Agni Pratistha: THE REAL SUPERMOM!

Agni doesn’t take lightly of her passion for running and weight lifting. Even in her pregnancy, she still manages to lift up to hundreds of kilograms of weight regularly. She has even set up some weight lifting equipment at home so she could exercise once she has given birth.

Photo : agni-pratistha.com, instagram

Agni shares her daily activities during pregnancy on Instagram. In addition to her own cooking, she can also be seen working out at the gym in her pregnancy. She uploaded various photos of her working out to strengthen her leg muscles and back muscles. There is even a photo showing Agni lifting dumbbells with her very visible pregnant belly! For some people, the sight of a pregnant woman working out might be cringe-worthy. But for Agni, weight-lifting has been a daily routine even before her pregnancy. “When I found out I was pregnant, I asked the doctor about how my pregnancy would affect my hobbies, which are running and weight-lifting. The doctor allowed it as long as the workout itself is not as intense as I am used to doing,” she explained. “Before I was pregnant, I was used to working out with a leg extension machine with a weight of up to 200 kg, but during my pregnancy I cut it down to 100 kg. In the past, I used to be able to run for as long as an hour nonstop, but now I can only do 10 minutes because I cannot stand the heat,” she added. In addition to consulting with her physician, Agni also worked with a personal trainer to find out more about exercises that are appropriate and needed for a pregnant woman. “I hear stories from people that say that during pregnancy, your back would often feel painful. To minimize that, entering my seventh month of pregnancy, I do back muscle exercises by lifting weight of 30-45 kg. On top of that, I also do squat,” she said.

To continue doing her favorite activities even in her pregnancy, she had to lie to her mother-in-law. “At first I told her I was only going to do some Lamaze, until one day, my sister-in-law showed a screenshot of my Instagram photos to my mother-in-law. She was concerned, but my husband and I assured her that I will be okay, so she finally approved,” she laughed.

Agni also asked her husband, Ryan Anthony Monoarfa, to join her in her workout so he wouldn’t worry. “Apparently I am much more tougher and I have more energy than my husband. It did not take long for him to lay exhausted on the floor when I was just getting started. Perhaps that made him to finally agree with my doing weight-lifting even when I am pregnant,” she said.

Exercise is always good for one’s health. In her second pregnancy, “I only started to feel discomfort in my 33^rd week. Other women would usually feel restless and have difficulty breathing in their 5^th month. But I have only experienced those discomfort entering my 8^th month.”

Agni even prepared to continue exercising after giving birth. “I got bored of working out in the same place, so lately I have been buying my own fitness equipment to work out at home. It would also be good to prepare me to continue working out after giving birth. I don’t want to have baby blues because I didn’t prepare for these things,” she said.

Working out even in her pregnancy has helped Agni to stay in shape – she only gained an additional weight of 12 kg. She said most of the additional weight is focused for the baby.

One thing you should know, Fimelova, Agni does not recommend heavy exercise during pregnancy. “I am not encouraging pregnant women to do the same, rather, I encourage them to continue to be physically active during pregnancy such as by doing yoga, pilates, or swimming. Being pregnant does not mean you have to stay still and not move around, but I’m not saying you should start lifting weight and doing heavy workout,” she said.

Looking fashionable while exercising, especially in her pregnancy, is still important to Agni. She has looked around and finally adopted several advice from beauty bloggers such as Anna Saccone. “Simple and stylish is the idea. I usually wear a black legging, T-shirt, and flannel. But I always pick eye-catching workout shoes like boots, and I wear red or other bright colored lipsticks,” she explained.

In the future, Agni, who is the sister of Sigi Wimala, is hoping to give natural birth. She has also prepared a name for his soon-to-be-born son. “I want to name him Rudra, which was Sanskrit, just like my name. Rudra means the Shiva God, the god who destroyed the dark powers and sought the light,” she said. Interestingly enough, “All the names of the members of Ryan’s family were inspired by names usually available in souvenir shops like Ryan, Jessica, and Ray. My mother-in-law likes to teasingly tell me to change Rudra’s name. She said so that it would be easier to buy him souvenirs in the future,” she added, and laughingly ending the conversation. 

Originally published on Fimela.com. Translated and edited by Gold's Gym Indonesia.