By Nicole Moneer
I did, however, switch from hot yoga to prenatal
yoga early on. My midwife group had warned me
of the potential dangers to the fetus, of doing hot
yoga, even in the first trimester. If your core body
temperature exceeds 102 degrees, you will place
your baby at risk for defects and dehydration. I
am sure there are many hot yoga instructors who
taught classes while pregnant and birthed healthy
children. I was not going to take that risk. Cardio,
resistance training, prenatal yoga and Pilates are
all beneficial during your pregnancy journey while
breastfeeding and even carrying your baby.
During my first trimester, I continued working
out as I had been doing. Exercise and movement
are important during pregnancy, as is your overall
mental state. For those wanting to start an exercise
program when pregnant; be sure to hire an expert.
Do not just wing it by yourself or a workout partner;
you may risk hurting yourself and your baby-onthe-way. My integrative doctor said, “You got
pregnant doing all you’ve done so keep at it but
listen to your body and stop if you feel pain or
discomfort.” What my doctor said was true and I
followed his advice. I was able to continue life with
my holistic functional approach along with teaching
weekly cardio kickboxing classes, weight training
four times a week and using the Pilates Reformer.
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FITNESS
M A G A Z I N E || JUNE 2015 || EDITION 2
Instead of going to the gym when I wanted
and doing what I wanted as f requently as I wanted,
I soon found out this journey was not going to be
about what I wanted. I was not getting ready to
step on stage in a bikini, I was nurturing a child, so
I did not need to be killing it at the gym five to six
times a week. I teach my clients to listen to their
bodies and rest when needed, and I follow the
same advice. I had a few days in my first trimester
I stayed home in bed to rest instead of working out
or going to work, this rest was what my baby bump
was telling me to do. At times being pregnant can
suck your soul. I know all you mommies get me on
this. So those zzz’s are much needed no matter
the stage of your pregnancy. During my second
trimester, I started to modify exercises more. For
example, squats and lunges are great during
pregnancy because they help to strengthen and
stabilize the pelvic muscles used during labor
and delivery. I used very little weight or just my
body weight, which was challenging enough for
me and baby-to-be. For upper body exercises, I
switched many standing exercises to be seated
on a stability ball or kneeling to prevent any
pulling in my midsection. I started to decrease my
weight if I felt any pulling in my abdomen. I even
stopped performing some exercises altogether. I
incorporated chest and shoulder stretches and >>>