Tuesday, 20251209

BODY

Workout

For load:

Deadlift 5-5-5-5-5 reps

Skill

Finish by practicing ring supports and stretching the hips

Spend the beginning of your workout practicing the deadlift and working up in load slowly.

All 5 sets of 5 should be challenging for the day.

Use your previous records to inform the load you should aim for. No maxing out needed today. Just good form!

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BELLY

Shrimp Tacos with Avocado & Lime Slaw

Spiced seared shrimp served in crisp lettuce wraps, topped with a refreshing avocado-lime slaw featuring crisp cucumber and cabbage.

⚡️ Quick & Easy Shrimp Tacos (Make-Ahead Slaw)

Group	Ingredient
For the Shrimp	6 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined
	1 Tbsp butter
	Seasoning: ½ tsp smoked paprika, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp cumin, Salt & pepper
For the Slaw	½ cup shredded green cabbage
	¼ cup cucumber, julienned
	1 Tbsp avocado, mashed
	Dressing: 1 tsp lime juice, 1 tsp olive oil, ½ clove garlic (minced), Salt & pepper
For Assembly	4–5 large romaine or butter lettuce leaves
	1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
	Extra lime wedges

📅 Make-Ahead Prep (5 Minutes)

• Prep the Slaw: Combine the shredded cabbage and julienned cucumber in one container. Mix the dressing ingredients (lime juice, olive oil, garlic, S&P) in a separate small container. Refrigerate both. Add the avocado right before assembly.

• Season the Shrimp: Toss the shrimp with the paprika, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate in a covered container.

🏃‍♂️ Quick Assembly & Cook (5–8 Minutes Total)

1. Cook the Shrimp (5 Minutes): Heat the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned shrimp and cook for 1–2 minutes per side until opaque and lightly browned. Set aside.

2. Finish the Slaw (1-2 Minutes): In the container with the cabbage/cucumber mix, add the mashed avocado and the pre-made dressing. Toss well to combine.

3. Assemble (1 Minute): Lay out the lettuce leaves. Spoon in the slaw, top with the cooked shrimp, and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve immediately with lime wedges.

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BRAIN

Exercise & Pregnancy Demystified

In this discussion, Dr. Christina Prevett presents Push-ups Before Push Time, where she challenges outdated, fear-based exercise restrictions for pregnant and postpartum women. Dr. Prevett—a pelvic floor physiotherapist, researcher, and competitive strength athlete—draws on her clinical work, research at the University of Alberta, and her own athletic pregnancies, to argue that movement during pregnancy should be guided by evidence and individualized capacity, not blanket bans. General guidelines mirror those for non-pregnant adults—150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week, plus resistance training—but Dr. Prevett highlights how recent studies support lifting heavier weights, maintaining supine positions if tolerated, and continuing high-intensity intervals safely when individualized monitoring is in place. Miscarriage risk, diastasis recti, and rigid heart-rate caps lack evidence as reasons to limit exercise, and she emphasizes that deconditioning often poses greater risks than carefully progressed training.

Dr. Prevett dismantles long-standing myths—from the “20-pound limit” to fears about abdominal “coning”—by showing how new data and nuanced coaching can empower pregnant athletes and everyday exercisers alike. She advocates reframing diastasis recti as a manageable adaptation, not an injury, and encourages clinicians to support progressive loading, core strengthening, and breath strategies based on individual comfort rather than rigid rules. Her research also points to potential benefits of movement in high-risk scenarios—such as prolonged pregnancy after premature rupture of membranes—and questions the routine use of bed rest or “pelvic rest,” which often lacks evidence and may worsen outcomes.

The presentation also addresses practical implications for clinicians and fitness professionals. Dr. Prevett urges providers to “bulletproof” rather than “bubble-wrap” pregnant individuals by tailoring exercise to their baseline fitness, goals, and symptoms—then supporting early, gradual postpartum activity rather than enforcing a uniform six-week rest. The conversation with Karen Thomson also touches on perimenopause, menopause, and geriatrics, extending the same principle: that effortful, appropriately dosed strength training across the lifespan improves resilience and quality of life far more than overly cautious restrictions.

A 10-minute summary of the webinar is now available for free to anyone, while the full webinar is available for Medical Society Members and MetFix affiliates.