This week we caught up with a very special client, Rachna and talked about her exciting new news as an expecting mother.
Why do you exercise?
My story is similar to others who may have put on a few extra pounds in their younger years, and initially began working out to see results. I quickly realized I loved the extra energy, endurance, and the overall well-being fitness. And, if you love it, the results follow naturally.
How did you find uforia?
Constantly wanting to challenge myself, I continued taking more and more classes, finally, finding uforia studios and GRIT. It was love at first sight! GRIT is a great way to continue building muscle while getting a great mix of cardiovascular endurance. It’s also supportive to be around a fun group of people who strive to challenge their bodies.
How has being pregnant changed your GRIT experience?
I was doing GRIT four times a week when I found out I was pregnant! At first, I questioned my ability to continue, hearing that most women switch to swimming or yoga or other lower impact activities. Many people have the misconception that pregnant women should completely stay away from weights, and avoid anything high impact.
Actually, light weights help pregnant women build muscle, and combat the body’s tendency to pack on the pounds during pregnancy. As for the high impact, GRIT has some high impact sections which can be completely modified to lower impact options. For example, instead of jumping up on the boxes, I quickly walk up and down. The jumping jacks can be modified as well if you’re worried about high impact. Every exercise is tiered into levels, so you can select the level most suited for you. Level one is easy, low impact, all the way to level three, which is high intensity kicking or jumping.
How have you been able to adapt your classes with your pregnancy?
At first, I thought I’d look silly taking such a tough class and modifying the sections, but the teachers at uforia are so supportive! CJ and Lauren have helped me find the right modifications and will help any client with modifications, be it for a pregnancy or an injury.
Try a GRIT class today and see how you can stay fit during your pregnancy, or at any stage!
by Rachna Deepa Dharna