childhood have to do with my parents exercising. I remember attending Jazzercise with my mom, watching her workout and even joining in sometimes. I loved it! These values are something that you pick up at an early age and they follow you into adulthood, which is why working out before, during and after pregnancy has huge benefits. I have seen this first hand with several of my challengers who are in different stages of this. Setting an example for little ones about health and showing them that exercising is important, will instill important values they will take into adulthood.                                         
                        

Now, onto my challengers, one challenger, Alice, is a petite- fiery Brazilian – just shy of 5 ft 2 in. She started doing Beachbody programs beginning with P90X3 where she lost over 6 lbs. Here is her before and after photo:

                                  

Soon after this she found out she was pregnant. Alice had set out a strong foundation with her eating habits and exercise from P90X3 and she is already seeing and feeling noticeable difference between this pregnancy and her last. During her last pregnancy she did not watch what she ate and did not exercise and she ended up gaining 15 pounds just in the first trimester. She is through the first trimester now of this pregnancy- actually she is now 17 weeks along and has gained a healthy 3 lbs. She has been incorporating Shakeology and now the 21 Day Fix with her doctors approval. The most noticeable difference between this pregnancy and her last is that she developed gestational diabetes in the last one during the first trimester. She has had the check and so far she is in the clear on this as well. What a huge difference, clean eating and exercise can make! Alice gained 45 pounds with her last pregnancy and hopes that she is able to gain a healthy range of 25-30 this time around and bounce back much quicker due to the lean muscle she has created with the programs. Her husband has also joined in on this health kick and their little boy loves to watch her and her husband do the videos.

 
Another challenger was 2 months post baby and wanted to get back to her pre-pregnancy weight with the help of 21 day fix. This was her first pregnancy and she had a goal of losing 8 lbs…..well she surpassed that goal and is still going strong. Here is what she had to say about her experience:

The best part of this program for me is the workouts (21 Day Fix). They are just the right amount of intensity so that you don’t dread them but feel like you benefitted, also the ability to work out from home with minimal equipment has been a life saver.

She has lost 9 lbs now, below her pre-pregnancy weight, after going through 2 rounds of The 21 Day Fix. She has higher energy and is ready for summer, just a few short months after giving birth to her daughter. Amazing!

                                          

      
We have the ability to step up and be examples of health for our family and our children. Whether you need to lose weight after pregnancy, want to get in shape before pregnancy or just are in a rut with your current situation and want to take your health and fitness to a new level, please reach out to me. I have several challenge groups coming up and would be happy to discuss your health and fitness goals.