36, pregnant and still doing cartwheels
Any day now, Jade Schilbach will be waterbirthing her second child. But that hasn’t stopped her from continuing to be active.
Since she won’t be medicated during the process, the 36-year-old said she’s been doing lots of simple exercises to help make the delivery as smooth as possible, like deep squats and forward inverts. At eight-and-a-half months, she was still able to lift a fresh mineral water barrel into the dispenser all on her own.
Because her family has a “not-so-healthy” medical history, especially in the cardio department, she wanted to take control of her health to avoid health problems for as long as she can.
Schilbach was never an athletic child and only started getting serious about her fitness when she was already in her 20s. She liked dancing, so she started jazz-dancing on and off at 14, and took her first ballet class at 25. She fell in love with movement and mobility and realized she wanted to be able to move and not limit herself in pushing her body’s boundaries.
Before the pandemic, the copywriter worked out five to six days a week doing jiujitsu, Muay Thai, weightlifting and a bit of dancing and aerial arts.
The lockdown of 2020 abruptly halted her routine, but thanks to her husband also being a jiujitsu practitioner, they were able to train together until she got pregnant in mid-2020.
During her first pregnancy, she made an effort to continue moving to keep herself healthy because she realized that what she does no longer affected her, but her baby inside her, as well.
Walking and handstands
She did a lot of walking and handstands while pregnant. And when restrictions eased up, she got into boxing and light weightlifting before she had to slow down at almost eight months. Her midwives taught her some exercises she could do to correct the baby’s positioning in the womb, which remained sideways until the seventh month. Apparently, forward inversions are good for the birthing prep, and her daughter was in the correct position by the time she was ready to come out.
It took Schilbach about a month before she could freely move around again. For the first three months, she was able to take the baby with her to the gym and work out during the baby’s nap time. But as her baby’s sleep schedule began to change, it became more challenging to work out at the gym. Instead, she would just walk to the park and stretch at home, sneaking in some jiujitsu with her husband on occasion.
Last year, she decided to take her first gymnastics class, which became her favorite workout until she became pregnant again midyear.
It was a challenge taking care of a toddler while battling morning sickness this time around. For her second pregnancy, her fitness routine consisted mostly of ballet dancing, which she does twice a week at home with a dance teacher and a couple of friends.
For cardio, Schilbach does housework. During her deep nesting phase, she got a high out of vacuuming, mopping and doing laundry. She still lifts weights but instead of dumbbells, she now lifts her toddler.
What are your fitness essentials/must-haves? For home workouts, my fitness essentials are a sturdy wall and good mats. I love practicing handstands, stretching and mobility exercises. Now that I am back to doing ballet, of course I need a barre.
If I were working out in a gym, my must-have is simply a good set of weights and a power cage. You can’t go wrong with the basics.
For boxing and Muay Thai, definitely invest in good hand wraps and well-fitting good quality gloves. These can help prevent injuries!
What’s on your workout playlist? I don’t have my own playlist, but I do appreciate a good early 2000s mix when they play it in the gym. Otherwise, I work out without music. Is that weird?
Do you stick to a strict diet? What do you usually eat in a day? I don’t have a strict diet, so what I eat from day to day changes. I have a sweet tooth, so that’s definitely something I have to curb!
What I did add when I got pregnant (and haven’t stopped since 2020) is a sprinkle of malunggay powder to my food and some drinks. Malunggay is said to be full of vitamins and nutrients, plus it’s known to be good for lactation.
What’s off-limits? The usual stuff: no caffeine, no raw fish during pregnancy. The raw fish is the hardest part. I love sushi and sashimi! I also miss iced tea, especially when we go out to eat. Coffee, I can live without. I’ve never been a coffee drinker. My husband and I did make the conscious decision to give up sodas, though. We used to love root beer, but decided we can live without it. So it may not be a drastic change on the path to a healthier diet, but every little bit helps, right?
On the exercise end, avoid starting a new fitness regimen when you’re pregnant. For my first pregnancy, I was able to lift weights, do handstands and do boxing because I was already used to doing that pre-pregnancy. For my second pregnancy, I had to stop gymnastics because I was new to it (and I was still falling over). So I did ballet instead.
Do you have cheat days? I don’t have cheat days, since I’m not really on a diet. But I do get a little extra treat on Sundays, since we go out for family lunch. An extra dessert, milkshake, or something like that.
What keeps you motivated? “The idea is to die young as late as possible.”—Ashley Montagu
I don’t subscribe to the thinking that I am too old, or will be too old, to be mobile and athletic. I want to be able to do a backflip when I’m 60 and do handstands ‘til the day I die. But also, I think taking care of myself allows me to be a role model for my children, at the same time allowing me to take care of them. And when I’m old, hopefully they won’t have to worry about me.
I’m 36 and still doing cartwheels. I don’t see a reason to stop.
How did the pandemic affect your fitness routine? The abrupt stop in our usual routine back in 2020 was pretty jarring. I’m just so thankful that 2020 also came with good life changes, so I framed it in my mind like: This is a new chapter in my life. I’m a mom now. My baby is my priority now. Things are different now. So my fitness routine and focus changed completely.
Instead of focusing on jiu jitsu and competing (I wasn’t a serious athlete, but I found that competition pushed me to stay focused, so I used to compete once or twice a year), I now focus on mobility and movement. I may want to compete in jiu jitsu again in the future, but for now, it’s handstands, stretching and cartwheels.
What are your other fitness secrets? Set an authentic goal, and focus on that. Letting go of things that don’t serve you will come easy eventually. A good mindset is the key. You make decisions every day. Make sure those decisions align with your goal.
Any tips for working out while pregnant, or with an infant or toddler?If you have plans of getting pregnant at all, start working out as soon as possible. If you’re active before pregnancy, you can continue being active throughout your pregnancy, and recovery will be faster.
Working out with an infant or toddler, especially if you don’t have a yaya (like me!), try to incorporate them into your exercise. It might look like taking a stroll to the park or dancing with them. For a while, I used my baby like a medicine ball and I would do squats carrying her.
What tips do you want to share with people who want to get healthier?Set a goal. Take the plunge and just do the thing. Start scared. Start small. Stay consistent.
