As upset as I was to hear I had to have a c-section after 17 hours of sitting in the hospital in labor, 3 weeks later I’ve luckily recovered quickly and easily.

A few clients and friends have asked what my “secret” is to my speedy recovery and weight loss. All I can do is share advice on what I did/do and hopefully it helps others in their journey.

Healthy Eating=Healthy Mind and Healthy Body

green juice!

Throughout my pregnancy and especially post-pregnancy, I really stressed getting organic, healthy, REAL food into my body. I stay away from anything processed, steer clear of sugar and anything unnatural. If I am craving something sweet I reach for fruit, dark chocolate or vegan ice cream. As soon as I had the baby (the DAY after) I had my mom bring me fresh green vegetable juice to obtain the energy from the chlorophyll and the rejuvenating properties of the nutrients in the veggies. I ate omega-3 rich salmon and brown rice for the protein and fiber.  By getting back into this routine of eating healthy, beautiful, nutrient-dense foods, it allowed me to quickly gain energy and strength.

I made sure to get in a lot of warming foods postpartum, like ginger, coconut water and cooked foods like quinoa and sauteed veggies.  In Chinese medicine it is thought that pregnancy is a time you are very warm internally and need to balance it with cooling foods (like raw fruits and veggies), and postpartum is a time your body is very cold and needs to be warmed. Staying hydrated is VERY important for recovery, especially when breastfeeding. Drinking room temperature water rather than cold water can help keep the balance of warm vs cold in your body as well.

Yoga and Exercise for a Speedy Recovery

walking 9 months pregnant

During my pregnancy I worked out 4-5 times per week. In the beginning I did all the same workouts: running, jogging, swimming, stair stepper, cross training, cross-fit, power yoga, jump roping, weight lifting and spinning (check out my post on exercise and pregnancy for more details). After my belly got larger, I didn’t feel comfortable doing high-intensity workouts or anything that required jumping. I continued doing yoga and light cardio (swimming, walking and stairs) as often as I could. 3 days before having Kai, I was at a power yoga class. There were weeks I didn’t feel like doing anything, but I made sure to walk uphill and do a modified yoga practice. After wards without fail, I felt better. This was key. In the immediate, I had more energy. In the long term, I’m convinced it’s what is ensuring my speedy recovery.

In the days following my surgery I would walk around the hospital hallways doing laps. I would hold onto my husband or a family member while hobbling up and down the halls. It made a huge difference and with each lap I felt stronger than the last. When I got home I’d deliberately make several trips up and down the stairs, slowly and carefully, to get a glass of water or whatever I needed. This helped train my body and let it know it was time to get moving. Of course, I listened to my body and what it needed. I didn’t push anything. But I was ready to start recovering very quickly: both mentally and physically.

Mind over matter

In the first few days, you almost have to force yourself to create healthy habits. Begin walking as soon as you possibly can. Find the healthiest things on your hospital menu to order, and if there isn’t anything, have someone bring you food. Make sure you get adequate water immediately, more than you think you need. Try and ween yourself off the pain killers as soon as you can. This is doing nothing for your recovery because you can’t even feel what’s happening in your body. Take Motrin instead: it’s an anti-inflammatory that helps reduce the swelling from your surgery and also reduce pain in your body. Keep your body “warm” with warming foods from Traditional Chinese Medicine. Here’s a complete list. Finally, be sure to exercise throughout your entire pregnancy, no matter how much you don’t want to. It will help with weight loss on the other side. I highly recommend yoga, in case I haven’t mentioned that before. (ha!) 

See Part Two of this Journey-3 months post-pregnancy!

Exercising is a vital part to life, and that definitely doesn’t stop when you become pregnant!

Just because you’re a waddling woman with a big belly and back pain doesn’t entitle you to skip this healthy regiment. Being active doesn’t mean going to a gym necessarily, but you must get your butt moving for at least 30 minutes almost every single day. This can be walking for 30 minutes with your dog in the afternoon or breaking it up- 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes after dinner. You can go on a bike ride, go swimming or participate in a yoga class.

What Not to Do…for a safe pregnancy

Obviously be smart about what type of exercise you choose. Clearly, football, soccer, softball, horseback riding, gymnastics, kickboxing, downhill skiing, hockey, cross fit, plyometrics and the like should be avoided for a safe pregnancy. Use your head-nothing that will hurt the baby by hitting your stomach, shaking the baby or risking injury of falling.

Benefits to Exercise During Pregnancy

Exercise can be invaluable in making your pregnancy healthy and happy. For starters, it can help with constipation, backache, fatigue, and varicose veins. And not only can it aid in improving your sleep, but it also reduces the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, depression and anxiety. (“Why Exercise During Pregnancy?” womenshealth.gov)

As if that all wasn’t enough, Active women have shorter labors, easier deliveries, quicker recovery times, and can be into shape faster postpartum. (Snuggs, Exercise and Pregnancy, suite101.com) And of course, what’s good for mom is good for baby. Exercise gets the blood circulating, which positively affects the placenta (which gives baby oxygen and nutrients). (Booth and Alpino, Exercise during pregnancy helps you stay healthy” babyfit.com)

Talk to you Doctor before

No matter what your activity preference may be, just be sure to verify whatever you chose with your midwife or doctor before starting. There are a few cases when it could be unsafe including: carrying twins or more, risk of premature labor, heart or lung disease, bleeding, ruptured membranes, placenta previa, (“Why exercise during pregnancy” womenshealth.com) complications with past pregnancies, severe diabetes, seizure disorders, asthma, anemia, muscle or joint problems, repeated C sections, previous miscarriage, a sedentary lifestyle or if you’re extremely over or underweight. (“exercising while you’re pregnant” babyfit.com)

HYDRATION!

Assuming you’re in the clear with your doc, remember to drink plenty of water before, during, and after working out. You’ll need more water than you think you need. It’s also more difficult to manage your body now with your big belly, big boobs and your imbalance! So be cautious and go slower than you think you need to until you get used to this new body. Patience is key here (biggest lesson I’ve learned during this process!)

FLEXIBILITY

All of your ligaments and joints are looser than ever, allowing your body to expand for the growing baby and uterus. Overstretching will not do you any good. And neither will lying flat on your back. After sixteen weeks, avoid doing any exercise that has you in that position. The weight of your newly heavy uterus on a major blood vessel can affect blood flow to the placenta. Not cool. Be careful when stretching and doing yoga!

I’ve heard so many horror stories about yoga teachers and personal trainers (or not) taking their students or clients to unsafe territories in their bodies.

Working out isn’t supposed to make you want to throw up, and yoga isn’t supposed to hurt. Practicing it is supposed to make you feel better, but doing it wrong is just dangerous.

After being a personal trainer at Equinox in Santa Monica and working as a yoga teacher at several studios including a gym, I’ve seen it all. Students wobble into class injured, saying they can hardly walk due to an injury from their last class. I’ve had students not come to my class for months because of an injury they received after going to another yoga class that took them far beyond their capabilities. Obviously, this is all subjective and students/clients should monitor their own bodies. But seriously, some teachers are out of control. I’ve heard about a certain incredibly famous power yoga teacher actually popping a students rib out of place from pressing too hard on his back. Some teachers assist and have no proper training in how to do so. Not cool.

Weekend Warriors

Often times people get hurt because they assume that yoga is simple and that anybody can pretzel himself or herself on demand. Edward Toriello, an orthopedic surgeon and spokesman for the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons says, most of the injuries he sees are sustained by “weekend warrior” baby boomers who being yoga or work outs without realizing that their bodies are no longer what they used to be.”They think yoga is an easy way to start exercises, so they go to class once a week, not stretched out at all and they get hurt.”

Same goes for cardio and especially for weight lifting. I had many clients who insisted on benching more weight “because it’s what they did in college” but what they don’t realize, is that they aren’t that person anymore. That’s when they get injured and then have to lay off exercise for weeks to properly heal.  Functional strength training is much more effective for optimal results.

Legit?

Part of the problem is that increasingly, the people teaching yoga don’t know enough about it. Yoga was traditionally taught one-on-one, over many years. Today’s instructors can take a yoga teacher training course in just one weekend. Luckily, to be in the Yoga Alliance (formed in 1999) has set a minimum of 200 hours for instructors to be certified. Unfortunately, only 16,168 of the over 70,000 yoga teachers are actually in the Yoga Alliance. This is a very pertinent issue, especially when it comes to injury.

Wherever you chose to practice or work out, studio, gym or with a personal trainer at the beach, just make sure you listen to your own body and take care of yourself. If you don’t, nobody else can be expected to. Warm up before activity/exercise, then stretch when muscles are warm, and stretch for a longer amount of time after activities. For Weekend Warriors, if you can’t get to the gym other than weekends, be sure to stretch during the week for 10-15 minutes… it will make a world of difference! And If something hurts... stop doing it!

I’ve heard so many horror stories about yoga teachers and personal trainers (or not) taking their students or clients to unsafe territories in their bodies.

Working out isn’t supposed to make you want to throw up, and yoga isn’t supposed to hurt. Practicing it is supposed to make you feel better, but doing it wrong is just dangerous.

After being a personal trainer at Equinox in Santa Monica and working as a yoga teacher at several studios including a gym, I’ve seen it all. Students wobble into class injured, saying they can hardly walk due to an injury from their last class. I’ve had students not come to my class for months because of an injury they received after going to another yoga class that took them far beyond their capabilities. Obviously, this is all subjective and students/clients should monitor their own bodies. But seriously, some teachers are out of control. I’ve heard about a certain incredibly famous power yoga teacher actually popping a students rib out of place from pressing too hard on his back. Some teachers assist and have no proper training in how to do so. Not cool.

Weekend Warriors

Often times people get hurt because they assume that yoga is simple and that anybody can pretzel himself or herself on demand. Edward Toriello, an orthopedic surgeon and spokesman for the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons says, most of the injuries he sees are sustained by “weekend warrior” baby boomers who being yoga or work outs without realizing that their bodies are no longer what they used to be.”They think yoga is an easy way to start exercises, so they go to class once a week, not stretched out at all and they get hurt.”

Same goes for cardio and especially for weight lifting. I had many clients who insisted on benching more weight “because it’s what they did in college” but what they don’t realize, is that they aren’t that person anymore. That’s when they get injured and then have to lay off exercise for weeks to properly heal.  Functional strength training is much more effective for optimal results.

Legit?

Part of the problem is that increasingly, the people teaching yoga don’t know enough about it. Yoga was traditionally taught one-on-one, over many years. Today’s instructors can take a yoga teacher training course in just one weekend. Luckily, to be in the Yoga Alliance (formed in 1999) has set a minimum of 200 hours for instructors to be certified. Unfortunately, only 16,168 of the over 70,000 yoga teachers are actually in the Yoga Alliance. This is a very pertinent issue, especially when it comes to injury.

Wherever you chose to practice or work out, studio, gym or with a personal trainer at the beach, just make sure you listen to your own body and take care of yourself. If you don’t, nobody else can be expected to. Warm up before activity/exercise, then stretch when muscles are warm, and stretch for a longer amount of time after activities. For Weekend Warriors, if you can’t get to the gym other than weekends, be sure to stretch during the week for 10-15 minutes… it will make a world of difference! And If something hurts... stop doing it!