Melissa Heuser is a hero to me!  She saved my backside, quite literally, when I was pregnant with my first baby, Addie.  I was still working full time in an office and she came to my house 2 mornings a week and whipped my booty into gear.  I wore my pre-prego jeans until I was 5 mos pregnant and then switched to maternity clothes.  I loved that people would tell me they couldn’t tell I was pregnant until I turned around (I’m sure they were only humoring me, but I loved it anyway!).  This was not quite the case with baby #2.  If you recall, we found out I was pregnant when Addie was 2 months old.  The fitness program?? Not so much second time around…Mel on the other hand was pregnant with her first while I was pregnant with my second and actually delivered 2 days after me.  She was in her pre-jeans about 3 days later. You want to dislike her, but can’t because she is so amazingly awesome!

Mel now offers her tips for everyone!  She just launched this incredible website, TBwaP ~ “Tight Pod with a Pod”. (And on a side note, Mel was crazy like me and just had her second baby.  I think her website and the baby both happened within days of each other.  So she is a mom of a now 1 year old and a newborn.  If anyone is qualified to give tips, she is!)

“To help keep us on track we need a partner, a friend, a co-worker, your husband, your older kids, someone to help motivate us and keep us accountable to our healthy lifestyle.  TBwaP can also help. It’s a free daily newsletter that sends you exercises fitness tips, eats and lifestyle articles. All tailored to your mom status, weather you are just talking about being a mom, just peed on the stick or you have a 4 year old we are all moms trying to find the balance. Log on to www.tightbodwithapod.com today to start getting the inside scoop.”

A few of Mel’s Favorite things:

1. Favorite beauty tip: Hydrate
2. Favorite kid/baby item: Happy Baby squeezable organic fruit and veggie puree’s available @ Target
3. Favorite Place: Home
4. Must have shoe for summer: a well fitting supportive athletic shoe see Road Runner Sports or find a location to get a free fitting.
5. Favorite week night recipe:

Healthy Turkey Taco Bar:

Ground turkey, packet of Mexican seasoning (low sodium) tomatoes, cucumber, low fat cheese, low fat sour cream, avocado slices, lettuce, corn or flour tortillas and black beans.

Once your pregnant the need for your body to be strong and active increases. Here are a few exercises for less body aches, more energy, sleeping better, preparing your body for labor and getting a head start on getting the baby weight off. Keep it simple; you can do safe effective workouts at home. The must have piece of equipment is a stability ball; even just sitting on it will relieve pressure and tension. Also it is a great tool for labor.

My “3” favorite prenatal exercises that are safe for all trimesters:

Lunge: strengthening those legs will help support the growing belly.  In your second and third trimester use a chair for balance.

Row Your Boat: Postural changes create upper back pain. Having a strong upper back will help your “girls” get perky too. Oh and of course prep you for picking up and holding your baby who gets heavier every day!

Core Plank: A safe way to focus on the core is with this modified plank. By extending opposite leg, opposite arm, your core will activate to keep you balanced.

My favorite post exercises are:

Keep it simple in the beginning and focus on cardio and core!

Cardio: Slowly get into a cardio activity of your choice. Once the doc gives you the thumbs up to start working out find a heart pumping exercise and squeeze it in your day. I recommend, running/jogging stairs, stationary bike, and swimming. It feels so good to get your circulation going and the lungs working.

*Tip If you only have 10 min give it all you got, get the most our of your time!

Core everyday!!! Those tummy muscles need to be rehabilitated they have been stretched to the max. C-section tummies need to take it slower with gentle exercises for a little longer. But both bellies need some TLC.

Try Pulses:  Lay on back, knees bent, lift shoulders off the ground arms straight and press your hands down in pulse motion. Try to do 10-20, rest and repeat.

And in case you want a little more help….

As your body changes through pregnancy so does your mobility, balance, and ability to do certain exercises. Take it slow and be true to your previous workout experience. If you are new the workout scene take it slow, lightweight or no weight. If you are on the other end of the spectrum and are an athlete, gym rat, long distance runner; scale back don’t increase mileage or speed, kick it into neutral and do maintenance during these 40 weeks. If you aren’t sure and need some guidance there are many prenatal DVD’s or downloads available. Tight bod with a Pod sponsored videos are available at Exercise TV Mel’s Fit Baby Body. This package has 3 videos to help throughout your pregnancy. They are affordable and trimester specific. Find what works for you and stick with it!

***Thanks for the tips Mel!  Goodness knows I’m going to need a new healthy lifestlye and lots of booty kicking to get the 3 year pregnant body back again!!  Thanks for sharing your wisdom with us all!!