Prenatal and Postnatal Blog | Active Moms Club

Top 7 Prenatal Exercises For Expecting Moms

September 11, 2017 By Cassandra

Congratulations, you’re pregnant! Now you might be wondering if and how your exercise habits should change. Did you know medical experts agree that pregnant women free from any obstetric and medical problems should participate in 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise on most, if not all, days of the week? That might seem a like a lot, but research shows prenatal exercise will benefit both you and your baby.

We selected our top 7 prenatal exercises to help you get started and to continue through all three stages of pregnancy.

*Be sure to get clearance from your health care provider before starting any new exercise routine.

While cardiovascular exercise is the most popular form of exercise during pregnancy (think walking), strength training is important to maintain (or increase, if you are new to exercise) core strength and overall fitness level. (See “A Few FAQ’s About Mom’s Expecting Body”)

1. Squats

Benefits: As well as chiseling your butt into shape, when performed correctly (I have clients use a prop such as a bench or chair to squat over), squatting also engages the pelvic floor and core musculature. This will help prepare you for child birth and also reduce the chances of postnatal incontinence.

Stand with feet shoulder width apart (or wider to accommodate belly), pelvis neutral, and body weight is slightly back on heels.
Push hips back as you bend through knees – as if sitting in a chair.
Extend arms foreword for balance, keep head and neck aligned with spine.
Lower pelvis until thighs are parallel to the floor, or tush touches the bench.
Keep abs engaged, “hug your baby” and exhale as your return to standing position by pressing through heals. This is one rep.
Repeat 10-20 times. (The mama doing squats in image has been working with AMC throughout her pregnancy and is accustomed to holding a heavy weight. Squats can be loaded or not-loaded depending on your fitness level.)

2. Opposite Arm & Leg (standing)

Benefits: Clients often tell me they feel clumsy or unstable during their second and third trimester, rightfully so, their center of gravity is shifting. I love this exercise to help women work on their balance and proprioception – their body moving in space. This four-in-one exercise tones shoulders, legs, engages core, and improves overall stability.

Use a 1-5 pound dumbbell (or improvise and hold a water bottle or can of beans)
Stand with feet together, hips in neutral, arms by sides, and fix your gaze straight ahead.
With a weight in your right hand and soft bend in elbow, simultaneously lift your right arm and left leg.
Extend right arm only to the height of your shoulder. Left leg extends out 18-24” while keeping toe facing in the direction of your gaze.
Engage your abs “hug your baby” while moving arm and leg – it will help with your balance.
This is one rep. Complete 12 reps on one side and repeat 12 reps on opposite side.

3. Wall Sit

Benefits: This isometric exercise produces little or no movement but sure packs a punch. I recommend a wall sit exercise for anyone with a desk job – it helps to wake up leg muscles. Sitting on the wall actually feels good for pregnant mama’s posture and is an effective way to strengthen and tone legs AND pelvic floor muscles.

Lean your back against a wall, leaving about 2 feet between your feet and the wall.
Slide your body down the wall, as if you are trying to sit on an imaginary chair. (Keep your hips above your knees.)
Create a small pelvic tilt backwards to press your lower back into the wall, and now press your weight through your heels of your feet
A slight variation: Place a medium-sized ball between your knees and gently squeeze it while you hold the wall sit position, this will target your inner thighs (adductors) and work your pelvic floor muscles too. Bonus!
Another variation: while sitting on wall, slide arms up against wall to position your elbows the height of shoulders and forearms lying against wall on either side of your head. Now your engaging upper body and receiving tremendous benefit of stretching your overworked chest muscles. (Yes, those breasts are getting bigger and heavier).
Hold this seated position for 30-75 seconds.
Repeat throughout day, especially if you have a desk job.

4. Deep Belly Breaths / Belly Breathing

Benefits: The diaphragm is one of the core muscles and it’s designed to work in partnership with the pelvic floor and transverse abdominal (TVA) muscles, therefore making a conscious connection of these muscles is paramount to healthy pelvic floor and strong core.

Make sure your body is aligned correctly with a natural curvature of the spine – you can ensure this by allowing your bum to sit naturally behind you (not tucked under) and your rib cage aligned above your hips. (I love doing belly breaths on a physio ball, it’s soft and gives feedback when engaging pelvic floor muscles.)
On the inhale – feel rib cage bi-laterally expand, pelvic floor are relaxed and lower as the diaphragm lowers, allowing air to enter.
As you exhale – allow air to expel slowly, closing the rib cage around your spine, feeling pelvic floor lift up gently in connection with rising diaphragm, and allow the natural engagement of your transverse abdominals as they work in unison with pelvic floor. This exhale feels and looks like you are giving your baby a great big hug!
Practice belly breathes whenever you think about them. Target at least 10-15 deep breaths each day.

Belly Breathing is the antidote for this fight or flight type breathing and will not only assist you strengthen your core, but also bring more calm into your world.

5. Pelvic Floor Exercises (Kegels)

Benefits: Women I have trained who do pelvic floor exercises (Kegels) through pregnancy often find they have an easier birth. Strengthening your pelvic floor muscles during pregnancy can help develop the ability to control these muscles during labor and delivery, and may help reduce the likelihood of bladder leaks & hemorrhoids.

Kegel exercises are also recommended immediately after pregnancy to promote perineal healing, muscle memory, and to regain bladder control. They are easy to perform anytime, anywhere.

It takes diligence to identify your pelvic floor muscles and learn how to contract and relax them.

To identify your pelvic floor muscles, stop urination in midstream. If you succeed, you’ve got the right muscles.
Perfect your technique. Once you’ve identified your pelvic floor muscles, empty your bladder and lie on your back – or on your side. Tighten your pelvic floor muscles, hold the contraction for five seconds, and then relax for five seconds. Try it four or five times in a row. Work up to keeping the muscles contracted for 10 seconds at a time, relaxing for 10 seconds between contractions.
Maintain your focus. For best results, focus on tightening only your pelvic floor muscles. Be careful not to flex the muscles in your abdomen, thighs or buttocks. Avoid holding your breath. Instead, breathe freely during the exercises.

Repeat 3 times a day. Aim for at least three sets of 10 repetitions a day

6. Push-ups

Benefits: Completed with good form, push-ups can be an effective functional exercise to strengthen your core. Yes, even for pregnant mamas. To modify a push-up in the second and third trimester, use an elevated platform (as shown in plank above) to accommodate growing belly and relieve pressure from abs.

 The women pictured above are doing elevated push-ups (one is doing a wall push-up because she is further along.) You can do them elevated, or if in 1st or early 2nd trimester, start on your hands and knees. Place hands a few inches wider than your chest, and bring hips to form a straight line from your shoulders to knees. Head is in natural extension of your spine. Keep your eyes focused above your finger tips.
Inhale and lower your body towards the floor (bench). Be sure your body is moving as a UNIT, everything goes down together (do not let your hips drop first or leave them up in the air as your chest moves) and up together.
Exhale and push yourself back to starting position. Only go down as far as you can push yourself back up with good form. This is one rep.
Complete 5-15 reps with good form.

7. Opposite Arm & Leg (on ground)

Benefits: I like this exercise for prenatal and postnatal clients. Perform this simple exercise with control and balance and it will strengthen and engage your deep ab muscles and lower back muscles to keep you strong and minimize back aches.

Kneel on all fours with spine is in neutral alignment, hands under shoulders & knees under hips, and shoulder blades are pulled back & down.
Lengthen and lift right leg directly behind you and at same time, lengthen and lift left arm straight in front.
Reach and elongate your arm and leg towards the walls (not up toward ceiling), hold for 5 seconds.
Lower left arm and right leg, and repeat opposite arm and leg. This is one set.
Complete 5 sets.

Give yourself and your baby every advantage of prenatal exercise. Let AMC help you navigate the do’s & dont’s of prenatal exercise. Our Small Group Prenatal Fitness program is more than a class – it is personalized training in a small group setting. Visit our website to learn more and to get started. No exercise experience is necessary. A test-drive session is just $25. Join us!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Other related articles from Active Moms’ Club blog:

4 Myths About Prenatal Exercise

Prenatal Exercise: Why It’s Important & How To Get Started

Top 3 Exercises to Strengthen Lower Body Muscles During Pregnancy

Top 3 Exercises to Strengthen Core Muscles During Pregnancy

How to Prepare Your Body For Childbirth

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Part 3– I Followed A Nutrition Plan for 60-Days. Here’s What Happened

August 8, 2017 By Cassandra

For the last two weeks I’ve shared with you why I decided to hire fellow colleague and trainer, Katie Petersen of Active Evolution to help me take the guess work out of my food choices. What she gave to me was much more valuable than any nutrition plan, (read initial post here, and part 2 here). And now my clients want to know how I’ve been faring…

MEASUREMENTS

I started Katie’s nutrition plan on April 28. My ‘perceived set’ body weight was 133 pounds and the percentage of body fat as recorded on my home scale hovered at 27%. Within four weeks of following Katie’s nutrition plan my weight dropped to 128 pounds! A solid five pound weight loss by changing what I ate, when I ate, and how much I ate. Weighing in under 130 is a HUGE deal for me; it usually took a weekly running volume of 15-25 miles to achieve and maintain this weight. I always thought I needed to run to maintain a lower number on the scale! I now know different. This is unchartered territory for me!

*Note, the only change in my workout is that I added a consistent third weight training session each week. The main variable that was altered in this eight week period was my nutrition and more consistent water intake.

Aside from the weight loss, what was more powerful to me were the caliper and circumference measurements Katie recorded. In the first four weeks I lost 1.0” from my waist AND hips. My right thigh which has always been oddly larger, reduced in circumference by 1.25”! I also feel a difference in the texture of my skin, it’s more supple. Personally I think I look a couple of years younger! This skin texture difference may very well be from the fish oil and Kyani supplements I have been taking daily since May 1.

I was a little surprised to see the measurements continue to change as much as they did for the last four weeks. With any journey, I had my ups and downs with staying on track. We had guests in town, we ate out more than usual, and let’s be honest, I was completely altering the way I ate. Initially it was a real challenge. I did the best I could with my nutrition choices when we were out, trying to stay the path, and course correcting as soon as possible—and it all paid off. There was less weight loss in June, but my body mass continued to change. The body fat percentage on my home scale June 19 was 23.0%, down 4% since when I started!

I lost 7 pounds of body fat and gained 1 pound of lean muscle mass in eight weeks following Katie’s nutrition plan.

If you asked me 15 years ago–even 5 years ago, what was the least favorite part of my body—my answer would have been a swift and resounding answer…THIGHS. I have never liked my legs, for as long as I could remember. I actually have contemplated liposuction because I thought that I was doing everything possible to reshape them; everything but re-haul my nutrition. I LIKE my legs now. My thighs don’t rub together anymore when I walk. There is actually a small gap between my thighs when I stand. I’m so impressed!

I have enjoyed every step in this process. I have a new found identity. I have changed my eating habits and frankly, I did not anticipate the physical and emotional changes to happen so quickly. It was a lot of work at the beginning, and I’m grateful to have the full support from my husband who helps with meal preparation and shopping—it makes a world of difference. To think I was ‘just’ looking to reduce my body fat and hone in more control. What Katie gave me is far more valuable than any nutrition plan. I now know that if (when) I find myself slipping away from my new eating habits, I KNOW I have the tools to be re-routed. I have my own GPS—and I know it works.

HOW AM I DOING NOW?

Do I still follow Katie’s nutrition plan? Yes and no. I know the macronutrients (protein:fat:carbs) and the portions that I need to eat for each meal and I follow that closely during the week with liberties when we eat out, or are out of town. I don’t always weigh my food, I know how to eye-ball portions pretty well now. I definitely continue to eat timely—every 2-3 hours to keep my metabolism fed—and drink plenty of water.

Do I eat desserts, pizza and ice cream? Yep. I’ve had an ice cream cone once a week for the last few weeks. I do love my chocolate too. I’ve had a couple of over-consumption moments lately and I’m tackling those emotions when they come up. The difference now is that I have the tools to re-route; to not feel guilty when I overeat, and accept that I had a moment and move on.

Is it a lot of work to meal prep for me and rest of family. Yes. My husband usually cooks a few days worth of protein at the beginning of the week for him and I. I tend to return to the grocery store once or twice a week to stock up on greens or buy more prepared protein when time is limited to cook. In the beginning it was a lot more work because it was a new routine, but we’ve got a groove going now and it’s just the new norm. I’d like to say my boys eat what we eat at dinner time, but we’re not that family. At least one boy gets a different meal because he dislikes any sort of animal protein.

Are you still seeing changes in your body? Yes. I’ve lost two more pounds since June (125 pounds today!) and I’m not really ‘trying’ to lose more weight, I just have new eating habits. I’m a little in disbelief. I re-weigh myself in the mornings because I think the scale is broken. I cannot remember a time in the last decade when I weighed 125. To be honest it doesn’t feel like effort right now. I’m eating smarter, working out smarter and continue to get stronger.

Do I drink wine and beer? Yes, but it has always been in moderation. I’m not a big wine drinker, one glass makes me tipsy. I do enjoy my beer though. I tend to drink 2-3 beers over the weekend in the summer.

Do I ever overindulge and eat too much? It’s happened a few times. I’m more aware of my actions and try to figure out why I’m really overeating. I eat out of emotion—we all do. If I can label the emotion, I’m more apt to do a re-route. (And the re-route may not happen at the moment I’m overeating, but rather a day or week later. It’s a process.)

Do I feel like I’m denying myself? Nope, not one bit. If I’m really craving something I’ll eat it.

Do I think Katie is amazing? Yes—so much so that we’re collaborating together to bring AMC moms a BRAND NEW fitness and nutrition program, “60-Days of YOU!” in the fall.

*BRAND NEW!* AMC’s 60-Days of YOU! program—eight weeks of fitness and nutrition guidance that will take the guesswork out of slimming down, getting fit and establishing a healthy relationship with food and exercise. Together, Coach Cassandra and Coach Katie will help you create a guidance map for your new health habits and create a strategy to make them stick! Join us and make the commitment to honor yourself for the next 60-days. To lean more…

~ . ~ . ~ . ~. ~

See Other Related Posts on Active Moms Club Blog:

Part 1– I Followed A Nutrition Plan for 60-Days. Here’s What Happened

Part 2– I Followed A Nutrition Plan for 60-Days. Here’s What Happened

5 Reasons Why Women (Especially Moms) Should Lift Weights

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Part 2— I Followed A Nutrition Plan for 60-Days. Here’s What Happened

July 31, 2017 By Cassandra

Last week I shared with you why I decided to hire fellow colleague and trainer, Katie Petersen of Active Evolution to help me take the guess work out of my food choices. What she gave to me was much more valuable than any nutrition plan, (read initial post here). This week I continue to share my journey…

In addition to my nutrition plan, Katie took into account my workout regimen and tweaked it to better fit my goal of reducing overall body fat. At the time I had been doing 2-3 weekly strength training sessions, 2-3 days of cardio. She noted that it was critical to boost resistance training to help boost growth hormone—which is helpful with fat-burning. (Which is why I preach to AMC moms that strength training is so important for weight loss). I made sure to get three, 60-minutes sessions of kettlebell training in weekly and attempted to add in one deadlift and bench press session each week. (For various reasons, these additional resistance sessions only happened 3-4 times total over the 8-week period.)

WEEKLY WORKOUT SCHEDULE

Mondays: Kettlebell class (60 minutes)
Tuesdays: Cardio (run/walk or stairclimber, 20-50 minutes); bench press session in afternoon (20-25 minutes)
Wednesdays: Kettlebell class (60 minutes)
Thursdays: Cardio (run/walk or stairclimber, 20-50 minutes)
Fridays: Kettlebell class (60 minutes)
Saturdays: Day off
Sundays: Bike ride (60-150 minutes)

*As many days of the week as possible I incorporate 5-20 minutes of mobility work—active stretching, foam rolling, light weight functional exercises. I usually do this first thing in the morning. And to be totally honest, this was an ‘intended’ workout schedule. I was adamant to get in three days of kettlebell training each week, but cardio on Tue/Thu was harder to squeeze in 20-30 minutes, if at all.

EATING, EMOTIONS, OBSERVATIONS & AWARENESS

Part of Katie’s nutrition plan—and the most powerful piece of the whole process, was recording my feelings and observations after I finished every meal for the initial two weeks. What I discovered is that journaling quickly made me aware of my emotions AND how they tie into the foods I ate or wanted to eat (which typically were foods NOT on my meal plan…sweets, comfort foods, alcohol, etc.). When I shared my feelings and observations back to Katie, she helped me sort through my emotions. It has been a very powerful collaboration. She has helped me connect my mind to my body.

Breakthrough Moment

One of the most poignant moments in this journey was when I realized and acknowledged that I am no longer an endurance athlete. My relationship with food and exercise (pre-Katie) had been molded and formed in my glorious triathlon days when I ate often and what I wanted because as an endurance athlete you could do that. There was always a long run or a long bike ride on the week’s schedule…so in my mind I’d just burn it off. THIS. This relationship with food; this awareness was an ‘a-ha’ moment in my journey.

Now I’m working smarter! I realized that when I have control of my food choices—like I do now, I don’t feel obligated to work my butt off the next day. (To be clear, I have never thought of exercise as punishment. I love to move and challenge my body; it fills me with energy and empowers me). But at this moment I understood I subconsciously ate as if I were working out 10-15 hours a week. This recognition/awareness has brought me so much peace. I have let go of my identity as an endurance athlete, and as a result, let go of the mindset that I have to go run and bike long and hard because I overate the day before. I’m at peace with myself; it’s a liberating feeling. Nowadays I am smarter about my workouts and my food choices—and I don’t force my body to run if it’s not feeling it. To my amazement, it’s honestly less effort to maintain my new ‘comfort zone’ weight (126-127) than my old ‘comfort zone’ weight (131-132). That is priceless! Like any old habit though, I have found it slips back into play from time to time. Now I’m much more aware of my actions and can adapt more quickly to get nutrition back on track.

As Katie shared, “The art is in the recognition. Allowing more sweets may feel like a trip-up, but it is not. It just IS. And now you are hearing the conversation—knowing and naming the feeling, acknowledging the behavior, and course correcting. To me, it’s like taking a minor detour and welcoming the reroute—whereas without conscious awareness, we plow forward through each day without a GPS at all. It is a dance between the body and mind, and the mind is intensely convincing. I guess my point is that it is less about reaching a state of perfection—never eating more than the body needs/always eating exactly what it requires—and more about being aware. Almost every single person we know has probably eaten into the “too full” zone at least once this week! So again, gentleness, gratitude for seeing clearly, even if it’s a few moments or even days later.”

This sums up the whole process for me. Be aware. Allow yourself what your body asks for. Have gratitude. Live in the moment. Be at peace with yourself. Enjoy the ride.

Final installment next Monday! I’ll share more before & after pictures/measurements and how I have adapted to my new healthy habits that allow me to become a more authentic version of myself!

*BRAND NEW!* AMC’s created 60-Days of YOU! program in collaboration with Coach Katie—eight weeks of fitness and nutrition guidance that will take the guesswork out of slimming down, getting fit and establishing a healthy relationship with food and exercise. Together, Coach Cassandra and Coach Katie will help you create a guidance map for your new health habits and create a strategy to make them stick! Join us and make the commitment to honor yourself for the next 60-days. To lean more…

~ . ~ . ~ . ~. ~

See Other Related Posts on Active Moms Club Blog:

Part 1– I Followed A Nutrition Plan for 60-Days. Here’s What Happened

Part 3—I Followed A Nutrition Plan for 60-Days. Here’s What Happened

5 Reasons Why Women (Especially Moms) Should Lift Weights

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I Followed A Nutrition Plan for 60 Days. Here’s What Happened

July 24, 2017 By Cassandra

Over the winter and spring, I found myself struggling emotionally and felt out of control of sorts, especially when it came to my nutrition. The long Chicago winters are not my favorite and my personal training business, the Active Moms’ Club was thrown a big curve ball in needing to find a new training location for my clients and me. During this uneasy period, I decided to reach out to fellow trainer and nutrition coach, Katie Petersen owner of Active Evolution to help me hone my nutrition and find focus when many things around me felt like they were spiraling out of control.

As a personal trainer and fitness enthusiast, I’ve averaged the same body weight for the last 10 years (with the exception of the years going through IVF and a twin pregnancy) and have always felt that this was my body’s ‘set weight’ and comfort zone. However, in the last few years even with a consistent weight, my body fat percentage—as measured by my home scale— has slowly been creeping up. In my days of Ironman training, and when I was 10 years younger, my body fat was around 23%. These days it’s closer to 27%, and ironically I am the strongest, and have the most muscle mass than I have ever had in my life. (Check out 25 More Random Facts About Me here).

To be perfectly honest, I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into with Coach Katie’s nutrition plan. I impulsively decided to make an 8-week commitment with the main goal of reducing my body fat. What I received was a life altering experience that has changed my relationship with food, and the types and quantity of food that I eat.

In eight short weeks I lost 6.4 pounds, dropped my body fat from 27% to 23%, and lost over an inch circumference in my thighs, waist, hips and chest!

HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED—

I thought I ate well balanced meals before Katie rocked my world.

I was not even close to consuming what I thought my body needed.

Pre-Katie, I’d have a tendency to skip meals, or eat a small snack for breakfast before a workout. I snacked A LOT. I’d grabbed nuts, cheese/crackers, a bowl full of cherries/grapes, Lara Bars, raisins (healthy, right!?)…whatever happen to be in the kitchen, ended up in my mouth. A snack went into my mouth after I got home from clients; before I picked up the boys from school; while I sat on the couch to read a magazine. I ate when I was happy, sad, anxious, overwhelmed, tired, procrastinating, or stressed. Sound familiar?

Many of us have jumped from one diet fad to another to rebellion-mode and back again. Katie likes to cut through the static and instill healthy eating practices right out of the gate. She provides an initial structure as a sort of internal reset button—shifting appetite cues, cravings, and energy. Rather than counting calories, the program is based around achieving the best macronutrient ratio (carbs:proteins:fats) specific to your body’s needs. Katie practices Biosignature assessment, which uses caliper readings as a window into a person’s hormonal environment. The sites where fat stores can indicate imbalances between estrogen and testosterone, high cortisol (stress) levels, quality of sleep, etc. The readings, along with several other evaluations, help Katie direct the angle to take with food, supplements, and training/cardio protocols for a particular person.

STRUCTURE OF MEAL PLAN

The meal plan seemed simple enough, it just required thoughtful meal planning and prep. She promised me that I would enjoy having an exact meal plan as it would take the guess work out of thinking about what to eat. It took a little to get used to, but she was right.

Basic of Nutrition plan:

Eat the first meal within a hour of waking (important to feed the body protein to continue to replenish macronutrients after body’s repair process overnight)
Continue to eat every 2.5-3.0 hours—trying never to go more than 3 hours without calories to keep metabolism churning
Ideally drink a gallon of water a day (with my overactive bladder, we negotiated water volume down to 60-70 ounces, and thats working well for me)
Eat protein at each meal— there are 6 meals every day (below is an example of meal #2 on a weight training day, it fills me up)

Measure food in grams to know exact ratio of macronutrients (protein:fat:carbs) and how the ratios work for my body so adjustments could be made. I bought a food scale to measure all my food in grams (I can eyeball quantities pretty well now)
Eat with attention and awareness
Practice intentional connection with my body—listening when its hungry, satisfied, or full
Eat slowly in a relaxed state to be aware and be ready to hear my body’s cues (this can present some challenges with 6-year old boys and the struggles that may ensue at dinner time, but it’s mostly successful)
Assess circumference and body measurements with calipers at the beginning, mid, and end of the 8-week period

The initial week was a “flushing” phase. With Katie’s extensive knowledge and the Biosignature hormone assessment, her goal was to detox estrogen and get my body responding with a macro-reversal (eating LESS carbs!). She reported I’m a good carb metabolizer because I carry most of my weight through my hips and thighs—I’m a endomorph body type. Making the flip to eating less carbs helped me jumpstart my metabolism for many reasons. It takes the body more energy to digest and breakdown protein than carbs/fats, making the thermogenic effect much greater than a typical eating day.

I recalibrate the plan as many times as necessary according to re-measurements, personal feedback, and body fluctuations. Beyond meal adjustments, the utmost importance is placed on expanding conscious responsibility to one’s own self-care. Following a structure helps take the inner doubt off the table so you can pay closer attention to the feelings/emotions/thoughts that are pulling up around food and body-esteem. With each process, I offer support and guidance into a greater state of awareness and trust of the body’s inherent wisdom. The truly lasting benefit is the rediscovery of your own eating-intuition. I hold a genuine care over the inner exploration, as that is the key to sustained change.”

Katie’s meal plan really does take the guess work out of the process, and the process was working! I know what I have to buy at the store each week, and I know what I need to eat all day, every day. It’s quite simple to plan, it’s the prep work that takes extra time. Initially I was so focused on meal prep and adjusting to the reduced caloric intake (yes, honestly I was hungry, very hungry the first two weeks), that I didn’t recognize what I was NOT eating. As my body adjusted, ultimately her meal plan kept me satiated and I discovered I have more energy (critical to any parent!). And the scale was moving, so I felt extra motivated to continue to see what could happen.

Stay tuned, next Monday I’ll share my biggest breakthrough “a-ha” moment, and my workout regimen to help me shed six pounds in 60 days!

~ . ~ . ~ . ~. ~

See Other Related Posts on Active Moms Club Blog:

Part 2—I Followed A Nutrition Plan for 60-Days. Here’s What Happened

Part 3—I Followed A Nutrition Plan for 60-Days. Here’s What Happened

5 Reasons Why Women (Especially Moms) Should Lift Weights

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Mom of the Month: Another Inspiring Transformation!

July 7, 2017 By Cassandra

In September of 2015 I had the pleasure of meeting another new group of first-time moms in Active Moms Club’s Postnatal Recovery Class. Brienne was one of the women in class. I know her well now because she has been working out regularly with AMC ever since. What I didn’t know until recently is how she felt about exercise when she came to class because these days her enthusiasm to crush each and every one of her AMC workouts impresses me.

Brienne’s son will be two years old this month. During her pregnancy, she ran intervals on the treadmill five times a week through her first trimester, and switched to “power walking” when running became uncomfortable. She continued this workout routine until the very end; she was even on the treadmill the morning of the day she went into labor!

I sat down and asked Brienne to tell her inspiring story. She’s on a quest of self-discovery as she explores her strength through AMC’s training.

Brienne’s Fitness Journey

I was at the beginning of a long maternity leave, and looking for something to help push me to get out of the house with my newborn and meet other new moms. I had read about AMC’s postnatal recovery class while researching ways to get back in shape after pregnancy, and when a friend who recently had taken the class recommended it to me, I was sold! Then, I was so impressed with Cassandra’s calm yet motivating energy and specialized knowledge of the postnatal woman’s body (not to mention the results I was seeing in my own body) that I decided to stick with AMC after I “graduated” from the postnatal recovery class.

I’ve never been much of an athlete, but since college, I have stuck with a routine of fairly rigorous cardio workouts four to five times per week. Other than briefly attempting to tone my arms to compliment a strapless wedding gown, however, I did not do very much weight training or conditioning before joining AMC.”

After Brienne ‘graduated’ from the Postnatal Recovery class, she joined Fit & Fab Small Group Training sessions and participated in the 60-Day Fitness Challenge for the remainder of her maternity leave. Since returning to work full-time as an attorney, she continues to make her fitness a priority and participates in Fit & Fab training twice a week, as her schedule permits.

I feel like I am in the best shape of my life! My body is so much more toned than ever before. Although my current weight is about the same as my pre-pregnancy weight, my clothes fit completely differently now – but in a good way. In fact, when I prepared to return to work just a month after beginning Fit & Fab workouts, I found that I had to replace all of my pants from before pregnancy because I had dropped a size!

I appreciate that Cassandra learns and tracks each of her Fit & Fab clients’ individual strengths, weaknesses, and levels of conditioning, and then uses that knowledge to customize each workout in the small group setting so that everyone is challenged, yet no one feels intimidated or held back. I also love how much fun the workouts actually are. Although we always work to build on a core set of fundamental skills, Cassandra keeps things interesting by incorporating a lot of variety, and the workouts just fly by. Also, the camaraderie with the other moms is so enjoyable and rewarding. AMC is a real community of friendly, supportive, like-minded women who are eager to share parenting wisdom and advice, laugh together, commiserate, and cheer each other on.”

I’m extremely proud of how committed Brienne is to her workouts and eagerness to learn new skills during training sessions. She started Fit & Fab workouts with limited range of motion in her chest, shoulders and spine (like many moms) and used light weights to begin to build upper body stregnth. Her beginning kettlebell weight was 8kg kettlebell (16 pounds), just holding that overhead with a straight elbow proved to be a challenge for her. Slowly Brienne’s strength and mobility started to increase because of her consistency. Aptly her exercises have become more challenging along with executing them with a heavier load. She recently graduated to a 14kg (30 pounds!) kettlebell as her ‘light’ weight, and can press it overhead five times on both left and right side! She can swing 24kg and squat 20kg! More importantly, Brienne has SIGNIFICANTLY more mobility in her thoracic spine, hip capsule, and shoulder girdle thanks to the use of kettlebells.

I love looking in the mirror and seeing toned, defined arms and shoulders. I also love how strong and empowered I feel when I lift heavier and heavier weights, or succeed in executing a new or more difficult skill with good form. I am very proud that I am stronger, faster, and fitter now than I was before I became pregnant!

I never enjoyed exercising until I found AMC; it was always just a chore I felt that I had to endure if I wanted to enjoy eating without guilt. Now, I find myself looking forward to my workouts with Cassandra, and appreciating that fitness is a lifestyle and not just a way to make up for poor dietary habits. I think that any mom could enjoy and benefit from Cassandra’s program, and I look forward to continuing to progress in my own fitness journey!”

What are your personal fitness goals? Rather than wish for change, take action! No exercise experience is required to start our Fit & Fab strength training program. Let the power of small group training move you! Join us for a one-time Fit & Fab test-drive for just $25. Experience a session for yourself and you too will be on your way to feeling more confident about what your post-baby body can do.

BRAND NEW!

Based on demand, Fit & Fab now has a 30-Day Outdoor Summer Fitness Blast beginning July 15th! Join us for four weeks of fitness that will take the guesswork out of slimming down and getting fit. You could be AMC’s next success story!

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Other related articles from Active Moms’ Club blog:

5 Reasons Why Women (Especially Moms) Should Lift Weights

1-Year Postpartum: Strength Training Transformed This Mom!

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