1st and 2nd Trimester Pregnancy Fitness

We are expecting our first baby girl July 31st! My first trimester fitness regimen was non existent. Just thinking about the beginning of my pregnancy gives me morning sickness, literally! (Which really should be called 24-7 sickness) The first half of the first trimester I had no appetite at all and was completely exhausted. The last half of the first trimester I was sick as a dog. If I could get myself to eat anything at all it was a miracle. If I ate it was usually cereal or fruit. Luckily second trimester I felt great. I got a few spurts of nausea and exhaustion but other than that I was able to get back to my normal healthy diet and moderating my workout routine. Now i'm just starting my third trimester. 

Starting in your second trimester of pregnancy you need to add about 350 calories a day. I think some woman take eating for two a little too seriously, and use pregnancy as an excuse to eat whatever whenever they want, and not exercise. When in all actuality it should be obvious that it's more important to eat healthy now more than ever, considering what you eat the baby eats. I've been able to keep my cravings for sweets under control by adding Jamie Easons protein bars into my diet, which are perfectly healthy! But it feels like I'm eating cake. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-recipes-main-page.html

Here's my example daily diet
Meal 1- Half a cup of oatmeal and four egg whites 1 whole egg, unlimited veggies
Meal 2- 1 Serving of fruit, Jamie Easons protein bar, 1 Tsp Chia Seeds
Meal 3- Five ounces of stir-fried chicken with half a cup of brown rice and steamed veggies
Meal 4- Protein shake(with milk), walnuts, unlimited veggies
Meal 5- Jamie Easons Homemade Italian chicken zucchini burger with Ezekiel bread, side salad
Meal 6- 4 Egg whites & 1 Whole Egg

Here's is a list of foods that I eat. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-trainer-approved-foods-list.html


My workout routine- (While pregnant)
About 5 days on with 2 days rest. I don't usually plan one of my rest days because I never know how i'm going to feel. If I get sick or feel I need a rest on a week day I take the day off and then I usually workout on saturdays, but if i workout the whole week then I usually take Saturdays off and always take Sundays off. My daily routine is about 30-40 min of cardio, 20-30 min of weight training, and 10-15 min of glutes if I feel up to it that day. About an average of an hour a day.

Here's an example-
(Keep in mind, these are all extremely modified!)
Day 1 -5:
Turbo Fire- Fire 30 or Fire 45
P90X or Body Beast- Shoulders, Arms, Chest, Back, or Legs
Brazil Butt Lift- Hight and Tight: Standing with bands, floor work with bands, or floor work with weights


I like to spread my workouts throughout the day. This may not work for everyones schedule but I love working out this way. It keeps my heart rate down, metabolism on fire, and workouts fun so I never get bored with it. Most of the time I'm looking forward to a break in between my cooking, cleaning, and working. This will also be a great habit when the baby arrives and I only have a little time here and there to get a workout in.

Here's an example of my day-
Meal 1
Clean Kitchen/Living Room
15-20 min Cardio
Clean Bedroom/Bathroom
15-20 min Cardio
Meal 2
Clean Workout Room/Patio
20-30 min Weight Training with Hubby
Meal 3
Work
Meal 4
10-15 min Brazil Butt Lift, usually 3 times a week
Work
Meal 5
Work
Free Time
Meal 6


My Pregnancy Workout Tips & Rules 
-First things first, always check with your health care provider to see if your fitness routine is okay for you.
- Don't over do it! Your heart rate should never exceed 140 beats per minute. You can buy a heart rate monitor at Walmart for around $20. I do 15-20 minute cardio intervals to keep my heart rate down and take longer breaks in between reps. A good rule of thumb is that you should be able to carry out a conversation while working out.
-Moderate everything! Don't jump, don't make fast jerky motions, always use light weights, and never lift till failure. Now is not the time to get into shape. Exercising while pregnant is to stay fit and be healthy.
Chalene Johnson talks about moderating Turbo! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAtCMvCPyTc
- Don't get overheated! I like to keep the AC on and I workout under a ceiling fan to keep cool.
- Don't lie flat on your back because it can reduce blood flow. I place a pillow under my back and I sit up between every rep.
-Keep hydrated! Drink water before, during, and after exercises.
-Don't try a new strenuous activity. If you didn't exercise regularly before you're pregnant talk to your health care provider about a good fitness program for you.
-Ask your health care provider what's a healthy weight gain for you monthly and stick to it!

You will notice I mention Jamie a lot in my blogs. She's my fitness roll model (minus some of her skimpy photoshoots) Jamie Eason won the competition for worlds fittest model, so who better than her to take fitness/diet advice from?? She's also regularly in my favorite magazine Oxygen, and spokesperson for bodybuilding which is where we always buy our supplementations. The girl is extremely intelligent, she knows her stuff! She's also pregnant right now, how convenient!

 25 Weeks

Showing off my two little pebbles

Fitness Journey

I've had one long fitness roller coaster ride! Back in summer 2010 I finished only two months of p90x and was in the best shape of my life. I went from a size 8 to a size 5. Just in time for the best part of my life getting engaged and married! I look back and wish I would have finished the whole program despite how busy I thought I was at the time. And back then my idea of eating "healthy" is not even remotely close to what I know is healthy now, and I was still able to achieve these results with P90X.

Now that is one HAPPPPPYYYY girl! Just looking at these makes me giddy. I'm so glad to be able to look back at these and smile and re-live the moment rather than cringe because I looked "fat" or had a double chin lol like I do with every picture I take nowadays! THANK YOU Tony Horton!

Shortly after we were married I got very sick. I suddenly had a chronic kidney stone illness and for the next two years I experience physically the hardest thing I've ever had to go through.  The very first one I had was by far the worst of them yet. (I will write a separate post about my battle with Kidney Stones and how I've learned to deal with them to help those who have the misfortune of having one.) But to make a long story short the first one I had was stuck in my ureter for about a month before I would have to go in for emergency surgery to get it out. Since Spring 2011 to October 2013 I have passed about 1-3 stones every two weeks. Now I usually pass 1 every two weeks. Since learning to manage them they are small and I am able to pass them fairly quickly. But even the smallest stones can feel like you've been stabbed suddenly with a knife and slowly dragged down your back. The first year I was bed ridden with no exercise and a very poor diet. The weight slowly crept up on me and before I knew it I was a size 12. I did not look or feel like myself. I have very little documentation of myself because I hated taking pictures. I have a couple more I need to scan and add of my before pictures.

January 2012 The best decision we ever made was to move to sunny St. George Utah. This place has been like a rehab recovery center for me. The vitamin D, great doctors, and back to being active in church were just what I needed to become the happy person I wanted so desperately to be. We stopped eating out, which made a world of a difference with my weight loss transformation and energy level. And we were a lot more active. Being able to go hiking and go for walks through the winter is wonderful! I also did a little p90x here and there.
April 2012 We decided to move to Hawaii for the Summer for my husbands job. That was perfect motivation for me March 2012 to get in shape, and quick! I ordered Brazil Butt Lift, Turbo Fire, started doing P90X again and cleaned up my diet a little more. (Still isn't what I view a "healthy" diet now days, but I was getting closer.) I was able to get back to my original size 7/8. Still not where I wanted to be, but I started to feel like myself again!

And then the humidity made me even more sick again. The cooler in our home kept breaking, and I would have to walk a couple miles every day with grocerys in hand. And lets just say paradise wasn't always paradise. I couldn't keep hydrated to get the stones moving fast enough and I started getting very ill. So we had to cut our summer short and we moved back home. I continued searching for doctors that could help me because all of the doctors and ER visits left them completely stumped because It's such a rare case. Finally I found an amazing nephrologist (kidney doctor) and he put me on a low sodium diet. Which really helped with the Kidney Stones. Even if I never had another kidney stone again, I would always stick to this diet. Everyone should live a low sodium diet. It's recommended a daily consumption of no more than 2.3 grams a day (about a tsp of salt) But the average American has at least 9 grams, that's an extreme amount. Reducing your sodium intake can help lower blood pressure, prevent heart disease, asthma, migraines, gastritis, ulcers, bone loss, and of course kidney stones. Losing weight is just a bonus really! To have a low sodium diet get rid of your table salt, and all processed foods!!! I used to think that eating vegetables and fruits from a can was healthy. HAHA, no. Keep it fresh people.

June 2012 I became a beachbody coach which is just a way to help other people get fit and make a little extra money. Beachbody are the creators of the amazing fitness programs such as P90X, Insanity, Brazil Butt Lift, Turbo Fire, Body Beast, Hip Hop Abs, and so much more. I'm not an active coach as of now but I still love helping other people with their fitness goals. So if you're interested in a lifestyle change or want to became a coach yourself, don't hesitate to ask!

October 2013 Right when I get back to my normal body weight I get pregnant of course haha. Were having a baby girl and I'm so excited to meet our little Aspen, due July 31st. And my pregnancy fitness is a whole other post! ;)

I've had a long fitness journey of ups and downs. After all of the researching I have done and experiences of trial and error, I finally know what works. I've learned what's truly a healthy diet, or what I like to call lifestyle change, as well as exercise. One thing I've learned is that you can't achieve the body you want without one or the other. You must eat and exercise right.

Things that I thought were healthy in the past are not exactly what I would call healthy now days.
I used to think....
-Vegetables and fruit from a can were healthy. Now I don't eat any processed foods and stick to fresh fruits and veggies!
-Not eating many calories would help me be fit. Now I eat probably more calories than I used to, just of the right foods and portion sizes. To keep your metabolism burning and shed that fat you must eat every 3 hours, 5-6 small meals a day. I eat when I'm hungry, and I eat until I'm full and then stop.
-Eating fruit all day was healthy. Fruit is loaded with sugar. But there are too many health benefits to say we should eliminate it all together. It contains vitamins, dietary fiber, minerals, and antioxidants essential for a healthy lifestyle. Now I eat maximum one serving of fruit in the mornings because I try to stay away from carbs in the evening.
-Carbs are the enemy. This generation there's this big fad diet eliminating all Carbohydrates. I've never done this but I've seen someone on a no carb diet and watched her slab a HUGE chunk of butter on her Eggs! I said "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" She responded.. "On my diet I can have all the butter I want, they have no carbs." Eeek!!!!! She may lose weight but I can tell you right now that's not healthy. I believe butter is one of the worst things you can eat. There are healthy carbohydrates such as whole grains, fruit, sweet potatoes, beans, nuts, ect.. And like I said I try to stay away from carbs in the evenings.
-Weights were for men. I used to only do cardio. Now I love weights more than cardio, I think it's fun! And I think a toned body is much more attractive than a scrawny little twig. Strong is the new skinny! I no longer have a desire to be skinny, just fit and toned like the girls in my Oxygen Magazine. (Which is the best fitness magazine ever by the way)
-I was healthy if the scale says so. I used to be obsessed about my weight. Now I don't even weigh myself. I let my jeans and the mirror tell me if I'm where I need to be. Muscle weighs more than fat!


Here's my example daily diet (When not Pregnant)
Meal 1- Half a cup of oatmeal and five egg whites, unlimited veggies
Meal 2- 1 Serving of fruit, Jamie Easons protein bar
Meal 3- Five ounces of stir-fried chicken with half a cup of brown rice and steamed veggies
Meal 4- Protein shake(with water), unlimited veggies
Meal 5- Jamie Easons Homemade Italian chicken zucchini burger with Ezekiel bread, side salad
Meal 6- 5 Egg whites

Here's is a list of foods that I eat. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-trainer-approved-foods-list.html


My workout routine- (When not pregnant)
Every other day I switch, about 45-55 min of cardio, and 15-30 min of glutes one day. And the other I'll do 15-25 of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) cardio, with 30-45 min of lifting weights, and 10-15 min of Abs
About an average of an hour to an hour and half a day. When I get to my goal, I'm going to cut down on cardio time and focus more on my real love, weight training.


Here's an example-

Day 1-
Turbo Fire- Fire 30
Body Beast or P90X- Chest/Tris
Brazil Butt Lift- High & Tight

Days 2, 4, 6-
Turbo Fire- HIIT 15, HIIT 20 or HIIT 25
Body Beast or P90X- Shoulders, Legs, or Back/Bis
Body Beast or P90X- Abs


Days 3, 5-
Turbo Fire- Fire 55, or Fire 45
Brazil Butt Lift- High & Tight or Bum Bum


Day 7- Active Rest, Go for a walk