Punching Through Pregnancy

Gabriela shares her experience as a Rumble Boxing Trainer and how she was able to navigate through pregnancy, still coaching and managing her work/life balance. 

• Tell us about your current pregnancy journey: 
  I am expecting my second boy this December! With a 2 year old at home and managing my nutrition business, my own self-care and my Head Trainer responsibilities at Rumble Boxing Plainview, it's a lot!  Compared to my last pregnancy, this one has proved to be much more challenging and has taught me to prioritize my work/life balance.  I found out I was pregnant in April and was ecstatic as I wanted our son, Matteo, to have a sibling to grow up with! 
  
  
• How do you achieve work & life balance?
• As a full-time mom-entrepreneur with a nutrition coaching business, I relate to moms who work all day and then come home to care for their little ones!  It's a balancing act I don't know if we ever master.  As I approach the final few months (this pregnancy has flown by), I cannot wait for our baby boy to get here and snuggle throughout the holidays. Pregnancy can be very taxing for some, and I personally get pretty sick in the first 6-8 weeks - I actually had to sub out of a few Rumble Boxing classes. In my second and third trimester I had a mix of great days, okay days and days where I want to stay in bed all day. 
  
  
• Can I take Rumble Boxing classes while pregnant? 
  Absolutely! Add in modifications, as needed.  During both of my pregnancies, Rumble Boxing classes were a staple for my physical and mental health!  My biggest recommendation for taking Rumble Boxing classes during your pregnancy is this: listen to your body and get it cleared from your doctor or healthcare team!  Additionally, some exercises are not recommended during pregnancy, especially in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters, so make sure to ask your Rumble trainer ahead of class for some modifications.  All Rumble Boxing workouts can be done at your own pace: sometimes you will tap your way through a speed jab-cross interval.  And sometimes, pregnancy will slow you down, but staying physically active at a manageable level can be a huge benefit to your pregnancy, labor and delivery, as well as your recovery postpartum.  In fact, research shows that babies born to active moms have healthier outcomes.  
  
  
• What other tips can you provide for incorporating fitness as a soon-to-be mom or first-time mom? 
  When I think back to my first pregnancy, preparing for my son was all I could think about!  And I am happy I prepared as much as I possibly could with having the right baby gear, education and guidance.  But at the same time, nothing can 100% prepare you for motherhood, other than motherhood itself.  What I found was after having my son, an immediate light switch went on and it was like my second nature.  But if there is one thing I learned (besides having basics at home like diapers, wipes, a bassinet) is finding a support network.  Having family, fellow friends with babies, and my husband and a therapist.  There are many resources, mom groups and support groups both online and in person that you can join.  I recall sending texts out at 3am to people in my support network and knowing that at least one (if not all of them) would be up with me to chat during a night feed. Maybe we need a Moms of Rumble Boxing FB Group?!  
  
  
• How long have you been a trainer at Rumble Boxing?  I joined Rumble Boxing at our NYC locations in 2021.  Rumble was a little dream of mine I wanted to join right before COVID hit and then had to wait a bit until we were back up.  I stayed in NYC until I had my son, where after I recovered from pregnancy I helped open up Rumble Boxing Plainview, the first location on Long Island.  The Rumble Family is a special place to me! 
  
  
• What is your favorite song to play in class?  In every class I say "this is my favorite Rumble Song" but I'll have to say it's this "sic" Sicko Mode remix we have. 
  
  
• What is your favorite combo? It's a long one but you'll catch me in most freestyle moments throwing: 1-2-3-SLIP-5-3-STEP OUT-2-3-2
  
  
• What do you love most about a Rumble Round? The build up to an epic freestyle moment where you don't need to think and can just go! As a trainer I love watching my class let their guard down and get out what they need to get out on the bag! It's fun to watch people progress in their training and really have fun in those 30 seconds.