Table of Contents
praise for Tracey Malletts SUPER FIT MAMA
Super Fit Mama takes all the guesswork and guilt out of maintaining fitness during pregnancy and in the weeks after delivery. Traceys detailed workouts along with pictures to demonstrate will have you feeling like Madonna with your own personal trainer!
Victoria McEvoy, MD, Assistant in Pediatrics at
Harvard Medical School and Medical Director and
Chief of Pediatrics at Mass General West Medical Group
Tracey Mallett offers all the fitness and nutrition information you need throughout your pregnancy and beyond. The workouts are challenging and fun; the recipes are delicious, nutritious and easy to make. Super Fit Mama is the must-have companion book for every Mom.
Mary Jane Horton, Plum Magazine Editor-in-Chief
Super Fit Mama really delivers the motivation! Its fun, fresh, and feels like Tracey is a friend, who knows what its like juggling the 24/7 demands of work, family and trying to stay fit and healthy. I especially love her lists of helpful hints for each trimester! This book is has something for everyone, no matter where theyre at in pregnancy or after delivery. The exercises are easy to do and better yet, they really work.
Barbara Dehn, RN, MS, NP, Womens Health Nurse Practitioner
Super Fit Mama is the essential guide for eating healthy and staying fit during pregnancy and for getting your body back quickly and safely after delivery. Tracey Mallett has done an outstanding job putting together a program thats not only medically sound, but doable and realistic enough for even a busy new mom to follow!
Andrew Larson, MD, FACS, author of The Gold Coast Cure series and The Whole Foods Diet Cookbook
I know that as a working woman its hard to fit exercise into your daily routine and when youre pregnant you can feel simply exhausted. But Traceys practical instruction teaches you how to work in fitness in small increments of time. This is a must-read!
Alison Rhodes, The Safety Mom, Founder, Safety Mom Enterprises
We are so tired after having a baby, but after reading Super Fit Mama, I became inspired. Traceys style is uplifting and contagious. A new mommy will want to eat better and look hot after reading this book!
Kimberley Clayton Blaine, MA, MFT, founder of www.TheGoToMom.TV, author of Mommy Confidence
Informative and inspiring, Super Fit Mama should be required reading for every pregnant (and post-partum) woman determined to get her former body back. Motherhood is a marathonand if you follow Traceys lead, youll hit the starting line in the best shape of your life.
Jenna McCarthy, author of The Parent Trip: From High Heels and Parties to Highchairs and Potties
Simply put, Super Fit Mama is a must-have for all mothers-to-be. Dealing with a topic so full of myths and misconceptions, Tracey expertly blends science with real world examples, finally bringing exercise and pregnancy into the 21st century.
Tom Holland, MS, CSCS, Exercise Physiologist
Having a baby changes everything... but your body does not have to be unrecognizable forever! Tracey Mallett skillfully empowers expectant and new mothers with the tools to reclaim your bodies, refresh your minds after sleepless nights, and look better than ever!
Vonda Wright, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon, new mother at 40, and author of Fitness After 40: How to Stay Strong at Any Age
Indispensable for anyone looking to stay fit during and after pregnancy. Traceys fitness plan is brilliantly laid out by trimester so a pregnant woman never needs to wonder what is or isnt safe (bonus points for detailing foods and workouts that actually help keep first trimester nausea at bay). She also provides everything from simple recipes to easy workouts for moms on the go, saving them what they need the most during those first few months after babys arrivaltime!
Kate Ward, Editor, TheBump.com
Dedicated to my Mom, Nan, and my beautiful children Amber and Ty
for helping me be the best possible Mom I can be.
FOREWORD
Merrill Sue Lewen, MD
When I met Tracey Mallett in 2001, she was pregnant with her first child. I had just moved to Southern California and had joined the same practice as her OB/GYN. Tracey and I instantly bonded over our common interest in exercise and pregnancy, and two years later I delivered her second child.
During both of my pregnancies, I had exercised to the bitter end, and I had always found that the women in my practice who exercised during pregnancy felt better about themselves and being pregnant than those who didnt. At the time, this was becoming Traceys forte. I began sending pregnant and postpartum patients to her practice, and later, my gynecology patients benefited from her studios physical therapists. Tracey was able to tap into the individual patients needs. Her knowledge of this field never ceases to amaze me.
Exercise has become a modern American obsession. Luckily, it is one of our few healthy obsessions. In a world where being thin is so highly regarded, being pregnant can present a challenge for women. Giving up ones regular workout routine and watching the scale go up and up can drive some women to the depths of depression at what should be one of the most exciting and wonderful times of their lives. Our generation knows not to smoke or drink during pregnancy and not to take certain medications and supplements. We know what foods to avoid, and most of us have considered whether we want to choose organic. But most pregnant women are not well educated about how to exercise safely during pregnancy. Ones current regimen may be just fine (yes, your heart rate can go above 140!), or it may not be (you could fall off that mountain bike pretty hard!). But answers to the questions women have about exercise during pregnancy are not always intuitive.
In Super Fit Mama, Tracey has brilliantly compiled medically sound facts regarding pregnancy and fitness. She caters to the pregnant woman of today who has that healthy obsession for staying fit, reminding her that the demands on her body while pregnant are significant, and that first and foremost she must listen to that body!
There are as many answers to the question of how to stay in shape while pregnant as there are variations of a latte at Starbucks, and Tracey has put these together in a practical, entertaining, and personal way. She dispels myths about exercise during pregnancy, describes how to exercise safely in each trimester while enjoying your changing pregnant body, explains how to handle exercise in the postpartum period, and provides invaluable nutritional tips. Remember, after your pregnancy your body will take time to get back to normal. Your body will be larger than it was before your pregnancy for at least a year. This is not always an easy thing to accept. But if you follow Traceys program, you will soon be a Super Fit Mama.
Tracys regimen also helps those who are overly concerned about their weight to recognize that when it comes to exercise, more is not necessarily better. Her great website (www.TraceyMallett.com) is another resource for these type A pregnant women, a place where they can go for close to constant support regarding these issues.