Tag: exercise during pregnancy

Two Upcoming TV Spots to Promote My Prenatal DVD Series

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I look forward to rep'ing my friends at FitFluential in my upcoming TV spots!

I look forward to rep’ing my friends at FitFluential in my upcoming TV spots!

Since I officially announced my second pregnancy on Monday, my Fit Pregnancy and Parenting assistant has been busy writing press releases, emails, and brainstorming ways for me to promote my upcoming Prenatal DVD Series. On Tuesday, we sent through a press release to a local TV station. Within minutes I got a response from the TV producer who asked me to do TWO 4 minute spots in the next few weeks.

A huge thanks to Tasha, my wonderful assistant, for her hard work, great ideas, and press release writing skills. I absolutely could not be marketing my fitness business without her — but I have actually asked her to slow down because I currently have a long waiting list of clients. But no complaints here!

My first TV spot is on Monday, December 17 at noon. I will run over to the station during my lunch hour and do a quick 4 minute cardio, butt, and legs circuit for the camera. The second spot is on Monday, December 31 at noon. I hope to talk through some ways to make 2013 our healthiest year yet and promo my DVD series.

Another cool aspects of these spots is that I am going to rep’ my friends at FitFluential by wearing my new FitFluential shirt. I am also going to rep Under Armour thanks to my new friends in the marketing department there. I plan to wear my new Under Armour shoes and am waiting to get some other items to wear.

Local ladies (Dayton area) be sure to tune into WDTN’s Living Dayton show at noon on December 17 and 31. I am super pumped to be on TV again and I always love to hear your feedback.

Here is a quick preview of some of the moves I will be doing in the TV spot! This is a rough draft of some of the moves I will do for the Prenatal DVD series. Try this Fit Pregnancy and Parenting cardio, butt, and legs workout and let me know what you think! I am 12 weeks pregnant AND I have a cold, so if you’re good at reading a pregnant girl’s mind — you can see me consider that I am probably going to throw up at any minute. HA.

Is it Possible to Get Your Pre-Baby Body Back After Multiple Pregnancies?

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Is it possible to get your pre-baby body back after pregnancy? Maybe it’s possible to get your body back after one pregnancy, but what about after multiple pregnancies? Read this fit mom featured blog by Khristine, mother to 3 daughters. Khristine’s story and body transformation after 3 pregnancies is truly inspiring.

My name is Khristine, and I blog over at BeautyAndTheBrute.com. It’s a fitness and beauty blog that I share with my husband.  I’m a 26-year-old mother of 3 girls: ages 6 Years old, 4 Years old, and last, our newest bundle of joy, just turned 4 months old.  I’m currently a LVN going back to school for my BSN. I’m a fitness junkie and beauty/makeup addict at heart.  I love all aspects of fitness and love trying new things … from weightlifting, to yoga. I love switching it up and pushing my body to its limits!

I actually was not always a fitness junkie. In fact, I am relatively new to fitness. I have only been weightlifting for about 2 years (on and off).  Before this, I was your typical girl who tried the latest yo-yo diets and always wanted the easy way out. I would be happy with crash dieting for special occasions (like to fit into a dress for a wedding etc) … but found that to be too exhausting on my body. I was never really happy with how my body looked after pregnancy, and hated how I couldn’t keep up with my children. Luckily for me – my husband introduced me to the fitness lifestyle and showed me the way to health and wellness.

After my first two pregnancies, I didn’t even think about exercising to help get my pre-baby body back. And unfortunately, I got hit with postpartum depression. PPD hit HARD after my 2nd pregnancy – where it nearly cost me my life. (I did experience a mild case of PPD after my 1st, but wasn’t nearly as bad as after my 2nd pregnancy). I’m so thankful that I had the support of my husband and family to really get me through such hard times that I don’t ever want to relive or wish on anyone.  But I’m proud to say that I’m 4 months out from my 3rd pregnancy and have not experienced PPD one bit! I exercised during my whole pregnancy and at 6 weeks postpartum, entered an online body transformation contest on BodyBuilding.com (to try to motivate me to lose weight and get my pre-baby body back – and the Grand Prize of $10k didn’t sound too bad either).

After delivering my 3rd daughter and having to take “before” pictures, it really opened my eyes to what pregnancy did to my body.  I had gained so much weight and was unrecognizable (and really was not happy with my body), so I set out on a journey to get healthier, not only for me – but for my children. I wanted to set a good example for my girls and show them that you need to take care of yourself in order to take care of others.

Khristine’s body transformation after baby number 3.

So with that said, I’d like to share my 3 month progress pictures. The before pictures were taken 6 weeks after I had my 3rd daughter (I was breastfeeding at the time, which probably also added to the weight gain). The pictures were taken in April and the end date of my challenge was on July 22. For my “before” picture I was 154 lbs.  My “after” picture I was 131.8 lbs and I took into consideration that due to my intense weight lifting, I’ve gained lean muscle (which I’m very proud of!).

Khristine’s back transformation after baby number 3.

I want to share my journey with as many women as possible.  I know a lot of moms who think it’s impossible to get your pre-baby body back after pregnancy.  Some women are blessed to be able to lose the baby weight and snap back to pre-pregnancy, but for others like myself – It’s really a journey.  We all need to remember that during pregnancy, It took 9 months to gain weight, and it’s going to take some time to get it off! But consistency is key when trying to reach your goal.A lot of women ask me, how did I do it? I honestly just changed my eating habits (meaning I would eat healthy foods, and wouldn’t eat a bunch of fast food all day), I watched my calories and stayed in a caloric deficit (used an awesome calorie tracking system called MyFitnessPal – It’s FREE!) and did intense training. I loved seeing results every week during my 12 week challenge.  Just knowing that my hard work was showing, pushed me to work harder, especially because I had just delivered my 3rd baby.

I have shown great perseverance and dedication throughout this challenge even through the stressors of being a wife, mother, and nursing student.  I have inspired my family and friends to live a healthier lifestyle (or at least start).  This challenge has given me the confidence I needed. This is definitely not the end of my transformation.  I still want to achieve my lean, sexy body, and in the future possibly become a personal trainer.  I also would like to step on stage and compete in a bikini competition someday.

For more information about Khristine and her transformation, visit her blog at www.BeautyandtheBrute.com, www.facebook.com/beautyandthebrute, www.twitter.com/beautyandbrute, and www.youtube.com/beautyandthebrute.

Exercise in the Last Month of Pregnancy

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Many pregnant women come to my site searching for advice on exercise in the last month of pregnancy. I have written about my experience working out in my last month of pregnancy, however, I delivered Emma at exactly 37 weeks, so I did not truly go through what most pregnant women refer to as exercise in the last month of pregnancy.

So, to get a better idea of how to workout in the last few weeks of the third trimester, I met up with fellow personal trainer and 9 month pregnant fit mom, Erin Brooks. Erin is only a couple of weeks away from her due date, and she has maintained a fit pregnancy through the third trimester and plans to work on until D-day.

Here is a video clip of a few great weight training moves you can try — even in the last month of pregnancy!

The first squat and arm move will stimulate your butt, hamstrings, quads, and arm muscles. It can help prepare your for a strong labor and delivery. Be sure that your knees do not go in front of your toes on the squat, and continue breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. Use 10 or 15 pound free weights.

For the ten to one’s, use 5 pound weights. 1. Bring your arms straight out from your side, parallel to the ground, then slowly down. 2. Bring your arms straight out in front of you, parallel to the ground, then slowly down. 3. Raise your arms above your head touching the weights in the middle, then slowly down. Do one set of each variation 10 times. Continue additional sets with nine reps, then eight, etc., down to one.

Before I met up with Erin for the workout this weekend, she had already run 5 miles with a gym client of hers. Again — she is only 2 weeks away from her due date! Here is a quick circuit that she did while we were at her gym. Complete with pull-ups, medicine ball burpees, and medicine ball throws. And all this was in the last month of her pregnancy. If Erin can do this at 9 months pregnant, the rest of us certainly do not have any excuses!

Again, it is possible to maintain your pre-pregnancy level of fitness and an intense exercise program in the last month of pregnancy. Continuing a workout program will help with labor and delivery, and will significantly speed up your recovery time. I was walking my dog within 2 days of delivery, and back to running within 2 weeks. This is not the “norm”, but it is possible if you stay fit. Remember to consult with your physician before starting or maintaining an exercise program during pregnancy.

Ab and Core Exercises During Pregnancy

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It is important to continue stimulating your ab and core muscles during pregnancy. It will help with labor and delivery and will speed up recovery. After the first trimester, it is best not to do ab exercises on your back (and risk cutting off the oxygen supply to the baby).

Try these ab and core exercises after warming up properly. Continue breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. Always check with your physician before starting an exercise program during pregnancy.