Athlete Profile: Lauren Brooks

Lauren Brooks

I’m a bit embarrassed by it now, but when I think back to when I was pregnant with our first child almost nine years ago, I wasn’t exactly a great role model for the fit and healthy expectant mom. Coming into the pregnancy, I was actually the leanest and most active I had ever been up to that point in my life: I was training five to seven hours a week, I had finally lost the “freshman 15” that had decided to hang around for a few years after graduation, and I was excited about the idea of using my new level of fitness and nutrition throughout my pregnancy.

Well, I didn’t even make it out of the first trimester before my visions of being a buff mom-to-be fell through.  It wasn’t because of fatigue or morning sickness.  I was one of the lucky ones who didn’t really experience the energy lows or nausea that many women struggle with in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.  I was raring and ready to go.

What stopped me were the restrictive guidelines for exercise during pregnancy. I was intimidated by the thought of overheating my bun in the oven if I got my heart rate up over 135 bpm or exercised for longer than 20 minutes. I fretted that lifting anything heavier than a pink dumbbell might put my baby at risk.  I became so confused about what I could and couldn’t safely do that I decided to err on the side of caution and forgo the sessions at the gym for leisurely walks.

Sure, walking is great and it helped keep me active, but where was Lauren Brooks swinging kettlebells with her cute pregnancy belly when I needed her? Just like me, many other women tend to stop all training — even at moderate intensity — when they get pregnant.  Confusion about the risks associated with training while pregnant, combined with a general lack of energy, increased weight gain, and a morphing body make it easy to justify waiting until after baby is born.

But now we know that expectant moms don’t have to be benchwarmers. “The general good news”, says Krista Scott-Dixon in Weight Training During Pregnancy,  “is that active women with normal, low-risk pregnancies do not have to give up their beloved weight training in order to keep themselves and baby healthy.” Recent evidence-based guidelines from groups such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists confirm that even a fairly vigorous exercise program is safe, especially for women who are already fit and accustomed to regular activity.

Lauren Brooks hopes to spread this good news with her latest DVD, Baby Bells: Fit Pregnancy Workout With (Optional) Kettlebells.  Filmed when Lauren was nearly seven months pregnant with her second child, the DVD takes viewers through a complete resistance training workout, providing options and pointers for how women can continue to train safely and effectively throughout the nine months of pregnancy. Lauren’s program is proof that bells and baby bellies can work together — she just gave birth to healthy daughter #2. (Congratulations!)

A certified fitness and strength trainer and RKC instructor, Lauren turned to kettlebell training five years ago when she started to get bored with traditional workouts in the gym.  Before long, she was hooked.  Lauren quickly found that a half-hour session with a kettlebell replaced her two-hour training sessions at the gym and made her stronger, better conditioned and leaner to boot.  Improved efficiency, great results, and the fact that it’s a workout that can be done anywhere are what Lauren loves about kettlebell training, and why she continues to use it for herself and with so many of her own clients.

Lauren’s kettlebell sessions tend to be very intense but relatively short, varying from 30-50 min.  She sticks mainly with body weight and kettlebell exercises that engage the entire body, but she also likes to train with heavy weights to stay strong and keep the intensity going.   Over the course of a week, Lauren tries to get in 4 sessions using some of the following exercises and varying the intensity and weight: Turkish get ups, clean and press, kettlebell swings, pullups, squats, push ups, burpees, pistols, and kettlebell snatches.  On alternate days, Lauren likes to walk.

During both her pregnancies, Lauren has been able to keep a very similar program, but is more cautious and pays much more attention to how her body responds to training. She has eliminated all exercises that involve pressurized breathing, or those done on the back or requiring side bending (after 16-18 weeks). She uses progressively lighter kettlebells for most exercises as she gets closer to baby’s birthday. Training sessions are short, about 30 minutes, and Lauren now includes much more hill walking.

Kettlebell training has also helped Lauren overcome her biggest challenge when it comes to nutrition and training: time. “I never realized how much time I had until my daughter entered the world,” she says. When she’s “dealing with sleep deprivation and a baby needing constant attention… finding the time and energy is the hardest part” of sticking to good exercise and nutrition habits.  Immediately after her first child was born, Lauren had to adjust her nutrition to match her reduced training time and intensity. When her daughter napped, Lauren would quickly do a 10-minute kettlebell session and then later try and get a half hour intense walk or jog with the little one in the stroller.

Lauren will rely on these strategies again when baby number two makes her way into the world   Lauren will gradually ease her way back to a high intensity level but in the first 10 weeks postpartum, she’ll make sure to allow her body to adapt and not overdo it.  During this phase, prolactin is still present in the body in higher than normal levels.  This hormone, which loosens and softens connective tissue to accommodate the growing fetus and eventual birth, increases as pregnancy progresses, and doesn’t return to pre-pregnancy levels until a few weeks postpartum. Greater joint laxity increases women’s risk of joint injuries and pain during this time.  Thus, for the first 2-3 months after giving birth, Lauren will walk hills with a stroller most days of the week, squeezing in short kettlebell and body weight workouts when the baby is sleeping.

When Lauren started using kettlebells she also realized she needed to give more attention to her nutrition. The intensity of kettlebell training was unlike any training she had ever done and Lauren was motivated to learn about the most natural foods to keep up with the strength and conditioning levels she wanted to achieve.  As she quickly lost body fat with small changes in her diet, Lauren became fascinated with good nutrition’s potential to transform her body and decided that she wanted to pass along these nutritional insights to her clients as well.

Lauren’s general nutrition philosophy is twofold: nourish your body with foods in their most natural state, and learn to listen to your body.  Eat when you feel hungry, she says, which means meals anywhere from 5-7 times a day for active people.  Lauren makes it a priority to prepare meals at home for her and her family, and with the exception of some pesticide-free protein shakes, she avoids processed foods and products that contain gluten, wheat, soy, and refined sugars.

During her pregnancies, Lauren does her best to stay within these guidelines but does allow for more grains compared to when she is in a leaning out phase. She’ll also make some changes to establish a good supply of breast milk.  For the first 8-12 weeks postpartum, she aims for 8-10 small meals a day, including more organic dairy products than usual. She also tries to drink at least 10 glasses of water a day.   Once the nursing supply is established, Lauren will gradually eliminate dairy products and lower her caloric intake as nursing typically slows down.  This allows her to begin losing body fat without compromising the supply or quality of milk for the baby.

Lauren is sure to regain her pre-pregnancy physique in no time, and will soon be back to a maintenance phase. She has a few favourite foods that help her stay lean and fuel her workouts: a nutritional protein shake mixed with greens, flax oil, and small amounts of berries gives her great energy for training sessions; snacking on foods like hard-boiled eggs, raw nuts, and organic apples works well for her body composition goals.

Here’s an average day of eating for Lauren:

A pregnant Lauren with daughter #1

7 am: Complete Nutrition protein powder; 1 cup of organic frozen berries; 1 tablespoon of flax seed oil; 1 teaspoon of Super Greens powder; ½ teaspoon of liquid B vitamins taken in water

9:30 am: Organic green apple slices dipped in raw almond butter

11: 30 am:  Large green leafy salad, topped with grilled chicken; sliced pears; handful of walnuts; balsamic vinegar; a very small side of quinoa or black beans

2:30 pm:  Sliced red and yellow peppers and cucumbers dipped in hummus; 1 serving of unsweetened mango slices; 2 hard boiled eggs, with 1 yolk

5:30 pm:  Grilled chicken breast with steamed broccoli and butternut squash

8:00 pm:  1 cup of unsweetened organic apple sauce with cinnamon; handful of walnuts; cup of herbal tea

Many women find that during pregnancy or in the months following childbirth, it’s easier to justify feeling lazy, give into cravings and deviate from their exercise regimen.  Lauren has proven that there are strategies to keep you on track during all phases of motherhood.

Lauren’s advice for fit moms or moms-to-be is to just keep reminding yourself to do your best and don’t give up.   Find exercises that you truly enjoy and go for shorter workouts –- these will be easier to stick with because you will be more likely to find time for them in your day.  Whatever training you do, listen to your body and just keep moving.

Producing Baby Bells, along with her first DVD, The Ultimate Body Sculpt and Conditioning with Kettlebells, has given Lauren the opportunity to spread this message.  Though the process was hard, it’s been extremely rewarding for Lauren, and has allowed her to help thousands of people achieve their goals. Baby Bells is the first pregnancy DVD of its kind and though it’s especially attractive to those already accustomed to using kettlebells, it’s a great option for anyone looking to safely continue training during pregnancy.

Luckily, by my second and third pregnancies, I was more educated and comfortable about what I could and couldn’t do, and stuck with my training until the days my kids were born. Though more babies are not in the plan for me, I have to admit it would be fun to swing a kettlebell around my baby belly.

Lauren’s site

Lauren Brooks is a fitness and strength trainer in San Diego, CA. Lauren earned her B.S. in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Fitness, Nutrition, and Health from San Diego State University. Lauren Brooks is certified by the American Council on Exercise and Russian Kettlebell Challenge.

Review of Lauren’s first DVD by Krista Scott-Dixon on Stumptuous.com

My Baby Bells review

Having experienced the joys of being pregnant three times over for a total of 839 days (who’s counting), it’s clear just from watching Lauren Brooks’ latest DVD, Baby Bells: Fit Pregnancy Workout With (Optional) Kettlebells that it would have been a great addition to my training regimen as I aimed to stay fit and strong as each of my babies grew.  Similar in training structure and instruction to Brooks’ first DVD, Baby Bells offers a variety of lower intensity and equipment options, along with modified positions to accommodate a wide range of abilities and the changes in a woman’s body as pregnancy progresses.  For those who have used kettlebells in the past, and are looking to continue training during their pregnancy, this DVD is a great follow-up to Brooks’ first DVD, The Ultimate Body Sculpt and Conditioning with Kettlebells.

With a more mellow and calming feel than her first DVD, Lauren, 6 ½ months pregnant with her second child, introduces viewers to the benefits of exercise during pregnancy and the precautions that need to be taken when exercising during pregnancy, as outlined by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.  Encouraging participants to listen to their bodies and always err on the side of caution, the DVD takes viewers through a three-part workout where three to five exercises are completed circuit-style and then repeated.

Along with bodyweight exercises such as push-ups, many of the standard kettlebell exercises, such as two-handed swings, sumo squats, one-arm rows, step back lunges, and tricep presses are included. Lauren shows how kettlebell size should change with each exercise and gives options to perform these with dumbbells or bodyweight alone.  As Lauren demonstrates the higher intensity versions, an inset video provides alternatives for modifying the position and range of motion of the movements.   Participants are encouraged to take as much rest as they need between exercises, and between sets within each part.   Paired with a joint mobility warm-up and a cool-down with stabilizing and stretching geared specifically to target muscles and joints that are under more stress during pregnancy, the entire workout takes just over 35 min and can easily be performed anywhere with little to no equipment.

For experienced kettlebell users who want to experience increased energy and strength during their pregnancy, and prepare their bodies for an easier delivery and recovery from childbirth, this DVD provides a complete and enjoyable way to do so.  With less specific instruction on kettlebell form than the first DVD, those who are both pregnant and new to this type of training can get the same benefit, but would be best to stick with bodyweight or dumbbell options.  Learning the basic kettlebell movements is best mastered when a woman’s body is not going through the many changes of pregnancy, or having to worry about a cumbersome belly.

Something about watching Brooks swing the kettlebell around her gorgeous belly makes you appreciate the strength and power of a pregnant woman. Once again, Lauren inspires. While many women may use the excuse of pregnancy to literally “eat for two” and stay away from the gym, the energy that Lauren radiates proves that making fitness and healthy eating a priority even during pregnancy is good for mom and for a healthy baby.