I’m sure you’ve heard it as many times as I have . . . “Life is a journey, not a destination.” I don’t think I’ve ever felt this to be more true in my life.
For those of you who don’t know, I’m 34 weeks pregnant with my second child, my son is three years old, and my husband and I are about to celebrate 10 years of marriage. Needless to say, I’ve been spending a lot of time, lately, reflecting on my past, analyzing the present, and anticipating our future. What I’ve realized, more than anything, is that my priorities, hopes and dreams are changing and evolving each and every day. To say the least, my job, my goals, and my life . . . have moved Beyond Fitness.
When I lived in New York City, my life was all about me and what I wanted . . . and my husband . . . but honestly, still mostly about me. In 2010, we decided to become parents and moved to Santa Monica, California, and my life took on new meaning. I had not anticipated how much I would love being a parent. Yet while I have fallen in love with my son and enjoy every moment I spend with him, I know that I cannot truly be happy if I don’t pursue the things that mean the most to me. Thus, I now struggle with an entirely new challenge . . . how to balance WHAT I love with WHO I love.
I feel like the past three years have been a process of trial and error, as I try to find the best way to find this balance. And right when I think I have it figured out, we decide to spice things up and add another member to our family. I’m nervous and excited, as I begin another chapter in my life and work on finding this balance in a new way. I’m hoping that by relaying my stories, lessons, and thoughts from what I’ve learned in the past, what I’m dealing with in the present, and what I question for the future, I can discover and share the best ways to balance WHAT You Love with WHO You Love.
Having seen you at Equinox SM many times, I am BLOWN away that you are a prenatal fitness trainer. It looks like you have gained more weight than necessary, but maybe thats because you are short. When I was pregnant with my first, I was extremely active and gained 21 lbs. I had a healthy pregnancy, recovery and child as a result. Woman always admired my figure and asked me what my secrets were. Maybe it’s just my genetics, I had no real secrets. I see how successful you’ve become as a “hot” trainer and I wish I had your gumption. I have the looks but not the motivation you do.
I am anxious to read your new blog. I am 8 months pregnant with my first and definitely struggle with what I will do once this baby is born – will I be a stay at home mom and happy with that? Do I go back to work, as a career has always been a substantial part of who I am and my happiness…or is that selfish? I will truly enjoy going through this journey with you and figuring out how to balance what I love with who I love.
As for the previous comment by Katelynn, I think this site will help you understand weight gain during pregnancy:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/patientinstructions/000603.htm
As Sara Haley spoke to in her blog above, when you become a parent, it becomes about more than just you – it becomes about that child…and that starts in the pregnancy. This is a time when you need to not worry about having the “looks,” but about the health of the baby. Making sure that baby is getting enough nutrients should be your main priority, which could mean gaining 20 lbs, 30 lbs, or 40 lbs depending on your build and body type. And, above and beyond that, once that child is born into this world, it is your duty to teach them that life is about more than good looks, but being a KIND, THOUGHTFUL and CARING person.
Lets be honest- I am a guy & not a father so this direction you are taking is going to be enlightening and certainly helpful. Pregnancy at any level is going to be new to me, so I am going to have a ton of questions and firsts. I, like you am in the fitness industry and have clients, both male & female that evolve into parents and then begin the journey of balancing health & family life. Its no easy task and you Sara have done it well!
I have known you and your workouts for years from back in your NYC days and have always admired your well-rounded approach towards health in and out of the gym. I have asked you many offline questions to help my clients out as they transition thru new pregnancy emotions and physical abilities to post pregnancy and returning to fitness while developing positive family life. Having the ability to refer my clients to your workouts & expertise has been a great addition for them to maintain a healthy lifestyle as a parent at all phases.
When I decided that fitness was my journey I became honest with myself that I will not be an expert in every discipline but to find those you are- You are a breath of fresh air with your expert knowledge even for us guys.
Thanks for all you help- I follow all your social media- and have learned so much from you; both in Fitness & BEYOND & have enjoyed seeing you and your family grow! Can’t wait to see the new addition You Sean & Landon have coming to the family in May! CONGRATS!
Sarah has been a huge motivational force for me during my pregnancy. I’m only 5′ 1″ and am very active and eat clean. I’ve always been in good shape, but would thank my lucky stars if I looked half as amazing as Sarah does during her pregnancy. I’m not sure where your negativity is coming from, but just having “seen” her and though that you are superior in some way is judgmental and exactly opposite of what Sarah is about. She is someone who has motivated me to be my personal best and I see as an amazing role model who actually walks the walk. I look forward to following this new chapter and positive journey with her.
Congratulations! I love the new theme. Great way of putting it and I need help with this too. By the way when I first read that comment from katelynn I thought it was fake because of all the times we have laughed about people making horrible, inappropriate comments about pregnancy. Not only is she wildly off base and could benefit from both glasses and a college education, but her weird, judgy, yucky energy does not belong here at all.
Woww…New Blog 🙂
Compare to my blog, you have better alexa rank, i think i should doing some design and start to post the quality article, Thanks your blog is very inspiring
Cheers
Dave
Love the support from these middle comments the first and last one, mneh go find a new hobby, especially that first comment. I wonder where she is at in her life now?
Anyways, coming across your blog when I did could not have been better timing for my life personally. After struggling with so many things regarding pregnancy (the weight gain, life balance, life) I became more comfortable with it all because of your blog. You are what this world needs more of in regards to motherhood, not this mom shaming stuff that goes on. If we had more people that could empathize with us imagine what this world would be like. It would be AMAZING! I’m so grateful for your challenges and the support i have found through them. Thank you for changing your direction and being true to who you are.