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Thursday, October 25, 2007

Writing vs. lecturing

I've just had a week of heavy writing, that is not yet over. Being a fitness editor for a pregnancy magazine is lots of fun. I have the freedom to take whatever photos I like and include whatever exercises I choose provided I do not go overboard with nutritional strictness. My job also includes lecturing at the motherhood school that some of the readers attend. Today I was talking about postnatal recovery and the need to take charge of your own body just hours after you gave birth.

Here are some random thoughts on observing and talking to the 60 women that attended today:

1. Pizza, ice-cream and juice were the main staples eaten at the lecture. Every time I mentioned clean eating I got a lot of understanding looks and no one seemed to connect what I was talking about to what they had chosen to eat while listening. Waiters were still bringing cake and ice-cream at the end of the lecture. Knowing vs. doing is a powerful opposition.

2. Women care more about weight loss that about lower back health.

3. They will carry a growing baby around and will walk upstairs with a stroller under their arm, but they will refuse to join a gym because weights are not good for them.

4. They would rather take supplements and use anti-cellulite lotion than do a set of lunges, because it takes less time.

5. They will postpone starting an exercise program until they are done breastfeeding. I find that is the same type of women that procrastinated before they got pregnant, found a reason not to exercise while they were pregnant and will look for more after birth.

6. They will eat olive oil, but they won't eat lamb. Did you know that half the fat in lamb is monounsaturated?

7. They will not face the fact that taking care for a baby is hard physical labor, and they need to be prepared. I am thinking of starting a prenatal strength and conditioning program, where deadlifting, barbell rowing and snatching are staples.

8. Doctors fail to give adequate advice and will err on the wrong side. At least Americans have ACOG. We have nothing like that.

9. 100% of the mothers that attended love my articles and recipes. None of them ever tried the exercises or the recipes.

I am working on a large multimedia presentation that I have to show in 12 towns in a month. I will meet over 1000 women. I will repeat the phrase " take responsibility" over 200 times.

3 comments:

Roland Denzel said...

That sounds pretty interesting.

Have you considered doing these at a place were you could do a cooking demo? Get a few involved with the cooking (and then the eating).

I think the prenatal program is a cool idea, too.

You need a ringer. Someone to come with you who's strong, fit, and has quickly lost the pregnancy weight. If she's still nursing, all the better!

Galya Denzel said...

I love the idea. I will discuss it with the editor in chief. By the way, the girls I train don't need to lose weight because they trained during pregnancy and stay fit and within reasonable pregnancy weight gain :)

Unknown said...

Здравей, не съм чувала нищо за тази инициатива. За България ли става въпрос или за друга държава?