MOST Magazine Fitness JUN'15 ISSUE NO.3 | Page 97

corrective upper back exercises to help with my posture. Pregnant or not we all need extra help when it comes to posture. Pain-free movement is the goal. If you feel any pain or discomfort stop doing the exercise. If you experience the following symptoms stop the exercise and call your healthcare professional: • increased shortness of breath • chest pain • calf pain or swelling • vaginal fluid or bleeding • uterine contractions • headache Since women have a decrease in available oxygen for aerobic exercise during pregnancy, they should exercise at a lower intensity. here are many women who continue to exercise throughout all three trimesters with the same activities at the same intensities. Then there are women like me who have to taper down and modify according to what their bodies are telling them. Listening to your body is so important when you are pregnant. Creating and nurturing a human is tough stuff, and you never know what to expect until you go through it yourself. Each woman’s prenatal journey is so unique it is important to address any challenges that come up during this time. By the time I made it to the third trimester, my pre-pregnancy taste buds fully returned. I felt like me again. I will discuss the importance of nutrition further on. I had consistent energy in my third trimester. However, I did not walk; I waddled. Ha! I felt best moving and exercising. Sitting and sleeping were quite uncomfortable and even painful at times, even with my Snoogle (a pregnancy pillow). I got a lot of relief from weekly pregnancy massages, acupuncture, foam rolling and working out. Since it was getting harder to maneuver around with my baby bump, I cut back my resistance training workouts to once a week. I still was able to teach an hour of cardio kickboxing each week up until the day I went into labor. I made sure to modify as needed and even coached my class on exercises that I was no longer able to perform. I felt good about my physical state throughout my pregnancy. If you follow me on social media, I often post on my positive mindset as being a huge part of my success or anyone’s success. >>> www.MOST mag.com || FITNESS M A G A Z I N E || 97