I recently had the opportunity to tune into Sara Haley’s livestream and learned a ton! Sara Haley, founder of the “Expecting More” exercise program, is your go-to expert for fitness and pregnancy tips! She has a collection of exercise DVD’s, is a Global Master Trainer for Reebok, and has dedicated her career to sharing her knowledge with women, especially moms!
Sara worked out throughout her entire pregnancy, which she highly attributes to a speedy ‘post-baby bounce back,’ after gaining a very healthy 35lbs during her pregnancy. Sara utilized prenatal yoga as well as moderate strength & cardio to keep fit all nine months. Sara’s baby boy just turned one and let me tell you, she looks fabulously fit, so she must be doing something right!
I’m excited to share with you what I learned from Sara below! Although her program is designed for expecting moms, Sara is a fitness expert (and was long before pregnancy!) so her tips and exercises will challenge you, pea in pod or not.
Here are some great facts and tips I learned from Sara:
- Pregnant women can actually exercise up to a 75% level of intensity depending on their pre-pregnancy fitness level
- Pregnancy does not mean eat whatever you want! Nutrients in food are really important in a healthy pregnancy and pregnant women only need to consume an extra 250-300 calories a day in their second and third trimester. A diet of only cookies, ice cream, and pickles is not answer after all!
- It is much easier for pregnant women who maintained a high level of fitness and conditioned her body before becoming pregnant to work out during pregnancy.
- Pre-pregnancy health can have a significant impact on conception, the baby’s overall health, the ease of delivery, and post-partum depression.
- Prenatal yoga keeps you fit and healthy, but it is not a weight-loss program. You’ve got to sweat! Most of Sara’s DVDs have the word “sweat” in them, and you WILL sweat!
- Kegels, kegels, kegels! Sara actually said “kegel your brains out!” Kegels help your “parts” recover from pregnancy and childbirth.
- Plank is more effective than crunches and crunches should not be preformed after the 2nd trimester. Sara recommends side-plank for strengthening your core.
Below, Sara outlines the variations of Side Plank best for each of the three trimesters of pregnancy:
- Side Planks, are a great way to strengthen and challenge your core without the strain and contraindications of oblique twists or crunches. Below are modified versions of this basic move for women at different stages of pregnancy:
- Pre-pregnancy/1st trimester: Lie on your right side with your legs stacked and your right hand underneath your right shoulder. Lift your hips up off the floor. Work to hold up to 30 seconds. Repeat on the left.
- 2nd trimester: As your center of gravity shifts and balancing becomes more difficult, you may want to lower your knees to the floor or move from your hand to your forearm.
- 3rd trimester: Use the same modifications as in the 2nd trimester. Due to your increasing belly, you may find it becomes more challenging to breathe deeply, so you may want to limit your duration to 10-15 seconds at a time.
To get more information on Sara and her “Expecting More” program, visit www.sarahaley.com or www.sarafitness.com.
