Bacon Mary - Pregnant, Fit and Fabulous: Your complete guide to exercise before, during and after pregnancy

Copyright 2016 Mary Bacon

All rights reserved.

The publisher is not responsible for any injury, illness or other liability to any person resulting from any material contained herein. This publication contains information relating to general principles of exercise which should not be construed as specific instructions for individual patients.

The reader assumes all responsibility for undertaking any of the exercises herein, and for obtaining clearance from your doctor, obstetrician, physiotherapist or preferred medical team before following any advice or performing any activities described in this book.

In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, and the Australian Copyright Act of 1968, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitutes unlawful piracy and theft of the authors intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at . Thank you for your support of the authors rights.

Distributed by Made For Success Publishing in cooperation with GOKO Publishing, Australia.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data

Bacon, Mary

Pregnant, Fit and Fabulous: Your Complete Guide to Exercise Before,

During and After Pregnancy

eBook ISBN: 978-1-61339-830-2

Print ISBN: 978-1-61339-857-9

LCCN: 2015920984

Book Designed by DeeDee Heathman
Printed in the USA and Australia

I dedicate this book to my daughters Alexandra and Stephanie, and my adorable grandson Ryder.

You have been there through my greatest and my toughest times. Your ever consistent love, encouragement and support means the world to me and is a real blessing. You will always be my greatest achievement.

Throughout this book, I will frequently refer to muscles by name. I have placed it here for easy reference.

A s a personal trainer, my extensive professional qualifications are complemented by an even more important role: the proud mother of my two beautiful daughters, Alexandra, twenty-six and Stephanie, twenty-four. From this standpoint, I feel competent and comfortable in assisting, training and guiding women (and their partners) to happily and confidently adapt to the at times overwhelming physical and emotional experiences that accompany having a baby.

Whether your goal is to fall pregnant, prepare your body for your next pregnancy, or to encourage a family member or friend to do so, this book is for you. Through all the stages of pregnancy, this book will guide you and your partner to a healthier, happier you from before you conceive, during pregnancy and post-pregnancy. You will discover how exercise will make you mentally, emotionally and physically fit. You will have more energy, feel fitter and be healthy and strong.

For a successful and healthy pregnancy and delivery as well as being a positive experience, it is vital that the mother-to-be has positive thoughts and emotions, as these produce beneficial chemicals in the brain. This will naturally have a flow-on effect to your baby. In addition, positive thoughts and emotions will help your partner to support and encourage you. Both parents should have the mental and emotional mantra of positive mother happy and healthy baby.

Your child will have attributes, personality, genes, etc. from your partner as well, so making sure he is fit and healthy is almost as important as it is for you the expectant mother.

As far as the effect of pregnancy on parents is concerned, women may think the weight gained during pregnancy will be lost automatically after their first child, and only after several pregnancies do they realise that the excess weight remains and even accumulates.

Shorter labour, fewer C-sections: The same study also discovered that the exercising womens active labour was two hours shorter and the incidence of operative delivery was reduced from 48 to 14 per cent.

Women who exercised regularly during their pregnancies reported less depression, daily hassles and pregnancy-specific stress in the first and second trimesters.

Exercising during pregnancy can not only lead to a quicker recovery but a quicker return to pre-pregnancy weight as well, according to studies by James Clapp of Case Western Reserve University (USA).

The benefits of adopting a positive approach to lifestyle change through nutrition and exercise will last long after your baby is born. I strongly encourage you to explore this book further and stay open to the ideas it offers.

This book has been written especially for you! The time you invest in these pages can literally change your life!

_______________________

Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2003

ACOG Committee Opinion No.267, Exercise During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period, January 2002

Source Australian Fitness Network e-news IHRSA published 27th July, 2004.

CHAPTER 1

W e live in a high-tech, fast-paced world these days, and obtaining information on web, e-books, blogs or podcasts has proven a huge advantage. However, as a pregnant mother or post pregnancy, finding the right advice and exercises can be a huge challenge. In my personal experience, parents are making decisions that are more educated on these matters, and want to do everything possible to have a healthy baby.

In my 20 years experience in the Fitness Industry, there has been a radical change in the attitude towards exercise during pregnancy. The days are long gone when women were told to endure the discomforts of pregnancy.

Publications from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ACOG) provide new recommendations and guidelines for exercise and the postpartum period (immediately after the birth). For example, a new finding by the ACOG suggests that exercise can help in the prevention and management of gestational diabetes.