Page 98 - Demo

98 || FITNESS MAGAZINE || JUNE 2015 || EDITION 2Into my second trimester, I was anxious that my body would have a negative reaction to my exercise. To be ready for any eventuality, I started to prepare. My plan was always to have a natural childbirth, I began to research natural births and to surround myself with other moms who had delivered babies naturally without medical intervention. Hearing other women%u2019s stories of giving birth, naturally at home, in other countries or a hospital empowered me. I thought, if they can do it so can I and that I did. our emotional state has a huge impact on your pregnancy and postpartum journey, so positive thoughts are helpful as is stress management. A great book to read on this is %u201cWomen%u2019s Bodies, Women%u2019s Wisdom%u201d by Dr. Christiane Northrup. I became more in tune with my body, with how the physical and emotional stressors affected me during pregnancy. Just like I would stop a certain exercise if it did not feel right, there were situations or people I needed to avoid or eliminate from my life to keep my stress manageable and my body and baby healthy. When it comes to nutrition, it does matter, every day of your life and especially when you are pregnant. Many women think they can eat whatever they want when pregnant, while obviously you can, but to be as healthy as possible, you should not. Our country%u2019s health, especially our children%u2019s health, continues to suffer, for many reasons, one being our food supply and the foods we eat. If a food is advertised on TV, do not eat it. How often do you see coconut oil, cod liver oil, grass-fed beef, kale and spinach advertised on TV? This is so important that I am writing a book on it. My publisher and I are in the final stages working on the last few edits. I work with clients on nutrition and develop plans specific to their goals. Prior to my pregnancy from 2011-2014, I was eating a paleo diet, eating antibiotic hormone free meats, poultry and wild seafood, organic veggies, and healthy fats. I did not eat fruit and avoided starchy carbs. The way I ate came from years of my trial and error and working with my holistic doctor to turn my health around, and it also worked best for me to function optimally. I also have my Chek Holistic Lifestyle Coaching certification that focuses on eating foods from the land and sea. Prior to my pregnancy, I ate like this 98% of the time. During my first trimester, my body gravitated towards foods that were against my diet religion (insert smiley face). I have to admit I did not have a salad or any taste for one during my first ten weeks. I had a few weeks where pizza, cakes, and frozen dinners were what my baby bump was craving. Please note, when I ate that way I felt like complete crap, I even broke out on my face and back. Finally, around week ten, I was back to craving proteins, vegetables, and healthy fats. It felt so great to eat clean again, I felt better, and my skin started to clear up. I did not beat myself up for eating this way either. I knew that my body needed more nutrients so I started eating various fruits and healthy carbs. The fruit kept me hydrated and was a quick middle of the night snack to feed my grumbling belly. In trimester two, I added in fermented foods like Rejuvalec from Karyn%u2019s Raw in Chicago, which offers so many health benefits. I found this to help with my nausea, energy levels and skin. If you want to make your own, various recipes are available online. It is high in B vitamins and if you are deficient that is one reason most pregnant women may suffer from nausea or morning sickness. Remember a vitamin B supplement is nowhere near as good as getting the vitamin from actual food. When I hit my third trimester, I felt like my taste buds had fully returned. All in all, I felt good about my pregnancy nutrition including the few weeks where I ate processed foods. I did have aversions to certain healthy foods during my pregnancy. I made it a >>>