Kristina Pinto - Fit & Healthy Pregnancy: How to Stay Strong and in Shape for You and Your Baby

Disclaimer: Please consult your doctor before embarking on an exercise program during pregnancy.

Copyright 2013 by Kristina Pinto

All rights reserved. Published in the United States of America by VeloPress, a division of Competitor Group, Inc.

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The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:

Pinto, Kristina.

Fit and healthy pregnancy: how to stay strong and in shape for you and your baby / Kristina Pinto with Rachel Kramer, MD.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-934030-96-7 (pbk.); ISBN 978-1-937716-36-3 (e-book)

1. Exercise for pregnant women. I. Kramer, Rachel (Rachel J.) II. Title.

RG558.7.P56 2013

618.2'44dc23

2013018150

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Cover design by Maryl Swick

Interior design by Vicki Hopewell; composition by Vicki Hopewell and Jane Raese

Cover photographs by Brooke Duthie

Interior illustrations by Nicole Kaufman

Author photograph by Kate Crabtree Photography

Version 3.1

For Henry

Contents

Writing this book about fitness and pregnancy was a labor of love, and Im grateful for the support and guidance I received from many people. I would like to thank my agent, Bob Kern, and my colleague in writing and sport Sage Rountree for shepherding my words to publication. I also extend tremendous gratitude to my editors Casey Blaine, Renee Jardine, and Connie Oehring for their valuable insights during the process of writing and refining.

Im also grateful for the candor and generous time given by many athlete moms, trainers, coaches, and health professionals, particularly Dr. Rachel Kramer for her brilliant medical knowledge and compassionate care for womens health. I also deeply thank midwife Marisa Rowlson and coaches Deanna Pelletier, Jack Fultz, and Michelle Simmons. I appreciate the time given by Tracy Yoder at Running USA and by Bobbi Gibb, who talked openly with me about motherhood after her legendary Boston Marathon. For feedback on writing and running life, I am incredibly grateful to Emilie Manhart. I am honored to coach wonderfully inspiring athletes and to write for blog readers who follow Mother Running Rampant (http://kristinapinto.net), and I offer my thanks to them for their contributions to this book.

Thank you to Brian Sawyer for his partnership in raising a healthy and happy son and to my parents for teaching me to value mind-body fitness in family life through ballet, tennis, and croquet. Thank you also to Sarah Pinto, Mary Duquette, Mary Holt-Wilson, and Chrisanne Douglas for their loving kindness and honest presence. My deepest love and appreciation go to Dan LEcuyer for the incredible care and confidence he provides, both gentle and tough, in guiding me to strive and achieve in sport, motherhood, love, and writing. And, of course, my love and thanks go to the heart of my heart, Henry, who inspires and moves me every moment of my life.

KRISTINA PINTO

THE 2012 LONDON OLYMPICS seemed like a baby shower for fit pregnancy, a watershed for sport and motherhood. At the 2008 Beijing Games, swimmer Dara Torres had opened a door for women in sports to be highly visible moms, and the London Olympics picked up where she left off by placing mothers front and center. In no other Olympic broadcast had athlete moms been more celebrated, or perhaps more decorated. Beach volleyball star Kerri Walsh-Jennings took home her third consecutive gold medal, having become a mother of two in the years between the Athens (2004) and London Games. The 2012 medal favorites in the womens high jump included three moms of toddlers. Several of the most promising marathoners were also moms, including Kara Goucher of the United States and Romanian Constantina Dita, a 42-year-old mother of a teenager. No longer just waving flags tearfully from the stands, mothers were high-profile in the action and on the podium.

London was also a groundbreaking Olympics for expectant women. In no prior Games had a competitor participated at 36 weeks pregnant. Malaysian riflewoman Nur Suryani Mohammed competed in the 10-meter air-rifle event, saying later in a press interview that she talked to her baby daughter in utero every morning, asking permission to shoot without being kicked. If the baby kicks, I have to breathe easy and let her calm down before shooting, said Nur. Now, thats good advice for moms everywhere.

As a Muslim woman competing in Olympic air rifle while 8 months pregnant, Nur might have broken through several layers of ground in elite sports. At the same time, she represents the modern age in womens athletics. Today, many women are more likely to register for baby joggers and bike chariots than rocking chairs, and theyre inclined to stay fit and active throughout pregnancy. As Nur put it, I am the mother. I know what I can do. I am stubborn.

And yet many of us dont know how much we can do, and we encounter raised eyebrows and voices of concern that Nur and other expectant mothers also face as they strive for a fit pregnancy. This book offers answers to clear up that confusion, and it will help empower you for a healthy, active 40 weeks and beyond. It covers your mind-body wellness as well as the health and safety of the baby youre growing. And by presenting the most current knowledge on pregnancy and exercise and the advice and experiences of countless expectant women with active lifestyles, this book will equip you to navigate what can seem like the ultimate 9-month endurance sport.

At the same time that youll learn about fitness that is safe and healthy for women with pregnancies that are progressing normally, reading this book will help you focus on yourself. The central tenet of a fit pregnancy is that you value your own experience and heed your individual bodys cues in order to be strong, active, and healthy. This is your body and your pregnancyno one elses. Youre creating an ecosystem of flesh and blood, and your fit pregnancy wont look precisely like that of any other woman. This book reminds you to trust your body and focus on a balance between mental and physical health in order to be fit and healthy while you grow a baby.

Designed for veteran and recreational athletes as well as general fitness enthusiasts, the book digs deeply into each trimester, including the often neglected fourth trimester of postpartum adjustment. Each of these chapters covers the essential information you need to cultivate a healthy pregnancy and start toward motherhood. Youll be able to read about such key topics as:

Whats happening to my body?

How do I fuel each trimester?

How do I exercise safely throughout my pregnancy?