Fit Pregnancy Tips

Since having Emilio, my biggest growing client base has been moms. I have had the opportunity to support mothers along their fitness journey whether recent postpartum and breastfeeding or further down the road in their motherhood experience. 
I think something that has allowed so many to trust me is because I have not just preached best practices for postpartum and pregnancy fitness, but I live by my words. I have also invested lots of time, energy, and money on educating myself about fitness when pregnant or postpartum. 

Today, I want to share with you some things you can start applying to your life if you are a mom wanting to be more fit. I will also share with you tips you can practice if you are pregnant or have a friend who is pregnant. ​

Aren't these two photos strikingly different? On the left side was me just a day or two before giving birth. My body changed dramatically from my former days of bodybuilding to becoming full-term pregnant. My body again changed dramatically from gaining 50lbs in my pregnancy to going back to me wearing my pre-pregancy clothes. Going through all those changes amazed me and I loved the process. It was empowering to witness and reminded me that we all have the capacity to make huge changes in our lives from small daily actions. 

What impresses me the most in reflection, is knowing that I was able to get back to a place I was happy with with my fitness goals during a global pandemic. This means that I trained almost exclusively at home with very minimal equipment. I learned that less is best and actually goes a long way when executed daily. 

If you want to tap into some key things I did while pregnant and postpartum KEEP READING. I hope they help you in your journey too. ​

Must Dos While Pregnant:
1. Walk Daily and track your steps. I found each trimester will have you adjusting your step amount, but walking will be essential for your overall health.

2. Weight Train! You don't have to go heavy or break new PRs, but maintaining healthy muscles will help you both for birth and postpartum demands. I recommend incorporating at least 20-30 minutes, four times a week. 

3. Use COCONUT OIL. During my pregnancy I applied coconut oil all over my belly and breasts twice a day daily to help prevent stretch marks. It worked. I am currently doing that with my second pregnancy as well.

4. Do not eat for two! Your calorie intake should be an increase of calories slowly. You don't have to eat the same amount of calories in your first trimester as you would in your last trimester.

5. Practice Yoga OFTEN. Practicing yoga is great when pregnant. Yoga helps you to tap into being connected with your body and your baby, both needed for birth. You learn how to breathe better, which is also so helpful during birth and all the stress that comes after the baby is born. Yoga is know to help with supporting a more supple, open body. Your mind control is also supported by yoga. You can easily do yoga at home since the internet and YouTube provide so many options for either FREE or very inexpensively. 

6. Drink lots of water. You and your baby need it. 

Must Dos Postpartum:
1.Don't compare yourself to your former self. You are not that person anymore. You did not just give birth to a baby, but you also gave birth to you becoming a mother. Give yourself some grace as you morph into your new normal. 

2. Let go of perfection.Perfection doesn't exist. Not everything has to be accomplished in one day. You will see that each day is different and the more flexible you remain the happier and successful you will be on your postpartum journey.

3. Invest time and money into a program that helps you to rebuild your core postpartum. You can do this pretty much right after birth. It is all breathing exercises and will not hurt you physically. I cannot express enough how important it will be to retrain your body on how to breathe and reconnect with your transverse abdominal muscles postpartum. It is something I feel greatly helped me to get my "abs" back so quickly postpartum. I never did crunches. I did very specific core work and breathing exercises. 

4. Little Efforts Add Up to BIG RESULTS. Moms are busy. Whether it is a breastfeeding schedule you want to maintain, or drop-offs and pick-ups if you have a bigger family, or a career and family life you are trying to juggle being a mom is very intense most days. But it is so WORTH it! The key is to carve out time for you daily. My goal was one hour a day (still is actually), but there were times I had to settle for less. There were times I got more. The key was that I made use of what I was able to work with. I learned a 20 minute workout 5 times a week is way better than a 90 minute workout twice a week. I found my body did amazing things with less: less equipment, less time, less pressure. I promise, if you just commit to doing something for your fitness (mental and physical daily) you will completely transform, and you will be happier because of it. 

5. Walk Daily. I recommend walking 3 miles a day postpartum. Not only does it get you and the baby outside, but it will help you to shed that baby fat, increase your mood, and model for your baby from a very young age that fitness and nature are essential medicines for a long, happy life.

6. Maintain Your Yoga Practice. Yes, this is so helpful for your body and mind. Don't let go of a good thing. Even if you only have time for once a week it will be beneficial.

7. TRACK YOUR MACROS. You need to know how much you are eating. If your goal is to lose fat you have to be in a deficit even when breastfeeding. Macros (calories) are not fixed, they are different for each person and for your goals. You have to know what your body needs and you should track it if you want to see progress. Managing my nutrition was 95% of my success postpartum, especially because I could not train like I did when I was a bodybuilder. If this new to you, hire a coach. 

8. Drink lots of water. This will be essential for breastfeeding moms or not. We are mostly water, so if you want to treat your body right, reduce hunger, feel more energetic, and have great looking skin stay hydrated.

I hope these tips helped you. Even if you are not pregnant or planning to become pregnant, many of the things I mentioned are useful for a fitness lifestyle. 

If you are wanting support with your fitness lifestyle I have many programs to support your journey. 

I am also offering $150 off my TRANSFORMATION COACHING program until December 25th, 2021. 

Click the button below to get the coaching process started for you. I am gladly accepting clients who are pregnant, postpartum, or just wanting a new lifestyle. 

I look forward to supporting you!