Jillian Michaels - Yeah Baby!: The Modern Mamas Guide to Mastering Pregnancy, Having a Healthy Baby, and Bouncing Back Better Than Ever

This book is intended as a reference volume only, not as a medical manual. The information given here is designed to help you make informed decisions about your health. It is not intended as a substitute for any treatment that may have been prescribed by your doctor. If you suspect that you have a medical problem, we urge you to seek competent medical help.

The information in this book is meant to supplement, not replace, proper exercise training. All forms of exercise pose some inherent risks. The editors and publisher advise readers to take full responsibility for their safety and know their limits. Before practicing the exercises in this book, be sure that your equipment is well-maintained, and do not take risks beyond your level of experience, aptitude, training, and fitness. The exercise and dietary programs in this book are not intended as a substitute for any exercise routine or dietary regimen that may have been prescribed by your doctor. As with all exercise and dietary programs, you should get your doctors approval before beginning.

Mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities in this book does not imply endorsement by the author or publisher, nor does mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities imply that they endorse this book, its author, or the publisher.

Internet addresses and telephone numbers given in this book were accurate at the time it went to press. 2016 by Jillian Michaels

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

Photo Credits can be found on page 349. Page number refers to the print edition.

Book design by Christina Gaugler

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the publisher.

ISBN-13: 9781623368036 paperback
ISBN-13: 9781623368043 e-book

We inspire health, healing, happiness, and love in the world. Starting with you.
RodaleWellness.com

This one is for my beautiful family.
Thank you for being the inspiration behind
not just this book but every day of my life.
Heidi, Lu, Phoenix, and of course
my own beloved mom, JoAnn...
I love you to the moon and back again.

T he fact that you have picked up this book is pretty exciting. Obviously, you are either pregnant or desire to be, and that is incredibly fantastic news! So get ready, because I am about to turn everything you think you know about pregnancy upside down. Not to worry. Its all good news! Like this: Research shows us that if you manage your pregnancy properly, not only will you maintain your current level of fitness, but in many cases you can actually improve it! Or how about this one: Recent studies have revealed that pregnancy can be a veritable fountain of youth. Yup! During a healthy pregnancy, your baby can actually give you embryonic stem cells to help you turn back the clock and emerge from this incredible period better than ever! One more teaser: Proper fitness, nutrition, and lifestyle habits can increase your childs athleticism, IQ, likelihood for a healthy adult body weight, and even long-term earning potential.

Bottom line, pregnancy is a magical time, literally and figuratively, where the miracle of life can have tremendous potency and transformative power for you and your little one, if you have the awareness to take the proper actions. There is a lot to know, and a lot to get excited about, and this book is about all that good stuff, including some of the very newest information out there that can help make your pregnancy smoother and help you take advantage of what scientists and doctors know now that they didnt know when your mom had you.

Now, Id love to continue giving you my best warm and fuzzy, but I am a big subscriber to the truth will set you free club, and if you are at all familiar with me, I am pretty sure you know that already. So lets be honest: Pregnancy isnt all rose garlands wreathing the heads of cherub-like babies. Your life is about to change... and thats incredibly awesome, joyful, overwhelming, and for some (most), scary. Yes, all these emotions can exist simultaneously. And despite all the wonders of modern science, honestly, there are still some parts of pregnancy that arent all that funlike morning sickness, mood swings, and swollen ankles. Im going to walk you through all of it. Im also going to alert you to some real dangers out theredangers to your health and to the health of your baby. It is a polluted and not always ethical world, and the sooner you know that, the sooner you can get motivated to do what you can to work around it. Thats another big part of this book, as you will soon see.

Welcome to pregnancy and eventual parenthood.

So how is your life about to change? In so many ways! First and foremost, your life is no longer your own. You will soon discover, if you havent already, that your priorities are utterly realigned. Your emotions will be hijacked, and your body will become a vessel for a brand-new life. All this in just the first 40 weeksthats some serious S#!+ to contemplate. And the sooner we get real with each other, the sooner I can help you take control, master your maternity, give your kiddo every possible advantage right from the start, and get you a postbaby body to die for.

There. I said it. You can do your absolute best to make a healthy baby and be a hot mama, all at the same time. Its the ultimate promise, but I stand by it because Ive done it for others and I can do it for you. So why not kick this off with a bang? Together we can make this happen. With the right information, you can make the right choices to exact the optimal outcome for you and yours.

Now maybe you are really looking forward to what I have to say because this is your first baby and you havent learned that much about being pregnant yet. You are hungry for knowledge because you want to get it right. Great! But maybe you are thinking, This is not my first rodeo. Ive done this before and Im just looking for the latest info on maternity fitness and nutrition. Otherwise, Im good. Fair enough, but you are wise to hang with me this time around, because new information is surfacing every day. Even I have been amazed, researching this book, how much has come out in the last couple of years. But guess what? The Yeah Baby! dream team of experts and I are on top of it. No matter how much you think you know today, by the end of this book, you are going to be even more pregnancy-savvy. You will have more knowledge about what science can do for you, as well as what you dont want to do before, during, and after pregnancy. This will lay the groundwork for genuine good health, now and for the rest of your life as a parent.