Shay Mitchell’s Pregnancy Cravings: Her Trainer Tells All — Interview – Hollywood Life

Shay Mitchell’s Trainer Reveals How Actress Is Staying Fit While Pregnant, Her Cravings & More

It won't be long befor Shay Mitchell gives birth to her first child, and we got an update on the actress' pregnancy cravings, labor plans and more straight from her trainer, Astrid Swan!

Reading Time: 4 minutes
shay mithcell
View gallery
Image Credit: MEGA

Shay Mitchell may be nine months pregnant, but that doesn’t mean she’s slowing down when it comes to her fitness. “Shay, in particular, has always been very fit and has always been active,” the actress’ trainer, Astrid Swan, told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY while promoting her e-book, It’s Life For Life: Train Like A Mother. “She’s an insane boxer. She has the tenacity in the gym to out lift. So with her becoming pregnant, we were able to train as we always have. The only thing you have to keep in mind is that some days you feel more tired, some days you feel a little green, and you adjust accordingly.”

Of course, Shay’s schedule is just as busy as ever, despite her pregnancy, but Astrid said that she still makes a commitment to get to the gym as much as possible. “We try to hit a minimum three [days a week],” Astrid explained. “Some days more, some weeks more, some weeks it’s not possible.” Anyone who follows Shay on social media know she isn’t afraid to indulge every once in a while, though, and Astrid admitted that her client has been craving Dave’s Hot Chicken and Burgers Never Say Die while carrying her little one. “I would say she’s enjoying her pregnancy, but also remembering the importance of being in the fitness space as well,” Astrid dished.

Shay is expected to give birth any week now, and once that happens, the focus will switch to bouncing back after having the baby. “We have to make sure that she’s healthy and cleared from the doctor and then we’re going to start slow,” Astrid said. “Although both of us are the type who would want to go all out, it’s not smart. I usually like to start my postnatal clients with upper body and being very calm in the lower body area. And then we can start body weight for squats, lunges, and see how everything feels. For some, everything feels fine right away and for others it takes a minute for all of your insides to reorganize.”

She’s really all belly while pregnant — her arms are so long and lean, same with her legs. How does she get that look? That’s consistent working out. Also, she’s stunning…so she’s beautiful! She would tell you differently how she feels, but we life still, heavy, within the confines of what’s acceptable. Push-ups, triceps dips, working on the TRX. She was doing jump squats two days ago! She’s not afraid to continue her cardio. She goes hiking if she’s not training with me. She’s still very active and I think that’s key. You have to listen to your body. Some days are good and some days you’re like…I don’t even want to lift the remote. Maybe those days you go for a light walk and then you’ll feel better and assess from there.

How many calories more a day should someone be eating, technically? The general rule of thumb is…just because you’re pregnant, doesn’t mean you’re eating for two. In the beginning, the first trimester, you don’t really need to change anything. And then it’s usually like 150-200 calories [more] and then it’s like 250-350 calories [more]. So, when you think about the extra calories you should be having to fuel your body, it’s not often the craving of ice cream with pickles. But you do want to enjoy your pregnancy. If you want to have an ice cream, please enjoy the ice cream.

What are some easy exercises that pregnant women can do at home? You can start with Cat-Cow — on your hands and knees, you want to let your belly hang out, stretch the front of your neck and then tuck your chin around gently. Doing that can help relieve sciatica, which happens later on in pregnancy. From there, really start engaging the core. Bird Dog is reaching one arm forward and the opposite leg back. Hold that for a count of five, and switch to the opposite arm and leg. You want to make sure you’re doing that as your belly starts getting bigger and that you aren’t arching your back. The term ugly butt is used a lot with trainers — we want you to have an ugly butt, so tuck your tailbone and squeeze your glutes, as opposed to sticking it out like you’re in a video. (Astrid also explained that her book has 20-30 minute circuits, which allow pregnant women to “get a full body or specific upper body or lower body or core focused workout.”)

How has Shay’s pregnancy been overall? Has she complained about any pain? No pain. I can’t speak for her, but from what she’s told me, she’s feeling really good. I think she’s been enjoying it.