Ask The Traineer Q & A...
"Hello Jennifer,
I would first like to start out by congratulating you on your upcoming guest posing, I know you will do great. I am not sure if you would remember me but a few months back I was emailing you about possibly helping me prepare for a show I was doing at the beginning of the year. Well I did the show in Chicago and won my weight class and had a great time. I always hear you talk about your beautiful children and I recently found out I am pregnant and was wondering if you could offer any training tips or dieting tips to get me through the next 4 months of this pregnancy? I have to say being pregnant is a blessing don't get me wrong but it is also hard to go from having all the control of your body to almost none. If you have any advice I would greatly appreciate it. I have to say you are an inspiration for all women not only for the bodybuilding but for the way you juggle it all. I admire you for all you have accomplished and all you will.

Best of luck on November 12th
MernaLee"


"Merna,
yes, of course I remember you! Great to hear from you and Congratulations!!
There is no greater blessing than that of a child! I really appreciate what you wrote about the way I have balenced things in my life. It is always a great balencing act and all of us struggle with that as life throws us new challenges each day. You can't control what life brings you, but you can control how you react to it. You have been given the blessing and challenge of soon becoming a mother.
This will be, without question, the experience that changes your life forever!! You will never be the same again. You will never again look at another pregnant woman without remembering something of your own pregnancy.
You will never again look at a newborn the same way..you will remeber the scent of a new life and the extraordinary peace that comes when your newborn snuggles up on your bare chest, their breath warming every part of your soul. And the pride that goes along with knowing, YOU helped create that life and bring that child into the world.
You will never again look at another mother struggling in a store with a toddler without remembering back, or thinking ahead, to what it was like or will be like, when your child was/is at that stage.
You will never see your child's father the same way...there will always be a bond that nothing in this world or behond, can take away!
All of your childhood will come back to you- in bits and pieces- as your child reaches each stage of their life. This will be a wonderful thing or a very painful thing...but you have the ability to be the mother you always wanted for your child...whether you had that in your life or not.
You will be humbled forever!! And..if and when you get on the stage again it will be more emotionally overwhelming than you ever could have imagined...because whatever you went through to get there before children..multiply that by 10! Everything you do in your life has to be balanced with the hopes, dreams and needs of your child and family.
When you speak of loosing control over your body while being pregnant and after having your child...I challenge you; to think of this as not a loss of control, but yet a way to experience yourself, the world around you, and the people around you differently.
Open yourself up to seeing things you never had time to REALLY see.
Slow down, smell the flowers, take a walk at sunset, taste every ice cream flavor at
" 31 Flavors" (not all in one day of course;).
My advise is this...you have only one life to do ALL there is to do!!
You have had time to be on stage and see the capacity of your athleticism to this point,
now it's time to appreciate the capacity for your body to grow "LIFE" within it!!
WOW- just think about that for a moment!!
Just for a second forget all your fears.. and just embrace the "Life" within you!
Exercise..not to change how your body looks..exercise to feel good! Change your thinking from looking into the mirror for feedback to closing your eyes taking a breath...how do you feel today..are you tired- maybe you need a nap. Is your body sore and stiff- maybe you need a yoga class (making modifications as you go). Prenantal yoga is wonderful..it is calming and it helps you bond with other new Mom's -To -Be.

Network...talk to other mom's.
Read...the more you know about labor, delivery and what to expect afterwards the more confident you will be- and that will show when the baby comes.
Enlist Help...do you need someone to help you clean the house or do you need a day off from work. When the baby comes..everyone will offer to help..TAKE THEM UP ON IT! No matter how self saficient you are..let them cook you a meal, go shopping for you. ext.
Be patient...after having a baby it takes time to feel like 'you' again emotionally and physically. Respect your body, and what it has given you.
You have the rest of your life to get your body back...your child's 1st year will NEVER come again!! I nursed both my children for a full year after they were born. I have no regrets..I enjoyed every moment and charished it all:) When you get your 6 week check- up after the baby, then you can start on that journey back to being "you"..but don't expect your body to respond the way it did before..it won't!
Your Partner/Husband/Boyfriend...I don't know if you are married or if the baby's father is going to be in your life..but if he is...don't leave him out, don't forget about him because you are so focused on the baby. Make your relationship a priority! Make take for eachother alone every week. The greatest gift you can give a child is for them to witness and learn from the love in their family. Whatever your family is made of...they will learn from..it will change them...make them who they are!!
Don't Compare to Anyone...don't compare yourself or your child to anyone else!!!
Be Happy & Laugh...enjoy as much as you can..when God gives you lemons..make lemonade:) Make the best of everything that comes your way...choose to see what is beautiful, instead of seeing what is not. Stop looking at the flaws, start looking at the "glow" that surrounds you and your beautiful expanding belly!
May you find the magic in pregnancy that I did and the patience to know your time will come again to follow your athletic pursuits..but that time is not now.
All the best to you & your unborn baby!
Jen:)"