Our Hearts Matter... Even In Cyberspace

Rest and self-care are so important. It is not selfish. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel. - Eleanor Brownn

I live to share pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding stories from amazing women. Ten years before I had a child, a college friend was having hers. As a fellow personal trainer and health coach, she uses her dramatic birth experience  and subsequent transformation to motivate her clients. This is why Tasha Edwards was one of the very first moms I reached out to when looking for contributors to this blog. Everyday, through her own words on social media, she inspires me to reach further, dig deeper, smile bigger, and breathe. *BREATHE* In February, during Heart Month, she challenged over 100 Facebook Friends to take control of their lifestyle and life choices. Read about it here: 

One Sunday in January, it hit me. It hit me like, pulled me out of bed from my Sunday after church nap and sat me straight up, hit me. 

"We are dying and we need to get real about it....real quick."

And what was "I" supposed to do about it? I'm "just" one woman, a personal trainer, a wellness coach, a fitness instructor, got a couple of kids, a couple of degrees and I've met Bob and Jillian from the Biggest Loser last summer, but I am no magician.

My Transformation

I am a woman who has heart disease on both sides of her family.  I am a woman who knows that heart disease (not breast cancer) is the NUMBER ONE killer of women. I am a woman who found the following blog post on her own blog:

"I have headaches. Serious headaches. Migraines. Tension. Cluster. I have them all. Sometimes separate, sometimes together. Sometimes they last minutes. Or hours. Or days. Or weeks. In the past, months. I’ve tried sleeping more, eating more, hydrating more, stressing less, essential oiling myself up, taking Tylenol and rubbing down in magnesium oil. I am now at the level of needing a narcotic for pain.

So, imagine my surprise when, after taking a narcotic last night, I found myself jumping up from my sleep in pain. For the past few days, I’ve had chest pain. Yesterday, it was in my back. The pain was so bad I couldn’t put my head down. I begin to have what I can only describe as “waves” of pain that made my body feel like I was doing a uncontrollable body roll on my left side. I have seizures too that usually start with headaches. And I am pre-menopausal so I have night sweats too. All of this is going on at once. I felt my husband put his hand on my shoulder and I thought, “This cannot be happening.” I could answer him but I had no control over my body. I asked him to turn on his phone and look up the symptoms for a heart attack.

Was I having a heart attack?" Read More... 

I am a woman who knows that women are way too busy saving the world to think about their health and well-being like they should.  I am a woman who knew other women who were not only powerful in sharing a message of health but were in need of looking in the mirror and saying, "I am worthy of saving."

And so began the #OurHeartsMatter movement.

The truth is I chose 100 women to join me because it's all Facebook would let me tag.  I went through my Facebook friends and randomly chose people, some on purpose, some by God's intervention.  I had NO IDEA what I was doing. I thought it would be a group where people would be glad to "sign up" and the only posts would be mine. 

And that was true for over half of the group, which grew to over 150 women.  For the ones that dove in, we began to uncover some things that were MUCH bigger than the latest way to cook chicken in a crock pot or new techniques for running on the treadmill.

I had a heart attack. This is what I learned

These were the rules: 

I'm not big on a bunch of rules but I want this space to be safe and supportive. For that reason, I am asking that we all...

1) Do not post sales like stuff in here, no matter how great it is or how great you are. I am trusting you with each other because I care about you all. ❤️

2) Do not let this become a dumping ground at how you suck at exercising and you can't get motivated and spend 29 days talking about what you WISH you could do. I have surrounded you with the BEST! Ask questions, ask for recommendations but please, by all means, do not use this as your complaining space. We want to help you get better. When that happens, we all rise. ❤️

3) Do not post every detail of your day or only post here. This is your training ground, where you get amped out to go into the field. FLOOD YOUR TIMELINES with pictures of you taking care of yourself and making yourself a priority. We will back you up. Follow each other on social media. Like and comment on each other's posts. Work out and eat well with each other! ❤️

Everything you do here is worth it and valid! 

Thank you for being willing to be a part.

It got real in there. SUPER real.  While we certainly cheered each other on for hitting 20,000 steps in a day, awesome looking food and patted each other on the back for sharing heart disease facts with our family and friends, we listened to each other as we confessed the one thing that seems to drive women over the edge:

We DIDN"T have it all together and we were tired from trying to act like we did. We became undone in front of each other.  It is the group I wish I had when I wrote the above blog post, BEFORE I got to the point of being that stressed (which, along with overworking myself, caused my body to have such a reaction). It's not just the poor eating.  It's the stress that leads us to the poor eating.  It's not just the lack of exercise.  It's the depression that keeps us tied to the bed that is detrimental. It's the traditions from our family that we carry because we've never seen another way or we are ridiculed for wanting to do something different.  It's the habits we turn to because we have no other place to say, "I need help." Those are the things that are killing us. 

Broken Heart Syndrome is a Thing  

Women are twice as likely to die from a heart attack as men. We have to start asking why. 

What did I learn in February?  I learned there are foods that can protect my heart.  I learned that I am doing myself a favor by keeping up with my exercise routine.  I also learned that being my sister's keeper is better for my health than I could have ever known.  Our hearts do matter, individually and collectively. 

As a group fitness coach, personal trainer, holistic nutritionist, motivational speaker, influencer, mother, wife, and friend, Tasha Edwards is her own brand. Follow Hip Healthy Chick everywhere on social media! 

Twitter  - Instagram - Pinterest 

Who are your online accountability partners? 
Can you relate to this post-baby transformation?

Hot Yoga. Haute Mama. Practicing in the Hot Room While Pregnant

January 1st, 2013, just 4 days before I was to be induced, at the end of my pretty miserable pregnancy, I walked into my newish Bikram yoga studio. I'm calling it "newish", because I had been practicing there regularly since I relocated to Memphis at 32 weeks and anytime I visited the city, prior to that, including three times during my pregnancy. Before my move, I had been practicing in the hot room for 7 years, and up to 5 times a week during my pregnancy, at my first favorite studio, in Decatur, GA. 

Rebecca R., Still Hot Yoga Manager & Instructor

It was at that studio, where I saw my first teacher become pregnant, then practice and teach with amazing poise, health, and grace. Over the years, I witnessed two other instructors, and several students practice safely and beautifully. With an interest in pregnancy health, I asked the owner- who happens to be married to an amazing midwife- about the thermoregulation of mother and child. An increase in a pregnant woman's core body temperature may cause physiological damage to the developing embryo.

It was then, years before my own pregnancy, that I learned that even in the hot room, the core body temperature does not increase during the practice. Years before that, he had allowed a student, who was also a nurse, to leave class periodically in order to check her internal temperature. There was no increase throughout the 90 minute practice. The profuse sweating is thought to assist in lowering the core body temperature.

Before her own pregnancy, the studio manager happened to take a specialized and intimate training with Rajashree Choudhury, Bikram's wife, who modified the 26 postures for pregnancy. There, she learned about precautions and other techniques for expectant mothers. The pregnancy series is thoughtful, helpful, and simply amazing. With guidance, I began peppering in aspects of it at 8 weeks and continued with the full series throughout my entire pregnancy. 

Back to New Year's Day: As I stated, I had practiced in the studio numerous times while pregnant, but had not yet had the pleasure of meeting the owner... until this day, when he told me that I could not attend class, without a specific doctor's note. Since I had signed the studio's liability waiver- which even covers death, there was no legal need to require a special pregnancy waiver. I wouldn't win any case, if anything would have happened to me at that point, during or after class. 

Dejected and disappointed, with tears in my eyes, and a big baby in my belly, I returned home penned this note to the owner. 

I was very much looking forward to spending the first day of the year in Bikram's hot room, just as I have for the past 5 years.  Typically, I also run at least 5 miles on January 1, but being 39 weeks pregnant has made that difficult.  I am a very active woman, whom over the past months has had to relinquish hiking Stone Mountain (in GA), kettle bells, running half-marathons, and even walking long distances because of changes in my body.  Daily, I am so happy that I have been able to maintain a consistent yoga practice, specifically Bikram yoga, which I have practiced regularly for 7 years.  You may be able to imagine my disappointment when I was suddenly rejected from class today because I did not have a doctor's note stating that it were permissible to practice during my pregnancy. This had not been requested on any other day. 

After speaking with my doctor and presenting her with literature and testimonials regarding Bikram yoga during pregnancy, she verbally approved my participation in class- a written note was not necessary at my studio, as several teachers and students had practiced right through their natural and fast deliveries.  I have practiced since my 13th week of pregnancy, with Rajashree's modifications, needed or not.  I have practiced regularly at three different studios, including this one.  With running, walking and even sleeping becoming increasingly difficult, Bikram is one of the only times that my body feels normal and discomfort-free.  I feel better after yoga than I do after a massage, shower, of half-hearted foot rub from my husband.  The left SI joint and right rib that my child has gradually displaced become realigned during class, allowing me to move and breathe better.   

Holding standing bow for even 45 seconds makes up for how crazy I feel while losing my balance in the shower.  Rajashree's floor serious is nothing short of amazing for alleviating back pain and creating more space in my crowded abdomen. I am confident that the controlled breathing will help my physical and emotional pangs of labor. Especially in these last few days of my pregnancy, when I need my husband to help me roll out of bed to get to the bathroom, I feel strong and able in Bikram. I needed that feeling today. I ignored my fatigue and braved the cold to be chauffeured by my husband from Collierville (just in case) to make it  to the last class of the day.  I was completely blindsided and confounded by my denied class admission.  My studio in Atlanta was very supportive of practicing while pregnant, so I am not sure of all of these extra and unnecessary fears and road blocks.   

From a liability perspective, the language in your waiver should be so comprehensive that it includes anything happening in class from stubbing a toe to dying.  A well-written waiver should not have to highlight any specific "condition" including pregnancy, especially after the first trimester- the critical period. Your instructors are knowledgeable and supportive. A regular practitioner should have no issue listening to her body and following the pregnancy modifications, along with her doctor's/ midwife's advice.  Finally, you cannot presume that you care more about my child than I do.  Even after witnessing several women practice while pregnant, when it was my time, I completed AMPLE research to confirm my child's safety before I began practicing.  

I am well aware of the signs and symptoms of labor and would not risk my health or the health of my child for any reason.  In short, there was no good reason to be rejected from class today or on any day during my pregnancy. I recommend reviewing the "risks" and benefits of practicing while pregnant and consider revising your "policy" to reflect Bikram's and Rajashree's research, experience and viewpoints on the topic.  For now, I will turn up my space heater and go for what I know as I continue to move toward a peaceful delivery this weekend. 

The studio owner and I had a few more exchanges, following this note, but he did not change his perspective, and the next time I saw my doctor would be at my induction. There would be no Resolution Practice for me on that day, but in that year. Side note: at a million weeks pregnant, and facing a planned induction, I would have loved to have gone into labor at the studio, or on the way home. On January 6th, I birthed a healthy baby girl, after 23 hours of labor, and 7 minutes of pushing. I began teaching at a new hot yoga studio four months later, where we welcome, educate, and nurture hot mamas-to-be. 

New Year's Day 2013

39 Weeks, 2 Days

We always recommend that a pregnant woman be cleared for ANY exercise, by her provider, once she learns of her pregnancy. We never recommend that a woman begins hot yoga when already pregnant. Long time hot yoga practitioners, with low risk pregnancies, should have no challenges continuing with the practice as before. However, many physicians, fitness instructors, and mothers do tend to avoid moderate to heavy exercise during the critical first trimester, simply because so many things can happen during that time, and no one wants to take the blame for that otherwise natural process. However, there is nothing that happens to the body or the baby, in the hot room, that makes it unsafe. 

The room itself, is no hotter than the summer air in India, and all around the equator, where healthy mothers and healthy babies thrive every day. As with any pregnancy, and as with any regular hot practice, an expectant mother would need to maximize her hydration inside and outside of the class, listen to her body, and take breaks whenever necessary... also, take plenty of pictures. You're going to be om-mazed at what your new body can (still) do. 

This individual experience is not meant to override the advice of any provider, but may help to add some clarity about the physiology of practicing hot yoga while pregnant. 

Do you have an experience of practicing while pregnant?