Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Everything Happens for a Reason.....and Great Pregnancy Info!



Carla Sanchez, IFBB Pro, Mother and Owner of Performance Ready - how awesome does she look???? That is her at 35 weeks pregnant!! Amazing. And she looks GREAT post baby as well and because of how healthy she was during pregnancy she had a super fast return to her pre-baby bod! Go Carla!

I am a BIG believer that everything happens for a reason. I have always felt that way...always believed in it. This week a few things happened that further solidified that belief. For some reason I was drawn to the Performance Ready website...Carla always features a "Hot Mama" which is a mom who competes or someone who has got back into phenomenal shape after baby. Anyway, I went to Carla's website and low and behold she has just released her PREGNANCY WORKOUT DVD. Yahtzee! I ordered it and it is fabulous.

THEN I went to Body Sport's website and low and behold on the Body Sport Radio Network (which I LOVE by the way - it is an HOUR of truly relevant and applicable informaton for the figure or fitness athlete and Terry and Elaine mandate positivity on the site and on their forum) and found an entire hour long episode dedicated to pregnancy and exercising while pregnant. It was SUCH a WONDERFUL show and helped clarify SO many of the questions I was having. Click here to listen to it now.

If you are a pregnant woman or are considering getting pregnant, I highly recommend listening to the Body Sport Radio Show featuring Carla Sanchez and Corry Mathews and also ordering Carla's DVD. She provides examples of working out both IN the gym and out of the gym and gives great tips on eating clean and giving the baby all the nutrients they need and then some great tips on Palmer's Cocoa Butter Products specifically designed for pregnancy. I highly recommend the DVD and commend Carla for making a DVD so relevant to the needs of a fit pregnant woman (and no, I am not on commission nor do I get any click through commissions if you visit her site - this is just a good old fashioned testimonial.

As I mentioned earlier, I have struggled to find a lot of good relevant information out there for the above average fitness minded woman. It's AMAZING to me how little information is out there and after learning what I learned this week, it became even MORE apparent there is still a lot of misinformation out there. Carla sent me two links to a couple of documents/sites that provide clarity on working out while pregnant. I will paraphrase below some of the questions I had specifically below but click here or here for more.

Myth 1: Keep your heart rate below 140
ACTUAL: This is MORE important in the first trimester in order to allow the embryo to form those important organs like the heart, lungs, brain, etc. HOWEVER the ACOG doesen't recommend particular heart rate and instead relys on the perceived rate of exertion. For me, 140 BPM is barely breaking a sweat.

MYTH: You can NEVER lie on your back after the first trimester of pregnancy. (And I took this straight from one of the links above)
ACTUAL: Pregnant women should avoid the supine (lying face up on your back) as much as possible. It does NOT state NEVER. Some women experience discomfort in this position. If the mother is comfortable, the baby is comfortable. You may exercise are your back but in a very limited capacity. Possibly 1-2 minutes, then roll to your side and perform a series of exercises there.

In my 4th month, 15 weeks in, I have had no discomfort on my back - I have rolled over on my back a couple of times while sleeping and it feels fine...doesn't even bother me. I am not planning on hanging out on my back but I am certainly not going to freak out if I am on my back for a few minutes.

So, there you have it, a couple of tidbits for you.

I am feeling great. This week has started a bit slowly for me on the workout front but I am looking forward to getting in some great workouts this weekend. I am really enjoying this time in my pregnancy. I know I won't be up for working out like this forever so I am taking advantage of it now.

I hope you guys have a great rest of the week and weekend! We'll take a progress pic tomorrow but I probably won't post until the weekend! ;) KEEP PUSHING YOURSELF! Believe in all you do!

Jess

P.S. I KNOW I am link crazy in this post...but I had to show you guys HOW to get there! :)

12 comments:

Jehanne said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog - congrats on your pregnancy - you look fab - I intend on staying as fit as possible when my turn comes too - sweet journey for you both xoxo

LAT GIRL said...
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LAT GIRL said...
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LAT GIRL said...

Hey Jessica - You are so awesome! I wish that when I was pregnant that I had someone like yourself to model after! I have a good friend who just found out she is 6 weeks along (suprise!) and she is really worried about weight gain and working out at the same pace since she just recently has shed 90pounds.....her first baby she gained 75lb and never lost it and gained more along the way......I am totally printing your post from today out for her.

LAT GIRL said...

Sorry Jessica - Some how I posted my comments 3 times!!! whoops

Anonymous said...

Hey Girl!
Wow...loved this post. There is so much misinformation out there. It's great that you keep digging for answers and ideas. I probably should have done that a little more myself, but I had to learn the hard way..lol. You know yourself better than anyone out there. Do what feels right FOR YOU in your heart, body, mind and spirit. You are going to come through this journey with incredible knowledge and power...just what lil "Peanut' is going to need from his/her Mama!:)

Anonymous said...

Such great info! I'll pass it on if I know of anyone that can use it. My baby making days are over! :)

Anonymous said...

Yeah - no baby making days here either but I must say: WOW. Carla looks phenomenal.

Okay - I'm going to ask a dumb question (since I've never been pregnant).

Why is it that so many women nowadays gain such enormous amounts of weight (more than 30 lbs)? I don't understand.

I remember my mom told me that when she was pregnant, the dr told her not to gain more than 25 lbs with each baby. And she didn't. Neither did her friends. This is the 60's mind you.

Do the docs recommend a target weight gain and expect you stay in that range? This excessive weight gain during pregnancy seems unnatural and dangerous to me.

Just asking..

Jessica said...

Hey everyone! Thanks so much for all the comments!

Jehanne - I really enjoyed your blog and look forward to more updates from you!

Lat Girl - NO WORRIES on the multiple posts. It has happened to me! ;) I even tried to post on your site yesterday and for some reason couldn't comment...it was strange! Please DO share with your friend and feel free to have her email me with questions. I would be happy to help! She can stay healthy and pregnant if she is smart and has patience.

LeAnn...my sister! Coming TOTALLY out of the closet. I love it. I can't wait to meet the little peanut. And start using him or her to do bicep curls! Ha ha ha!

Evelyne...thanks for stopping by.

Jacey...this is a GREAT question. A long time ago women were told not to gain any weight at all. In fact in the military you no longer received medical benefits if you gained more than 20lbs back in the 60s when my mother in law was preggers. So, it is VERY interesting how things have changed. I was actually told by my doc at my 3 month appt that I could gain between 50 and 70lbs!!! My jaw literally hit the floor. Yes, this makes me question my doc. Yes, this makes me question the entire medical profession for having such different views on weight gain and exercise. But hey, no one is perfect. It is generally accepted that women should gain between 25 to 35 lbs during a healthy pregnancy. My goal is 30. I think when women were told to gain less than 20 they probably did it in unhealthy ways...they DID have lower birth weight babies. Things were done very differently back then...my mother in law smoked for part of her pregnancy. Which is not good as we know now but her doc didn't know differently. Who knows what they will be telling us in a few years!

Again, great question and thanks all for stopping by!
Jess

B said...

wow she looks amazing!!! I love seeing stuff like this......one day one day I may be blessed and have one

Kelly Olexa said...

Wow I thought that was a picture of me when I'm bloated LOL.
You are doing so great!! you ROCK my world sista!! Can't wait to see you soon!!

XOXO

Jen's Journey said...

OMG...she looks amazing! That makes me want to be pregnant too...LOL!!