On today's episode of Vital Metabolic, hosts James Wheeler and John Parker speak with Aisha Zaza, a CrossFitter, marathon runner, and new mom. They discuss fitness during and after pregnancy, nutrition when breastfeeding, and the inevitable emotional roller coaster of it all. Aisha also discusses her episode of Ultimate Tag on FOX!
Episode Highlights:
- 1:00 - Aisha is a CrossFitter, marathon runner, and new mother.
- 2:39 - Aisha's example of motherhood was her own single mother where she would have to do everything alone.
- 3:50 - She feared that parenthood would mean she would never have time to train for marathons or keep up with the things she cared about.
- 6:08 - Aisha stopped running at 15-16 weeks, mainly because her bladder couldn't handle it.
- 6:44 - Along with the emotional changes, Aisha experienced her diet and cravings changing dramatically.
- 8:15 - When you're pregnant, it feels like this is how it's going to be forever, but that's not true.
- 8:55 - Aisha would tell her pregnant self that it's okay to have these feelings even if you aren't necessarily in a safe space to express them, and you aren't alone.
- 10:00 - She still ran when she could, but she was a lot slower and more out of breath.
- 11:10 - Any movement you can manage during the first trimester is good movement.
- 12:00 - Aisha feels very lucky to not have experienced postpartum depression, but found she had prepartum depression.
- 13:20 - Aisha didn't give herself a hard time when she didn't eat as well as usual, but also doesn't want to suggest that women should use pregnancy as an excuse to eat anything.
- 15:05 - Aisha predicted that she would gain 25-30lbs during her pregnancy, but ended up gaining 42lbs.
- 16:25 - So much of what you gain is fluid, including 8 extra pints of blood, so you lose some weight quickly.
- 17:02 - Aisha believes she recovered from pregnancy and birth the way that she did due to the activity level and fitness she maintained.
- 18:25 - It's possible to get moving again too quickly after pregnancy, when there's literally a gaping hole in your body and you can do permanent damage to your pelvic floor.
- 21:37 - For breastfeeding, Aisha is conscious of eating her body weight in grams of protein and ounces of water, and a little more than that in carbs.
- 22:10 - Aisha is still taking a multivitamin and prenatal vitamin, along with red raspberry, vitamin C, and magnesium.
- 26:25 - Aisha was on the show Ultimate Tag on FOX and came in second.
- 30:38 - Aisha has a running stroller and is excited for her daughter to be big enough to take running.
- 31:02 - Aisha began hiking while pregnant and has taken her on hikes since she was born, in addition to sometimes wearing her while weightlifting.
- 32:55 - Aisha plans to run in the San Diego Marathon next summer.
- 34:10 - Aisha loves team sports and what kids can learn from them.
- 37:25 - She is working on training courses for pregnant women.
- 38:15 - As an everyday athlete adapting to pregnancy, Aisha realized she already had her niche.
- 40:27 - What has kept Aisha grounded is recognizing that we all have similar experiences even if we haven't communicated them.
- 41:50 - It's very easy to fall into the trap of comparison online.
3 Key Points:
- Movement during pregnancy is good, but you also have to recognize your body's new, temporary limits.
- You can accept your body's changes, your diet changes, and your emotional changes without guilt, while still not using them as an excuse.
- If you open up about your experiences and struggles, you will almost always find that you're not alone.
Tweetable Quotes:
- "Those things would get me super anxious. I loved my life & my lifestyle & I wanted it so badly to stay the same. I was resisting that change so hard, which made it even more draining because on top of just being super emotional, now you're fighting the experience." –Aisha Zaza
- "I think I was able to recover the way I did because of the activity that I kept up during my pregnancy. So not only did it make me in better shape throughout my pregnancy and it helped in my recovery process, it was the biggest thing that I could do for my mind." –Aisha Zaza
- "The full human experience is based on a spectrum of feelings, and sometimes I think that we are told that happiness is to feel, and that when we're upset or when we're sad, that is to fix. And that's not to fix. That's also to feel." –Aisha Zaza
Resources Mentioned:
