I love to see how the Moms in my classes will amaze me each day! Yesterday, I had a Mama in class, pregnant with #2. She was a day past her due date, and kept up the entire class! What fabulous shape she was in, and what a great role model she is for her children and other women! I am looking forward to the call or email about when Baby Girl #2 arrives into this world.

Today, in class we had 2 nursing Mamas. I love that women are comfortable caring for their little ones, and know that they are in supportive surroundings. Then, after class, I had another Mom who is contemplating becoming pregnant with #2 ask me if it's safe to exercise while you're pregnant. I thought I'd take today to let you all know why it's not only safe to exercise while you're pregnant, but beneficial and necessary!

I could go on forever (and believe me, I sometimes do!), but here are a few fun facts:

Exercise helps stabilize moods during pregnancy.

Exercise increases confidence in your changing body image and decreases feelings of apprehension about labor and delivery. 

Exercising women experience fewer incidences of post-partum depression.

Mothers-to-be who exercise experience less lower-back pain and depression than their sedentary counterparts. 

Women who exercise during pregnancy experience fewer pre-natal discomforts such as: constipation, swelling of extremities, nausea, leg cramps, varicose veins, insomnia, fatigue, back pain, and incontinence. 

Women who exercise throughout their pregnancies return to activities of normal daily life 40% faster than less active women.

Physical activity during pregnancy reduces the incidence of gestational diabetes by half, and the risk of pre-eclampsia by 35%. 

Sedentary women are 4.5 times more likely to have a Cesarean delivery than active women. 

Women who continue weightbearing exercise throughout pregnancy experience less problematic deliveries (75% decrease in the need for forceps or C-section, 75% decrease in maternal exhaustion, 50% decrease in the need for Pitocin, and a 50% decrease in the need to intervene due to fetal heart-rate abnormalities). 

Exercising women have been shown to have active labor that was 30% shorter than control groups.

Pregnant Mamas, why wouldn't you exercise if you knew all of these great things would result?! You need your 30 minutes a day just as much as everyone else does!! And I didn't even get started on the health benefits for the babies! Next time!

Tell me, how did you exercise during pregnancy and how do you feel it benefited you. A random comment will receive a free week of OFM Classes!

I am loving the Philadelphia Museum of Art right now!

2 weekends ago, I had the opportunity to take a girlfriend and our 2 boys to see the Picasso exhibit. The highlight might have been the fact that we had VIP passes, and didn't need to stand in the very long line with 4 and 5 year old boys! We loved our headphones for the walking tour, and I think it really helped to keep the boys' attention. I really enjoyed letting him lead me through the exhibit, quietly pointing out the art he'd like to see and hear about. Caleb didn't want to leave; he wanted to stay and hear more 'stories' about Picasso. One of the most interesting parts was that the pictures and sculptures I happened to find a bit bizarre were my boy's favorites! There were so few children there, and i was grateful to have the opportunity to expose our little guys to the arts at such a young age!

I think the highlight of the boys' day might have been running around like maniacs outside the museum, and finding a terrific family who shared their paper airplanes with them! It's all about life balance, right?

Now, I'm excited that I get to bring a large group of YOU with me back to the Art Museum! And the best part is that afterward, instead of playing with paper airplanes, you'll get to enjoy FREE drinks, compliments of the Philadelphia Museum of Art! Here are the details...

Friday, April 30 @ 6 pm

FREE Admission to the Picasso Exhibition for 1st 25 RSVP's, and discounted ($18) admission to those who reply after the 1st lucky 25 and FREE 'Iced Cubism' Cocktails at their 'Art After 5' Program.

To RSVP, send an email to kari.molvar@philamueum.org  with the names and emails of everyone in your group. All are welcome - the more girls, the merrier!

In return for this great experience, we'll all need to blog, tweet, and/or facebook about our fun night out, with a link the the Art Museum's blog. Not a bad deal, right?!

RSVP today! Looking forward to a fun night out, Mamas!!!

Wow!

So, these Moms never fail to amaze me!! Over 12 weeks, they lost 375 pounds. All of this was due to hard work, determination, and a commitment to exercise and healthy nutrition! These Mamas were regular women like you and me who made the decision to create a healthier lifestyle for themselves and their families. Any time you say you don't have time to exercise...think to the Moms with 3 kids in tow or a brand new baby to get to know, and remember that they lost 10-15% of their body weight in just 3 months! Think to how their diets were peppered with fast food and processed foods in the beginning, and how they morphed into whole, healthful food eaters as time went on.

Are you dying to find out who won?? Decisions have been made!! What a secret some of us have to keep over the next week!!

If you want to find out the winners, please join us for a fabulous Moms' Night Out on Thursday, April 15 @ 7pm. Our night out will be at the Mud Shack in North Wales, where you'll enjoy free food and drinks, a variety of pottery and glass projects to choose from, GREAT company, and, at the end of the evening...our BIG winners announcement!! Space is limited. You must RSVP to me, and receive a confirmation that you are on the guest list. All are welcome! All must register, even participants of the 2010 Fittest Mama Challenge. To register, send an email to Tricia@onefitmama.com with Moms Night Out in the subject line.

Can't wait to see you there, ladies! Especially those of you who are 375 pounds lighter!! Woo-hoo! Amazing job, Mamas!!

My little man impressed me this weekend! We decided to make the best of our Sunday down time and the beautiful weather and head out to Forbidden Drive -- one of our favorite places! I especially love to walk there with him when I'm not teaching a class. It's so nice to allow him time to explore sometimes, instead of the rush to get in some good exercise.

As many of you know, Valley Green is 2.5 miles down the trail. And Valley Green has a snack shop with ICE CREAM!! He told me he was up for it, so we decided to make the 5 mile loop. Who can resist the lure of ice cream?!

For the first mile, we mostly ran, and I was beginning to wonder if I could keep up the whole time! (It's been a while since I've really run.) Then, we hit the covered bridge, and it was much more exciting to run across it and throw things into the waterfall. I had to peel him away to do the next mile and a half before the snack bar, and, while he wasn't running, he amazed me with how well his little legs could keep up.

When we arrived at the snack bar, it seemed everyone else had the same idea we did. After standing in line for 20 minutes, we discovered there was no more ice cream! Ouch! Note to self...never entice a 5 year old into a 5 mile walk with the promise of ice cream if you can not produce said ice cream!! Actually, I think I was secrelty more disappointed than he was. He happily sat and munched on his consolation prize - Twizzlers. And I mistakenly ate a soft pretzel.

Our return trip was quite painful, to say the least. We ran out of water at our halfway point, and so did the snack bar! The last 2.5 miles consisted of stopping every single dog and petting it, throwing about 300 sticks into the water, resting on nearly every bench we saw, and me carrying my 40+ pound boy for about a half mile. Our big adventure was definitely about a mile too long!

Still, I'm impressed that Caleb happily, albeit wearily, hung in there. There are some grown ups I know who wouldn't have gone with me. And I'm thrilled that my boy is now not only just my upside-down-roller coaster partner in crime, but also my soon-to-be training partner! Zooma Annapolis, here we come!!