Meet Amanda
Don’t hate her because she got her abs back. My Fit Mama today, Amanda, is a fitness professional, currently working as an independent personal trainer at her own company, ANuFit. Amanda is also a single mom to her gorgeous son Lucas, who is nearly 10 months old. While Amanda worked hard to be the healthiest and fittest she could during her pregnancy, today her biggest challenge is just finding time to work out, especially as she is parenting solo. Amanda is a huge inspiration for me – I hope you are just as inspired reading her awesome advice for new mamas and mamas-to-be!
Amanda, tell me about what it was like for you working out while pregnant. You were already in excellent shape – did you have to make many modifications to your workouts?
When I found out I was pregnant, I was coincidentally in the best shape of my life. I had been training for months on a consistent basis with my friend and fellow fitness professional, Alex Gruezo, of No B.S. Fitness Solutions. Alex was taking me outside my comfort zone in the best way a trainer can. We continued training together throughout my pregnancy.
For years before pregnancy, my typical workout would include exercises like squats, deadlifts, pull ups, kettlebells, dips, overhead presses and rows – all the staples! When I got pregnant, I was still doing all of those exercises, but at varying intensities, factoring in my energy level, stage of pregnancy and what kind of week I had planned. Each week I adjusted as necessary, rested as long as I needed to, made sure I was properly hydrated and nourished and just kept moving at the appropriate intensity. Of course I had clearance from my doctor to continue working out, and like any pre-and-post-natal trainer can tell you, it’s your activity level prior to pregnancy which dictates what a safe workout routine is during pregnancy. My advice to all women is to get in the best shape possible before you get pregnant!
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| Amanda doing a pre-natal TRX workout with her trainer & friend Alex Gruezo |
You’re a pre-and-post-natal trainer as well – what was it like finding out for yourself exactly what it was like to exercise while pregnant?
I’d been training pregnant clients for 9 years before I got pregnant myself. It definitely changes your whole perspective to go through it yourself. And man, is it humbling! All of the fluctuations in your hormones, blood volume and energy levels will always overpower any raw strength, endurance, or workout experience you have! A lot of the time it feels counterintuitive to workout because you are so tired and have so many physiological changes going on that your bed or couch just sound SO much better than the gym!
However, making sure I got at least 2 workouts in per week through almost my entire pregnancy helped maintain my energy levels and kept me feeling good mentally and physically. I stopped working out at 37 weeks pregnant and delivered at 40 weeks. For those last 3 weeks I found that because I was still working, seeing clients, walking around the city, up and down subway stairs, etc, I was getting as much physical activity as I needed.
I cannot stress how important proper rest and nutrition was during my pregnancy. I never felt guilty about taking naps or doing a whole lot of nothing when I needed to. I also found that continuing working out and eating plenty of nourishing foods (okay, and also indulging in some pizza and gelato!) enabled me to have a relatively easy delivery and bounce back to pre-baby shape quickly.
Amanda posted videos from her pre-natal workouts on her YouTube channel along with descriptions of why an exercise works during pregnancy and how it was modified from what she’d previously been doing. Here’s one of several videos Amanda made while pregnant:
This is something I never enjoyed hearing when I was pregnant and training clients: ‘Oh, it’s so easy for you to work out while you’re pregnant because you’re a trainer!’ Did you get that too?
Yup, I heard from a lot of people that pregnancy was “easy” for me because I was never overweight, or I had an “easy” pregnancy because I am a trainer. FAR from true. Nothing in my life is “easy”! I have worked hard for a long time to get where I am. I made it a point to take great care of myself during pregnancy – everything I did was a conscious effort, from eating well, to exercising and resting. ‘Effort’ being the key word there!
My first trimester I was exhausted, nauseous and borderline anemic. Being an independent trainer means no maternity leave and being a single parent means no-one to help out, so I worked up until right before I had Lucas. Also, being a trainer means traveling all over the city – some days, just getting around was exhausting, let alone actually working!
Then, going back to work just 6 weeks after giving birth (again, no maternity leave and no partner to help out means I had to take the minimum time off I physically could handle) was tough. I was adjusting on my own to being a new mother. I was breastfeeding every 2-3 hours. My body was still going through all these hormonal shifts as well as a healing process from giving birth. And as a trainer, my days are long and involve a lot of physical work. All of this meant I had to really listen to my body in terms of my own workouts post-baby. I couldn’t just jump back into the way I used to work out before pregnancy, or even my pre-natal workouts.
Listen, it was my choice and by far the best decision I ever made, so I am not complaining. I actually consider myself very fortunate for many reasons. To get what you want out of life almost always takes compromise somewhere – it takes creativity, planning, effort and sometimes discomfort, but it’s worth it, considering what I’m working for.
Like I said, you’re an inspiration! What’s your schedule like now you’re a mommy? How do you even find time to work out?
It is challenging to find the time and energy to workout as a single mother! Also, as a fitness professional, I don’t exactly have 9 – 5 hours, either. My mornings usually start at 5am or 6am. If you’re a parent in NYC, you know how expensive childcare is, so I typically only have help with Lucas for the hours I’m actually working, which means from early afternoon until my night clients, I am on mom-duty. Being fully financially and physically responsible for my son means I carry a lot of responsibilities on a day to day basis without much relief, so if I want to get any kind of workout done, my week has to be pretty mapped out.
I make it a point every week to get 2 workouts in, ideally 3, though. Sometimes that means I have a total of 30 minutes to get to the gym, get my workout done and get home. I cannot work out at home – I’ve tried it and I get distracted and uninspired. That’s just me, I know that, so I know I have to sacrifice other things in my schedule because my workouts are important mentally and physically for me. My gym does have a kid’s club, so that has been a fairly economical option for me on occasion, to be able to bring Lucas and get a full hour workout in. If I’m trying to squeeze a workout into a short break in my days, there are definitely times I have to make do with a 15-20 minute workout and just make sure it is the best workout I can do in a short period of time.
It is physically exhausting to be a single mom. After night waking and feedings, working from the very early morning, pumping, preparing his meals, bottles, baths, laundry etc, trying to give him 100% of my attention when he’s awake, working again in the evenings, it is unbelievably tempting to want to just plop onto the couch if I do have 20 minutes free. But, as a mother, I have to remind myself how important it is to take time to do things for yourself that make YOU feel good. And honestly, pushing myself to stay fit has really helped me feel good emotionally as well as helped maintain the strength and energy I need to take care of my son.
Okay, advice time! As a new mom and a fitness professional who has had years of experience training pregnant women, please share your advice for all those mamas and soon-to-be-mamas reading this.
I can honestly say from training pregnant clients for 9 years, then going through pregnancy myself, my number one piece of advice is to get into the best shape possible before you get pregnant. I cannot stress this enough. It definitely helps you recover and regain your fitness and your pre-baby body if you are in awesome shape to begin with. Here are my other pieces of advice:
- Try to adopt healthy habits you can stick with. Don’t make yourself crazy with ‘diets’ unless your doctor recommends otherwise. Eat what will nourish your body first and allow yourself occasional indulgences last. Stay away from processed foods or ‘diet’ foods that are hard for your body to break down and filled with chemicals, some of which can contribute to weight gain.
- Don’t go anywhere hungry. Once you have your little one you will be used to carrying snacks…carry some for yourself too!
- This one is not just for mamas, it’s for everyone: Keep exercising! Unless your doctor recommends otherwise, exercise is SO important during pregnancy. Whether it’s weight training, body weight exercise, yoga, or even simply walking, it will benefit you physically and mentally. Everyone is happier when mom is in a good mood!
- It seems like stating the obvious to note how many changes your body will go through during pregnancy and postpartum, but I feel like moms always need to be reminded of the feat that their bodies just performed after childbirth. So, Be Patient! Be kind to your body and know that with patience and consistent healthy habits, your body will feel more and more like your own again in due time.
- In my experience, scheduling workouts in advance is the only way they’ll actually get done. But along with scheduling them, you need to Respect the time you need for yourself. Just like you would respect and keep your child’s pediatrician appointment, you need to respect and keep an appointment you make for yourself to work out.
Yes, I’m working out for energy and well-being – I especially need the energy now Lucas is getting so big and so active!
Amanda, thanks for being a part of Fit Mama Friday! Your advice to mamas is invaluable, all the more so now you’re such an amazing mama yourself. Please give Lucas a big kiss from me!
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| 4 weeks postpartum! Fit Mama Amanda enjoying the beach with 1 month old Lucas |
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