Fitness, Nutrition and Life Coaching

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34 Weeks (7+ months) Pregnancy Update

Mar22
2009 Leave a Comment Written by Heather Glenn

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At last a little time to breathe and catch up on my long-overdue pregnancy update. AlaVie has been busy with events almost every week for the last couple of months which has kept me plenty stacked with event prep. among the other aspects that go along with running a fast paced, ever-changing fitness company.

I am now ending my 34th week of pregnancy (I know it’s been a couple of months since my last update). Things have been going really well and my fitness program is staying in tact as hoped. I was able to keep taking boot camp classes until I was about 6 1/2 to 7 months pregnant. I was doing a little running and walking through some of the drills and was able to keep up on the resistance training. I was surpised how little I had to modify but did notice a significant reduction in my speed on pretty much everything I did. I eventually stopped taking the regular classes when my hip flexors started bothering me more. I think some of the activities were too quick of movements for what they could handle any more.

I started AlaVie’s prenatal boot camp in January which went great. We had women in different stages of their pregnancy from about 12 weeks up to 35 weeks! The session ran successfully for two months and I put the program on hold since I will be delivering next month and unable to keep the class running. We’ll be taking a small hiatus and may bring the program back this fall.

At this time most of my cardiovascular exercise comes from stair and hill walking or the elliptical machine or treadmill. I am doing more yoga and keeping up on my resistance training at the gym. One thing is for sure, I really miss boot camp! Can’t wait to jump back in.

I took a great prenatal yoga class at Dolphin Yoga. They have a prenatal class on Monday and Wednesday evenings at 6:30pm, on Thursday at 9:45am and on Saturday at 9:00am. This is a great flowing class that feels challenging unlike some other prenatal yoga classes I’ve attended. They also have Doula services and offer birthing preparation classes. Tracy Stettner was my Doula when I delivered my first baby and was great! I look forward to working with her again this time around. Her business partner, Jen, is also great and has extensive experience as a Doula. You can’t beat this awesome duo.

Lastly, I wanted to share some pregnancy photos I took last Friday. I got these done through the Picture People and can I say they did an awesome job! Lisa Tanner is a great photographer and worked well with my two year-old who didn’t have much patience for taking photos with mommy. Check them out and enjoy.

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5 Month Update – Pregnancy Fitness

Dec22
2008 Leave a Comment Written by Heather Glenn

Hi All,
I know, I know, where have I been!! It’s been about a month since I’ve checked in, things have just been so busy, and where does the time go?!?

I hit 5 months today (22 weeks) and things are going well. I am very happy to say that I am still attending AlaVie’s boot camp classes with minimal modifications. The biggest differences that I’ve noticed in class are that I don’t run nearly as fast as I used to (it’s amazing what an additional 10lbs. can do to your speed levels not to mention the extra strain on your hips to carry that extra weight in your mid-section) and I have to do low impact options for some small portions of our intervals because my feet and calves get tired (from the extra weight). I’m still doing some of the abdominal work on my back but limiting it to about 90 seconds and then sitting up to ensure I don’t cut off oxygen circulation to the baby (remember when lying on your back, the weight of the baby and uterus can reduce or cut off the main blood vessel that supplies the baby with nutrients so you want to lie on your back as minimally as possible). I did have to cut out exercises where you lay on your stomach (for obvious reasons – I wouldn’t want to crush the baby :)

I was asked the other day if I was concerned about doing boot camp and possibly harming the baby. I honestly have no concerns at this point. As long as I’m not over heating or over exerting myself, I’m doing the best thing for my baby. Last pregnancy I was definitely more cautious with my exercise but this time around (after all of the latest research studies that have come out) I’m a little more aggressive. I also had no complications with my last pregnancy so I have no concerns from that aspect. I think every women needs to decide what she is comfortable with and follow her instincts. Keep well informed and remember that this is not a time to improve performance or lose weight but rather a time to be healthy, strong and to strengthen your baby’s lungs and heart.

As a reminder, I will be teaching a prenatal boot camp starting in January (6-7am in San Mateo’s Central Park) for moms-to-be. You can get more details on AlaVie’s website www.alaviefitness.com. This will be a great opportunity to learn how to exercise while pregnant and meet fellow expecting moms. I created this program to offer expecting moms a class just for them that is focused on strength and cardiovascular work. During my last pregnancy, I found that there was a lack of prenatal classes other than yoga. At last ladies – here is your opportunity to strengthen your body and get your heart rate up in an environment made for pregnant women.

I’ll be in touch, as always contact me if you have questions.
Heather

Posted in Prenatal Exercise

Pregnancy Weight Check In – How much weight should you gain during pregnancy

Sep26
2008 1 Comment Written by Heather Glenn

A big concern for many pregnant women is gaining too much weight during their pregnancy. For your first trimester, 0-14 weeks, it’s normal to gain 3-4 pounds. You should continue to gain about one pound per week during the second trimester (months 4-6)and the same (one pound per week) during month 7 and 8 and 0-3 lbs. in the ninth month. Anywhere from 25-35 pounds total weight gain is normal for women. Underweight women should gain weight on the higher end of this range and overweight women should gain weight on the lower end of the range.

Normally I’m not a big proponent of weighing in frequently but I found this to be useful in my first pregnancy in keeping me on track with an appropriate weight gain. If at my doctor’s visits I had gained more than the normal rate, I would watch my food choices more carefully and add in a little more activity.

My pregnancy start weight this time was 123.0 lbs. (my height is 5’2″). I weighed myself this morning (4 weeks later) and am at 123.2 lbs. In spite of all my struggles with eating food and keeping it down, I managed not to lose weight (which can happen during the first trimester for women who are struggling with nausea, heart burn and food aversions). Now that I’m feeling better, I’ve been able to increase my calories slightly to ensure I gain a few pounds by the end of this third month.

Questions about weight gain during pregnancy? Send me a note and I’ll share suggestions.

A Rough Two weeks of Pregnancy Aches

Sep26
2008 Leave a Comment Written by Heather Glenn

Hi moms,

It’s been a rough two weeks for this mom. From extreme fatigue to morning, noon and evening nausea and heart burn to barely being able to eat enough to make it through the day – I just didn’t think mother nature could throw anything else in the mix to make it more difficult to eat healthy and exercise. Thankfully she didn’t! Finally yesterday I caught a break and my symptoms lessened.

Since last I wrote, I’ve been to the doctor for my first pre-natal visit and she confirmed that all is clear for me to exercise normally. I was six weeks at the time and am now starting my eighth week.

I managed to exercise three days last week, less than my normal routine, but I was satisfied with this given my circumstances. I went to boot camp two days and did a weight training circuit at the gym on the other day. Amazingly, as I mentioned before, I always felt better after exercising and my appetite would come back. I took advantage of this and tried to eat plenty after my workouts since I knew my appetite would vanish shortly thereafter.

Each time I went to start my workout, I reminded myself that I was just going to do whatever felt good and I wasn’t going to be disappointed if I couldn’t do everything that I could normally do – something I recommend for all exercisers but specifically for pregnant women.

When it came to eating, this proved to be even more challenging. I couldn’t think of ANYTHING that I wanted to eat. EVERYTHING made me want to gag, especially meat and veggies. Of course I began to worry about getting the nutrients I needed for my baby so I tried to be as creative as I could be to get those needed nutrients. Since red meat made me throw up, I added more spinach, nuts, fortified cereals and raisins to my diet to get more iron – a much needed nutrient for pregnant women whose blood volume increases by 40-50% by the end of their pregnancy.

I ate cottage cheese and fruit to get my protien, antioxidents and vitamin C. There wasn’t really a veggie that I could swallow (well without plugging my nose and choaking it down). I managed to eat some peppers and broccoli. Raw veggies seemed to appeal to me more however they proved to be harsh on my stomach. Bottom line – eat what you can when you can in small doses and try to get as much variety as you can. If there are foods you can’t tolerate, try to find substitutes so that you don’t miss out on the important nutrients.

You may be finding that carbohydrates are the only thing your body wants to eat. This is to be expected because your growing fetus/baby requires a lot of carbohydrates. Be sure to increase your calories by 150-300 per day to cover the increased caloric needs. Exercise to ensure you are controlling calories in and out because you’ll probably find that you’ll eat more carbohydrates than you are used to because it’s the only thing that sounds good to eat!

Wishing you the best!

New Pregnancy News! Thinking about my prenatal fitness plan

Sep11
2008 Leave a Comment Written by Heather Glenn

It’s time to get off my tired butt and go for a run! Boy does this baby making process take it out of you. I feel like I could nap all day and still need more sleep. In spite of this, I know I’ll feel better after I get my blood pumping – plus that darn nausea is surprisingly minimal after I workout.

I just finished emailing a potential boot camper who is 2 months pregnant. She wondered if boot camp would be okay for her and if she’d still get a good workout. I assured her that unless she’s had previous complications with pregnancy or that her doctor had concerns, she could workout status quo for the first 3 months. No changes needed (except maybe a little more slack for yourself on the days you feel like you are going to pass out or puke ;)

On another note, my two year old found a new food that he likes which I recommend to all moms. Trader Joe’s has pre-cooked rice in a bag that takes only a couple of minutes to heat up – this is a saving grace at the end of a long and tiring day. We tried the Jasmine rice and quinoa mix and he devoured three servings (well three kids size servings). Quinoa is a great grain because it has more protien than most. And if you’re a mom of a toddler, you know it’s hard to get them to eat protien.

My recommendation – start early feeding your children healthy foods and minimize the junk food (they don’t need it and they don’t know they are missing out – at least for the first few years – unless grandma exposes them and then you just make it clear that those are special treats and not everyday items). A child’s taste for food develops early so get them used to eating these healthy foods and it shouldn’t be hard to keep them on track down the road. This doesn’t mean they won’t go through phases of not liking things or that you won’t have to bribe them to eat one more piece of meat (come on you’ve done it too – last night I bribed my son to eat a couple more bites of chicken if he wanted to go play frisbee with the dog) but it will definitely create good habits and set them up for a healthier life. My motto: Eat the healthy stuff first and the treats after if you still have room!

I’m off for that run now – time for Mommy and baby’s workout!

UPDATE: Just got back from my run and my legs felt surprisingly strong inspite of my exhaustion. So glad I went. I am trying to do as much running as I can while I still can. I remember last pregnancy I had to stop running around 5 months because I got too heavy and it felt uncomfortable on my joints. I’m hoping it might be different this time around.

My goal today was steady state cardio holding my heart rate at about 75%. Not a long run but enough to get a good sweat. Earlier this week I went for a 50 minute run which consisted of a steady state run to the stairs at seal point park and then several times up and down the stairs to get my heart rate up to 80-85% each time up. I then let my heart rate come down on the way down the stairs to about 60-65%. I finished with a run back to my house from there. For those who aren’t familiar, the percentages refer to the percentage of my maximum heart rate. You want to train in the different zones ranging from about 60-85%. Higher heart rate percentages work on your anaerobic capacity (without oxygen – and yes you are still breathing and your baby gets oxygen it just refers to the process your body uses to get energy – this state, simply put, uses a higher percentage of glucose for energy instead of oxygen and fat) and lower percentages work on your aerobic capacity (with oxygen).

Today I was mindful of tightening and pulling in my abdominal muscles to support my body. As my belly grows, I’ll need strong abdominal muscles to support the weight. I also had to remind myself to pull my shoulders back and keep my head up. As my small breasts get increasingly larger, I’m going to have to fight gravity with my back muscles (and I’m telling you if you could find a way to harness hormones to increase breast size and fullness instead of breast implants you’d be a rich person!). I need to my keep my back muscles strong otherwise I may end up with kyphosis of the spine (curved forward upper back and rolling in of the shoulders).

Time for yogurt and a banana for my post workout snack

About Me

Sep09
2008 Leave a Comment Written by Heather Glenn

Heather Glenn

Heather Glenn – Co-Founder AlaVie Fitness, Fitness Competitor and Mom

ACE Certified Personal Trainer
NESTA Certified Boot Camp Instructor
Fitness and Figure Competitor
Pilates Certified
CPR Certified
BA in Business Administration
Marathoner

Heather Glenn co-founded AlaVie Fitness (formerly Bay Area Boot Camp) in 2004 and continues to serve as its CEO. Growing up as a competitive gymnast, dancer and cheerleader inspired her to continue her involvement in athletics as an adult. In addition to completing several marathons, since 2002 she has been a top finisher in national fitness and figure competitions, including the Fitness America Pageant Series, the Tri Fitness Competition, the Fitness Success Challenge, and the Galaxy Nova.

“I compete because it helps me stay focused and train harder. I like the feeling of pushing myself and beating my own records – my proudest accomplishment in 2005 was breaking one minute on the obstacle course at the Tri Fitness Competition.”

Heather is even prouder of what she has been able to accomplish with her clients at AlaVie after leaving behind a successful career in finance. The most rewarding part of her job: affecting people’s lives in a positive way and noticing their self-confidence increase.

“When people are fit, they feel better. When they’re in good shape, everything is easy. I want people to walk out the door and feel in control, feel strong, and carry that confidence into their lives. Knowing your body is healthy makes you feel like you can accomplish anything.”

In addition to her fitness expertise, Heather’s experience as a champion fitness and figure competitor has also given her insights into healthy eating – she is an excellent source for advice on how to reduce body fat through balanced nutrition.
Giving birth to her first child in September, 2006, Heather is also well-acquainted with the process of getting back in shape after pregnancy.

“It was challenging to get back into shape to compete, but I’m so glad I could experience first-hand what many women go through with their bodies after they have a baby. It’s given me a new understanding.”

Check out Heather’s personal website www.heatherglenn.com for competition highlights and scheduled performances. Heather is also part of the Fit Dream Team, an organization composed of women from all walks of life who have previously participated in fitness competitions and who believe in “living life for the health of it.”

Favorite exercise(s): Lower body plyometrics, Olympic lifts, sprints, stairs and agility drills

Least favorite exercises: Pull-ups, burpies, sprints longer than 200 meters

Favorite healthy food: Oatmeal with peanut butter

Favorite cheat food: Cheese

Greatest Fitness Accomplishment: Does giving birth count? I’ve had a few equally great accomplishments. Completing the Women’s Tri-Fitness Military Obstacle course in under one minute (only 24 women out of 150 were able to do it the year I competed), and placing top 10 overall at 3 National Fitness competitions are just a few.

Biggest fitness roadblocks: My family, in a good way. I’m as passionate about my family as I am about fitness. I used to spend a couple of hours a day exercising; however, I’ve learned to be more efficient with my workouts so I can spend more time with my family.

Current Fitness Goals: Improving my dance technique for future fitness routines. Increasing my strength and speed to where it was prior to my pregnancy (and then some).

Words to live by: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu
Know that each time you make a healthy choice you continue to move forward on your journey toward healthy living.

Hello Baby! Goodbye Body

Sep01
2008 1 Comment Written by Heather Glenn

The good news came about a week ago on my husband’s Birthday. I found out that I am pregnant with our second child and am still trying to grasp this concept (even though I’ve been through this once before). I’m thinking about all of the wonderful (and not so wonderful) changes that are going to take place over the next nine months.

I took the week to let the news sink in and then we started telling friends and family. Being a fitness enthusiast I couldn’t help but start thinking about my plan to stay healthy and fit during this pregnancy. What would I do the same as last time and what might be different. The only thing I knew for sure was that I would keep exercising in all the ways I enjoyed until my body told me to ease off.

Since I didn’t have any complications with my last pregnancy and I exercised throughout it, I didn’t have any reason to believe that I couldn’t do the same this time around. I have heard from other mom’s of multiple children that it’s harder after each pregnancy to regain your body’s shape and strength. I hold my hope and will battle against the odds to try to regain my pre-pre first baby figure after this second little miracle is born.

As I thought more about my plans to stay fit, I decided I would share my experience with other women and hopefully inspire them to be healthy and fit during pregnancy. Ladies, we’re taking care of exercising and eating right for two now! Come on ladies – Join me in this adventure. You only get one opportunity to start your child’s life off as fit and healthy as it can be. Do what you can to give your baby a strong body and mind. I sware my two year old got his energy and athletic ability from all the summer salts and heart pumping activity he did while inside mommy’s belly – and the kid eats veggies and fruits!!

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