No tags yet.
Congratulations! You’re pregnant! After weeks, months, years -or just a few minutes- of thinking, wishing, and hoping for this day, it has finally arrived! Have a rest, you’re probably feeling tired. Put those feet up, and enjoy the miracle of building a baby. It takes a lot of work to grow another human, tiny as they may start out to be. Perhaps you are one of the lucky women whom instantly start glowing the moment of conception. Or, you’re like me, and you will spend the majority of the next nine months vomiting, crying, yelling, swelling, and stuffing your face until you just can’t take it anymore, and then your baby arrives. Yay! But, now that all the trials, tribulations, and fun stuff that gets you in this predicament have accomplished their purpose…what do you do?
There is no better time than during pregnancy to start making some goals and building healthy habits before your family unit begins to grow. Despite what our mothers-before-us were told, it is now encouraged that pregnant women maintain an active and healthy lifestyle during pregnancy. After all, what you eat and do can greatly affect that little bun in the oven. So, if you have decided to live a healthy pregnancy, where do you start? What exercises are recommended for a woman intentionally growing in size? How should you change your diet? Are there any exercises that could help improve your performance during labour (yes, exercise can help that, too!) What can prepare you for your post-partum journey? No one really wants to fear sneezing at any point in life, especially after pregnancy: I know from personal experience that it ain’t fun! A good thing to know is that not every personal trainer in the world has pre and post-natal certification! And, not every doctor can tell you the recommended exercises to perform during pregnancy! This is why you need to be extra picky when deciding who you choose to train you and how they approach your training during this very crucial part of your life.
Enter Kellie *and hear the Hallelujah chorus*. This intelligent woman, with her bright eyes, high energy, and curly hair any girl would envy is your answer to a healthy pregnancy and post-partum practice. Starting with a Kinesiology background (the study of human movement,) this woman literally helps birth babies for a living! She’s an RN here in Edmonton, working in the Labour and Delivery ward. If that wasn’t enough: this powerhouse of a woman continued her schooling, eventually being certified in pre- and post-natal physical training before launching her own bootcamp for Mommies-to-be! This woman pretty much has a neon sign blinking over her head, screaming “I train pregnant ladies!” Kellie is an amazing woman and a force to be reckoned with, but don’t be intimidated: she has a passion, and her passion is people.
Kellie and I met during a snowy day this past week, and as she sipped on her mint tea she told me about her background and the classes she teaches. The one thing that I noticed the most during our conversation was
that this woman is driven by the will to help people, to educate them, and help them enjoy this incredible time in their lives where many of us can feel the loneliest. Pregnancy is hard on every mom; physically and emotionally. It plays with our hormones, and the weight gain doesn’t always help with our self-love. Kellie is not just a trainer, but a friend to each one of her students. Every class begins with a short lesson on topics of interest, like nutrition or core strength, and ends with students receiving at-home challenges for the week to keep them motivated and moving. Her approach is to help these moms make changes in their lives to build and maintain healthy living for life, instead of for the time being. It is inspiring to meet this woman, and I can only imagine how different and more positive my pregnancies would have been, had I someone like Kellie to motivate me.
Currently there are three classes being offered: Mom & Me Fit for new moms looking to build their core strength in a positive environment and with the right approach; Prenatal Fit for Mommies-to-be wanting to start healthy habits early on in the parenting world; and a Fit Bootcamp for those of us both before and long after babies whom want to keep up a healthy lifestyle in an encouraging and challenging class. Kellie, also, writes blogs for readers that focus on the benefits of having an active pregnancy, along with tips, recipes, and at home workouts that can help you achieve a balanced lifestyle. The site is a wealth of knowledge for the new and veteran moms that sometimes need a little help or encouragement to keep those healthy habits going.
When Fit Your Life officially began in January of 2015, Kellie only offered one prenatal and one postpartum fitness seminar as a way of dipping her toes into the waters, before jumping in head first. Since then, the programs have taken off and are continuing to grow in popularity. Kellie is too humble to admit that these classes –which many fitness studios offer- are not growing because of their names or the industry, but because of who SHE is, the specialties SHE provides, and because of the personal touch SHE gives to each one of her classes and students. I feel so grateful to have met Kellie and be in the presence of her energy. I encourage any new or expecting mom to find a way into a class and take the opportunity to build better habits from one of the very best. Your little bean and your body will thank you.
