Energy
“I exercise because somehow completely exhausting myself is the most relaxing part of my day.”
As a soon-to-be mother of four babies under five years old, I want to say how proud I am. Not just for the mental and spiritual hurdles I have had to conquer but for keeping myself in good physical health throughout this fourth pregnancy journey.
I kept saying, “I will get in shape after.” Different "after" scenarios included "after" I had my last baby, but I kept getting pregnant. "After" I'm done breastfeeding, "after" my youngest baby turns one, "after" I start sleeping regularly, "after" I begin a healthy eating regimen, "after" the youngest baby is potty trained, "after" I have the next baby. The long-never ending list of "after," ultimately, excuses would have gone on and on until "after" all my kids graduated high school if I let them.
I have been pregnant four times in the last 5.5 years. So the "after" I have been searching for this past half-decade never really came for me. I was tired of waiting to get in shape and committed to doing so, even while pregnant.
One of the elements that helped exponentially speed up my fitness progress was finding a female trainer who understood what my body had been through and what it was constantly going through while pregnant, breastfeeding, and navigating postpartum. This was the game changer for my fitness journey.
Meet the beautiful and snatched Janelle Teal. A South Carolina native (I love my SC roots), a fantastic mom of adorable two-year-old twin girls, an ambitious entrepreneur and Co-Owner of TEAL Fitness, and a tremendous friend and trainer.
Janelle is a former Army Sergeant, so she has no mercy or sympathy for any excuse (which I love). During our workout sessions, she not only pushed me outside of my comfort zone, she strategically trained my body to build muscles in the correct places-in conjunction with helping address any deficiencies in my diet. This holistic approach to fitness helped me experience tremendous progress.
For the last eight months, I have been training with Janelle throughout my entire pregnancy, and I can attest that I am in better shape now than I was pre-pregnancy.
Janelle understood the hormonal changes I experienced from pregnancy and how they impacted my inability to move freely during workouts. As a result, she modified my training sessions to fit whatever physical state my body (and mind) was in at that moment; some days, I was slow as a turtle, and other days, I was a beast ready to conquer the world through my workout.
As a mom, I never trained hard to be skinny, sexy, or even "milfy" fine (even though it doesn't hurt), but my motivation to stay in shape was to be functional and take care of myself and my family. At one point, I struggled to get on the floor to play with my toddlers. I struggled to walk up and down the stairs, to chase them around the house without being out of breath. I struggled to wrestle with them and play attack (a physical game they love to play that consist of wrestling and rolling on the floor), I could barley lift them as they jump off the bed and pretend to be superheroes. Being a mom of such young kids is physically demanding, and I knew I had to make healthy changes to be better for myself and them.
This is why I strive so hard to get in shape and to be the best Dominique I can be for myself and my family.
My fitness journey has never been easy, but I have a husband and four tiny people to show up for, and the first step in showing up for them is to show up and pour into myself. Listed below are a few gems I learned throughout my fitness journey.
Dom's five tips for staying healthy while pregnant & postpartum.
Plan every single workout. Creating a plan is essential if you are busy with your children, working, or just handling the everyday chaos of life. Plan your workouts like you schedule a business meeting or a non-negotiable event. Once it is on your calendar, please do everything you can to make that workout a priority.
Pick the optimum time for you to perform your best. If you have the ability to work from home or more autonomy with setting your schedule, plan workouts around your most productive hours. If you are not a morning person, don't try to exercise at 5 am, you will fail. If you have to cook dinner or help the kids with homework, a 6 pm workout may not be the best option. Planning a fitness routine around when you perform the best and are less distracted allows you to be immersed at the moment and give it your best effort.
Set realistic goals for yourself. If you are a couch potato, do not say “tomorrow, I’m starting a seven-day intensive—training session for the next six months." Over extending yourself is a recipe for disaster. Instead, work your way up to a realistic fitness routine. Remember, quality over quantity; if your time is limited like mine, opt for a high-intensity-get the job done, killer workout two or three times a week to maximize your efforts.
Sleep is essential. If you do not sleep, you will not allow your body to recover, heal and grow. For many moms, this is the catch-22 because we don't always have the luxury of sleeping. So even if you can sleep 6-8 hours a night (one day a week), do it. Your body and your mind deserve to rest.
Hydrate and eat healthily. This was the game changer for me. During the second trimester of my pregnancy, I gave up processed and refined sugars. This was so hard for me but so beneficial for my body. It helped control the inflammation from the pregnancy weight gain. Your diet is just as essential to your fitness success as the work you put in the gym.
Some days working out felt impossible; my body ached, I was exhausted mentally and physically, and I dealt with many pregnancy symptoms (from diarrhea, hormonal changes, carpel tunnel, headaches, lower back pain, and every symptom in the book). On those days when physical activity felt impossible, I dug deep and forced myself to the gym, or I chose to rest. Rest is just as essential in a healthy fit pregnancy as a healthy diet and strength training. Janelle understood my struggles and encouraged me to "listen to my body."
Whether you are an OG fitness guru or recently embarking on your fitness journey, stay consistent and focused on your goals. Anything you want to achieve physically, mentally, and spiritually through fitness, you will.
Take a moment to discover some of Janelle Teal's favorite fitness tips below:
1. First, as every woman is different, every pregnancy is also different. Always consult your Healthcare Provider if you have any concerns about exercise during pregnancy.
2. Something is always better than nothing: Being pregnant or postpartum is synonymous with being tired. Moms have never-ending open tabs in their brains and checklists in hand. You may be accustomed to being able to dedicate an uninterrupted hour to fitness pre-pregnancy or pre-baby. While that is probably no longer the case, being able to save some time for yourself is vital to your physical AND mental health. Don't neglect yourself. Take twenty or thirty minutes to go for a walk or jog, and do bodyweight exercises or movements that can be done with little to no equipment.
3. Make modifications as your pregnancy progresses: If working with a Coach or Trainer, ensure they're known when safety modifications need to be made. If you are working out alone, ensure you know when you should no longer lie on your back or perform movements that increase your risk of falling or straining your abdomen. Most importantly, listen to your body; if something does not feel good, serve a different direction that engages the same muscle group.
4. Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate! With water! According to multiple sources, approximately 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated! While pregnant, your body requires even more fluids to maintain proper hydration levels because dehydration in pregnancy is especially dangerous. In a world consumed with caffeinated and sugary drinks, it may be tough to lay off the Starbucks and sodas, but I promise you, your body will feel 100x better if you do! A simple gauge of hydration is urine color. Your urine should be pale yellow or nearly clear.
5. Don't Make Excuses: Now, in this same breath, I will tell you to rest when you need to. Just remember, being pregnant is not a medical condition. It is not a reason to stop moving. If anything, it's a more significant reason to move your body! There are so many beautiful benefits to exercise during pregnancy, so don't allow naysayers tell you not to work out. Don't let fear stop you from working out, either. Get up & get moving! And if you're unsure where to start, find a professional to help you!
For more fitness tips, follow Janelle on social media at
@Janelleteal or @tealfitness
Check out this amazing sneak peek of our training sessions created by @fadeawayzproductions
