Team Beachbody Guest

Exercising during my entire pregnancy really paid off greatly. I gained a healthy 25 pounds. I was able to fit into most of my regular clothes in a matter of days after birth and was down to my pre-pregnancy weight shortly after (about 10 days). I was also able to start working out again within a few days after birth.

My message to all pregnant women out there, keep up the hard work with exercising while pregnant! Consistency is the key!! If your body is already in a fitness routine, then you should continue that same routine...your baby will adjust with your body...and in the end, you will have both a healthy body and baby. It may be hard at first, but your effort will pay off!! Believe me, I felt odd in the gym lifting weights with an 8-month pregnant belly…but I set a goal for myself that I did not want any extra weight… I worked hard to achieve that goal and I accomplished it! I can now go to the gym and no one can even tell I had a baby. For women who have children, you know how great of a compliment that is. (My "after" picture was taken only 4 months after birth.)

As of January 2009, I am still going to the gym and doing my regular cardio. I started using the Slim in 6 videos again. I have all of the Slim in 6 videos including the Rapid Results, Slim Series, and Slim Series Express. I mix them up to keep me from getting tired of the same thing and to allow my muscles to do different exercises to keep them from hitting a plateau. I also use some of the P90X videos. These are more extreme than the Slim in 6, but if you really want to BRING IT, then these are the workouts to use. I have also used many of the TurboJam videos to give my body an extra cardio boost. All of these Beachbody video programs have helped give me tone and shape back that I had pre-pregnancy. I am actually below my pre-pregnancy weight and have more definition in some areas of my body than I did before the baby.

In addition to my success story, every member in my family has a health and fitness success story thanks to Beachbody. You can check out all of their sites under my success buddies tab. My dad (kurtdogx), mom (tjstanton), older sister (manderflex), younger sister (chacha04), and brother-in-law (jlawrence04).

Working out is such a stress reliever and is a part of my everyday life so I know I’ll continue to do it one way or another. As for the next pregnancy, I’m sure it’ll be harder, but I’m up for the challenge again! I would love to help women out there that may struggle with the post-pregnancy weight, or that are looking to keep up an exercising routine while pregnant. I've been there, done that, so please let me know what advice I can help you with!

In June 2009, I bought the Power Half Hour workouts with Tony Horton. These are great workouts that target one specific area depending on what video you choose (abs, legs, buns, arms). I like these videos when I specifically want to work one area and also when I’m short on time. They are exactly 30 minutes long. He combines cardio with strength training. These really work you hard!

Update as of July 2009, I just started the ChaLEAN Extreme program with Chalene Johnson. What an awesome workout program! She really challenges you with heavy weights, but low reps. Women are typically afraid of getting too bulky, but this does not bulk you up; rather, it tones you and makes you so lean. I just started this program a few weeks ago and so far love it. It’s only 35-40 minutes long, so that is great too. My son is now 7 months old and I am so much more toned now than I was before I had him. My body fat is much lower too at only 11.5%. I’ll keep up the ChaLEAN Extreme program until the end…and then challenge myself with something new again.

Update 10/12/09: I completed ChaLEAN on 10/4/09 and started P90X on 10/9/09! Loving it so far!!!