How to be Fit to Deliver

Get Moving, Stay consistent, and Eat Well (but not for two)

Get Moving: According to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, pregnant women should exercise a minimum of 30 minutes a day, 6 or 7 days a week, unless they have medical reasons not to do so. Regular stretching and Pilates can relieve back aches, constipation and morning sickness. The problem is one day you feel like exercising and the next day you don’t. What then, you ask? Sick is just sick, not much you can do if your feeling nauseous and low on energy. Deep breathing still takes work but can calm the nerves and sooth the soul. Try sitting up straight and closing your eyes to help you concentrate. Breathe in and out only through your nose to the count of 4 or 5 without holding your breath in between. This type of breathing is said to “fool” your nervous system into calming down even if it thinks a bear is chasing you (lets hope not) and can be used in the labor room. Oxygenating your baby with big deep breaths helps to energize both you and your baby which can make you feel like you are doing good even if you are not out there getting your heart rate up.

That said, having a strong heart and lungs will help you get through your upcoming marathon: giving birth. So try to get in your walks and cardio exercise regularly. Walking has a profound way of soothing the stomach as well, FYI, so why not try it? Ask a friend or partner to “walk you” that way if you are having trouble motivating  you can get some support. Commit to 10 minutes and see how you feel – you can alway turn back or keep going!

Stay consistent: How do you stay consistent when everyday it feels like something is changing on you? Be adaptable and adopt the “change with the change” mantra!

Q&A with OB-GYN Dr. Laurence Eisenhauer

Dr. Eisenhauer is an Encinitas based OB-GYN who helped create the Scripps Encinitas OB center. He has been practicing for over 30 years and delivered my son, Dylan.  Dr. Eisenhauer came into my life when the midwife in charge of my delivery said that my baby was in distress and that she wanted the doctor on call to take over for a c-section. “Holy $#!* this is really happening to me!” I said.  Then Dr. Eisenhauer calmly explained the scenario of what would happen next. We wanted a healthy baby and we had to make a decision, so we said “Yes” with a sigh of relief knowing that Dylan would soon be in our arms!

The next thing that I remember was the doctor saying, “Wow, now there’s a set of abs!” as he cut into my transverse abdominus muscle that is required for a strong back, ability to push, and a speedy recovery. My husband chimes in”Thats my girl!” and I had a little smile going for a second- even under those circumstances.

Six years later, while reviewing my delivery with Dr. Eisenhauer during this interview, he told me something I had never heard before.

Welcome to the Agility Studio Pilates Blog

Welcome to the new Agility Studio  Pilates Blog! This blog is for anyone who is  interested in staying healthy and fit with Pilates.

I’m Rana Kennedy, owner of Agility Studio in Carlsbad. I specialize in Pilates, health, and fitness, prenatal pilates.

I have a successful history of helping strengthening people’s bodies through pilates fitness, including yoga, and spin. My passion is working with athletes, cyclists, and those recovering from injury but one of the most rewarding is helping moms be their best while going through the many changes they experience during  and after pregnancy. I’m an athlete, but I was also an older mom and for the most part unprepared. I approached pregnancy like many of us, questioning everything good and bad for me and my baby, searching for the answers to what kind of birth I wanted, and basically not really being prepared for life taking its own path. My son was born c-section with a double nuchal cord  wrapped twice around his neck. With all of my high hopes for natural birth, nothing could change the fact that my son was stressed with a heart rate of 60 beats per minute (low can be considered 90 beats per minute) and meconium present. For months I blamed the midwife for things I thought she should have done (I shouldda had a doula!),  my husband for sleeping during my contractions etc., I thought I was going to push that baby out no problem and be strolling down the street the next day! Now we laugh out loud, it didn’t happen that way.

The best part of this story is that I became fired up after Dylan was born to help and support women during their pregnancy with Pilates, yoga, and fitness and set out to learn everything I could on prenatal everything.