Today on Fit Mama Friday, I’m featuring the lovely Brittany Bendall, an attorney, wife, blogger at My Own Balance and a super-fit mama-to-be! I first met Brittany at an NYC blogging event, where we bonded over our Aussie ties (Brittany’s husband Pete Bendall is from the Blue Mountains, like me – it is a small, small world). Due with their first baby in November (it’s a boy!), Brittany is  sharing her experience and advice on staying healthy and exercising through pregnancy on Fit Mama Friday.

Meet Brittany.

Clearly, being active in pregnancy was natural for you, given that you were already very fit before you got pregnant. Have you been active and healthy all your life?

I started out in ballet classes when I was about five years old and continued dancing all the way through college, where I was in a dance company.  My love for dance naturally evolved into a love of fitness and I began instructing classes when I was in high school, which I did until I started law school and found I no longer had the time.  Fitness and healthy living is a huge part of my life and my relationship with my husband.  We have always loved playing tennis, cycling, skiing and any and all watersports.  We joke that we always need a vacation from our vacations because we cram so many activities into our “relaxation” time!

When I became pregnant I was excited to start exploring fitness in a new light.  There was no question in my mind that I would continue to workout throughout my pregnancy. The question for me was not “if” but “what”.  I began researching prenatal fitness, as well as modifications for pregnancy and what fitness activities were safe for pregnancy. I even bought a bunch of prenatal exercise dvds.  I was actually excited to being a new fitness journey with my baby!

It can be so hard if you suffer from fatigue or illness in the first trimester to make working out a priority – was there anything that worked for you to stay active?

It can be extremely challenging to keep up with a workout schedule when you are pregnant and you aren’t feeling well.  Fitness has always been a big part of my life pre-pregnancy, so I didn’t want to give it up after becoming pregnant.  Personally, I found that my workouts actually made me feel better.  I would feel a little more energized and my nausea would go away after a workout.  Also, knowing that what I was doing was good for my body and my baby really helped me stay motivated even when I was feeling “blah.”  Of course, there were some days when I just couldn’t get off the couch and I didn’t feel bad about it.  It was my body’s way of telling me to rest.  But most of the time I tried to do a little something even if it was just walking, a short yoga session or a full-blown Zumba class.  I think a healthy mama is a happy mama!

And what about your eating habits? How has pregnancy affected the way you approach nutrition?

Maintaining a healthy diet can be extremely challenging for most women during pregnancy.  Personally, during my first trimester, I just ate what made me feel good whether it was saltines, chips and salsa or pizza.  Once I started to feel a bit more normal, I jumped back into my healthy eating routine.

I really want my baby to get the right nutrients so I focus on eating a lot of fruits and vegetables.  I also love supplementing my produce intake with fresh juices.  I’m a big fan of mixing kale or spinach with some tasty fruit like watermelon or pineapple.  I’ve found that sticking to my pre-pregnancy diet with a few extra snacks here and there has been effective and I generally feel great.  Of course, I still allow myself indulgences and I probably let myself have them a bit more often that before I was pregnant but I’m not too worried about it!

What’s the hardest part of exercising while pregnant for you? (Apart from fatigue, I remember my bump getting in the way in some yoga positions!)

Like any fitness journey, there are ups and downs.  Some days I feel great and like I could lift a mountain and other days I want to lie in a savasana and not move.  But I’m trying to take it all in stride and have found that the most important lesson my baby has taught me in terms of fitness is that it is ok to let go and not push yourself too hard.  I’m hoping that my dedication to fitness and a healthy lifestyle will inspire the rest of my family and by baby when he gets here to also live a healthy and active lifestyle!

The hardest part for me is coming to terms with my new ability level.  I wear a heart rate monitor and I used to keep a range of 170-180 bpm for a cardio class.  Now I feel fatigued in the 150-160 bpm range.  I was also very capable of taking advanced classes (like advanced barre classes, advanced yoga, etc) and these days the beginner classes feel incredibly challenging!  I just keep reminding myself that this is temporary and what I’m doing, especially at a moderate level, is so good for me and my baby.

What specific exercise are you doing now?

Exercise is important to me to stay healthy for my pregnancy, prepare me for labor and make my postnatal recovery (hopefully) easier and quicker.  For the most part I’ve found that a lot of my pre-pregnancy workouts are completely doable now that I’m pregnant and I try to do something active most days of the week, even if it just means taking a quick walk.  Given my background in dance, it’s no surprise that I love Zumba and have found it to be one of the best cardio activities for me while pregnant.  The intensity is easy to control and there is minimal jumping but you still get a great workout plus it is a lot of fun!  I also have a serious addiction to barre classes!  I love any and all things barre related.  I’ve found it is one of the best forms of exercise for pregnancy because it helps strengthen your pelvic floor and focuses on working the core muscles that help you carry your baby and will help with labor.  It’s low-impact but has a moderate cardio component and it also helps you improve your posture, which can be really tough as our bodies change.  And of course, I still get all of the benefits I loved prior to my pregnancy like sexy legs, booty and arms!

I am a huge tennis addict and my husband and I have played about once a week since we found out I was pregnant.  I’m finding it a little harder to run for certain shots as I get bigger but we don’t play competitively so it’s just fun to get out and hit the ball around together.

Finally, yoga has been amazing throughout my pregnancy.  I found it extremely helpful in my first trimester when I was tired or sick because it was never too taxing on my body and the combination of light movement plus breathing and meditation helped me feel better.  Now as I am getting bigger, I’m finding it helps me stretch out the sore spots and get rid of some swelling in my feet and ankles.  It just feels good and with all the stuff that feels bad in pregnancy, who doesn’t want to feel good!

I could go on for days about all the workouts I love because there are so many but I think the important rule I’ve found is to find something that you love, is beneficial to your body and baby and feels good (before, during or after!).

Is there any form of exercise you either had to give up because your doctor told you to, or gave up because it just didn’t feel ‘right’?

My doctor is pretty laid back in terms of exercise, especially because I was so active pre-pregnancy.  She basically told me to listen to my body and don’t do anything that didn’t feel good.  One thing I have had to give up that I love is cycling.  Every summer my husband and I dust off our road bikes and find fun routes to ride.  I take special pride in being able to ride up a killer hill in the Palisades Park just over the George Washington Bridge in New Jersey AND pass male cyclists at that.  Unfortunately, this year our bikes have remained in storage.  Although riding isn’t prohibited, all of my accidents have occurred because of someone else’s negligence and I didn’t want to risk falling and hurting the baby because I can’t control people around me.

Are you already thinking ahead for post-baby goals? I signed up for a half marathon 4 months postpartum so I’d have something to focus on – have you done anything similar?

In the healthy living community it seems like everyone is always focused on goals and reaching the next level.  I have to admit it’s been kind of nice to sit back and relax a bit.  My only goal for 2014 is to have a healthy baby.  But I am definitely brainstorming a great goal for 2015 post-baby.  I would love to complete a cycling tour, improve my tennis game or maybe get back into fitness instructing.  I still have some time to figure out what my next steps will be, but at the moment I’m going to enjoy the journey to mommyhood!

Brittany, I’m so excited for you and can’t wait to hear your exciting news this November! Thank you so much for sharing such awesome fit pregnancy advice with us today and for being a Fit Mama Friday!

More ways to connect with Brittany:

Connect with Brittany on Twitter

Be friends on Facebook

See all the baby bump pics on Instagram

Watch Brittany’s videos on YouTube

Check out Brittany’s pins on Pinterest

Fit Mama Friday – Fit Dad Friday

Every Friday on Fine Fit Day I feature a Fit Mama or a Fit Dad story of how and why a fit and healthy mama or dad ensures fitness is a priority in her or his life. You’ll read about all kinds of parents and their fitness stories. Some are stay-at-home parents, some are single parents, some juggle more than one job on top of parenthood, but they are all committed to a fit and healthy lifestyle. As you’re getting ready for your weekend, I hope you’re inspired to be active after reading about these kick-ass mamas and dads on Fit Mama Friday – Fit Dad Friday!

 

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