Diet during Pregnancy

Often we hear that pregnancy is not the time to diet.

Well, I disagree. Pregnancy is one of the most important times for a woman to diet.

Now, before you get your panties in a wad, let's define dieting.

Is it considered dieting if you make an effort to change your current undesirable eating habits?

Is it dieting if you restrict calories to a healthy amount?

Is it dieting if you avoid certain foods?

Is it dieting to choose the best possible foods to allow your body to grow a healthy baby?

If the above is dieting, then I think all preggers should be on a diet.

Here's how I think pregnant women should eat:

1. Organic foods as much as possible
2. No processed food, no junk
3. Lots of nutrient dense foods
4. Lots of water
5. Eat often, every 2-4 hours
6. No coffee or alcohol

Some women take pregnancy as a "free pass" to go ape on their diets. Don't do it! You will gain excess weight, the baby will not be getting the best possible nutrition to grow and develop, and you will feel much worse. We truly are what we eat and when pregnant that extends to your baby being what you eat. Think about that and choose well for you AND for the little one.

The basic question is: "Will this food choice facilitate my body to grow a healthy baby?"

That chocolate donut fried in transfats and loaded with empty sugar calories that will spike up your insulin levels. Good for your baby? I think NOT!

That delicious home-made pumpkin soup with a side of grilled salmon and a dessert of berries with natural yogurt. Help your body grow a healthy baby? Definitely!

It REALLY makes a difference. Eat well. It's worth it. You are worth it. Your baby is worth it.

Transversus Abdominus Exercise

Check out Heidi give some serious hugs to her baby boy. This is a fantastic exercise to keep your deep abdominals strong and responsive during pregnancy. Heidi will have a much easier post partum recovery because she has stayed active and trained her body for pregnancy and birth. A trained body recovers much much faster! Do this exercise and your chances for a flat belly post-baby are fantastic!

Diaphragmatic suction exercise to decrease intra-abdominal pressure

This method is all the rage in Spain for postpartum core reconditioning. It is a method used by physical therapists dealing with urinary incontinence and uterine prolapse and comes from France.

It involves exhaling all air, closing the glottis, and contracting the diaphragm to create a vacuum within the abdominal cavity. This exercise is done in apnea (without breathing).

The vacuum in turn creates an involuntary contraction of the pelvic floor and the transvers abdominus. The stronger the suction, the more muscle fibers and motor units are recruited of these two muscle groups. Different postures are used to change the emphasis to different areas of the pelvic floor and the difficulty of the exercise.

These exercises are contraindicated for pregnant women, people with untreated hypertension or problems with ocular pressure. For healthy people who want to (re)train their pelvic floor and deep core stabilizers, these exercises are fabulous. They are a little tricky to learn and teach, but once mastered the results are incredible.

This is one of the main methods I use in the postpartum recovery courses I teach to get the ladies back into awesome shape.

I filmed a video of this exercise today and as soon as I can figure out how to insert a video onto this blog, I will post it for your viewing pleasure. :)

25 Random Things about Me

I have really liked reading these posts on Facebook so I thought I would share 25 random things about me with you. Do we share any?

1. I have moved across the Atlantic 2 times, every 14 years. From Finland to Oregon when I was 14 and from Oregon to Catalunya (Spain) when I was 28. Where will I move when I'm 42?

2. My 2 biggest loves are horses and dancing (ballroom, esp. latin).

3. I want to be pregnant and give birth but I'm not sure I want to be a mom yet.

4. I used to love horror movies and thriller books and now can't stand either.

5. I can hear the electronic sound from the tv and the cell phone charger and both drive me nuts.

6. I still haven't found the right moment to spread my dad's and my brother's ashes.

7. My mom will soon live in Finland again and my other brother lives in Oregon.

8. I have 15 cousins that I am getting to know now as an adult. I'm already looking forward to summer at the family summer place in Finland!

9. I love board games, especially puzzles.

10. I was the top student in my exercise and sport science graduating class at OSU.

11. I completed a masters in public health only because i wanted a graduate assisstantship at Dixon (the rec center at OSU).

12. I am athletic but can't play any team sport with a ball to save my life. I do much better in individual sports.

13. I have worked as a barista, a telemarketer, inn-keeper at a B&B, cleaner, English teacher, and a catering waitress before sticking to the fitness industry.

14. I was a party animal my first 2 years of college. I got two MIPs, my favorite drink was Everclear, I gained 25 lbs, and I was in a sorority. I felt like hell those years. Now I drink maybe 3 drinks a year.

15. I speak 4 languages on a daily basis. (Finnish, English, Spanish, and Catalan)

16. I have worked as a personal trainer since 1998 and a fitness instructor since 2000. At one point I taught 6 spin classes a week. I have taught everything from kickboxing to dance.

17. I skiied for 7 years and switched to snowboarding 16 years ago. I am now thinking about switching back.

18. I have done a few triathlons only because my hubby does them and I really wanted to like doing them. I still hate swimming and running. I do now enjoy road biking and we even bought a tandem as our wedding gift to ourselves.

19. My hubby and I met as exchange students in Finland (I went back to study for a year). He lived 2 stories below me and I could see how he cooked without his shirt from the reflection off the next door building's windows. :) I fell in love with him playing ice-hockey and Finnish baseball. We had a long distance relationship for 6 years. We had 5 wedding celebrations.

20. I don't exercise as much as people think I do.

21. I LOVE black liquorice, especially the salted kind from Finlad, salmiakki. I can (and have) seriously eat a kilo of it by myself in one sitting. The only reason I am not fatter is because salmiakki is not available in Banyoles.

22. I broke my foot in grad school by getting out of bed.

23. I had this need to have a job with "a title" so I spent a miserable 6 months in California as the Wellness and Fitness Director at UCI. Then I realized I was being an idiot, moved to Catalunya to be with the man I love and opened a studio doing what I really love, perinatal fitness and corrective exercise.

24. I LOVE studying and going to workshops.

25. I remember the names of all the babies born to Fitness Integral moms.