He nodded. “That’s better. Keep your shoulders down too. If you’re tense, you’ll end up sore in places you didn’t mean to work.”
I nodded and finished the set, then bent to pick up a lighter pair for squats.
He caught that too. “Hold on. Don’t drop the weight too low.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re already carrying extra weight in front, and your balance is off whether you realize it or not.” He leaned against the rack, watching me.
“Are you a trainer?” I asked, picking a heavier set.
Smiling with one half of his mouth, he shook his head. “Nah. I just study this stuff because I’m so into it. A lot of women mess themselves up trying to snap back before they even have the baby. If you move smart now, keep your blood flowing, keep your glutes and legs active, and don’t just eat whatever you want every hour because you’re pregnant, you’ll be straight.”
I snorted as I began my set. “Too late for the whatever I want part. Chicago food has me in a chokehold right now. I spent four months in Thailand and just recently came back, so I’ve been making up for lost time when it comes to Chicago food.”
When I mentioned my travels, his brows curled with interest. Suddenly, he went from looking at me like I was just a pretty, pregnant woman to me being a woman of substance.
“You don’t have to starve yourself. Just balance it,” he advised. “Keep it light. Walk. Drink your water. And after the baby, don’t rush trying to get your body back. You keep some structure now, and your body will reward you later.”
I stood up from the last squat, joking, “You sure you’re not a trainer?”
He picked up one of the dumbbells and curled it, like he was testing the weight. “I’m an entrepreneur.”
I smirked. A fine man in a luxury building saying he was an entrepreneur usually meant he was a street nigga.
He caught the look on my face instantly. “Why are you smiling like that?”
“Nothing.”
He pointed the dumbbell at me. “No, what that smile mean?”
I set my weights down and took a sip of water, still smirking. “I know what entrepreneur usually means.”
That made him laugh loud enough to echo a little through the gym. “Damn, you got me profiled already?”
“You didn’t say I was wrong.”
He shook his head, still grinning. “You’re funny.”
“And you’re not beating the allegations.”
He laughed again and as I started to gather my keys, towel, and Stanley from the floor.
“You heading up?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“I’ll walk with you.”
I didn’t see any reason to say no. So, we left the gym together and took the hallway into the lobby.
“If you like brunch, there’s a spot right down the street that everybody in this neighborhood swears by,” Kam told me as we walked out of the gym. “They got these lemon ricotta pancakes that are good as hell”
“Didn’t you just give me all this advice about eating clean, so this baby won’t take over my body?” I asked.
He laughed. “I’m saying, though, you’re pregnant. You get to indulge every now and then. The baby shouldn’t suffer. Just don’t lose your mind.”
I nodded once. “That’s fair.”
