Taylor Riggs - Marathons, Pilates and Pregnancy
We know lifestyle plays a large part in how pregnancy progresses. But what if you are a fitness enthusiast...who loves marathons and Pilates? Is it possible to run a marathon while pregnant? The answer to this is YES! It is possible, although with some considerations. We interviewed Taylor Riggs, Co-host of The Big Money Show on FOX Business Network, avid marathon runner, and fitness enthusiast, to answer a few questions about her pregnancy and to seek insight into running a marathon while pregnant.
Taylor, please tell us a bit about yourself.
I was born and raised in California but moved to NYC when I was 18 and have been here ever since! I just recently left Bloomberg TV after 9 years to join Fox Business and feel so grateful for all the support I have received from my new employer while being pregnant at the same time. I love fitness and have completed 16 marathons, and I love doing Pilates multiple times a week. I am also a part-time law student in the evenings and have an insatiable thirst for knowledge. I always thought I was a “career” woman and never had maternal instincts. But once I met my husband and we got married last year, something changed, and I felt ready and settled to start thinking about a family. This has been the most exciting journey yet, and I have a new appreciation for all pregnant and current mamas!
How would you describe your pregnancy so far? Is it everything you have imagined?
My pregnancy got better as time passed. In the beginning, I felt uncomfortable in my skin and just really bloated. Once a few months had passed, and I started to show an actual bump, I felt confident and proud of my body for growing this little baby. I tribute staying active (running and Pilates) to how great I have felt, especially these last few months!
We know that pregnancy brings with it a lot of unsolicited advice. What advice have you found to be the most helpful?
The best advice I have received is to trust your body and trust your baby. I had one minor scare over the 4th of July weekend, and I thought about going to the hospital. But then I took a deep breath and reminded myself that my baby was kicking and telling me everything was okay and that, intuitively, I knew that my baby was okay. The internet can get you very worked up about minor things that are usually not an issue – and I had to remind myself that I knew my body and my baby more than anyone! The second piece of advice that has been most helpful is don’t be afraid to raise my hand and ask for help if things feel overwhelming and to be nice to myself. There’s a lot of change in a short amount of time, and I need to be kind to myself and ask for help if I need it. The airlines also say, “Put your oxygen mask on first.” I try to remind myself that I am allowed to raise my hand and ask for an oxygen mask!
What problems have you faced and had to overcome during your pregnancy?
I feel very fortunate that I haven’t had many physical concerns I needed to address with my doctor. I am a big marathon runner and love doing Pilates, so my biggest problem was trying to figure out how active I should or should not be and how to balance school, work, and sleep to make sure I was as healthy (both physically and emotionally) as possible for baby and me. Everything in life and in pregnancy has been a balance, and I try to exercise as much as possible but give myself a break when I am feeling tired or emotional. For me, it always comes down to listening to my body.
Do you want to share details? Is the baby a boy or a girl? Do you have names picked out yet?
We are keeping the sex/gender a surprise! So, we have no idea if we will have a boy or a girl. I always just wanted to make sure my baby was healthy regardless of the sex. But we have a boy's name and a girl's name picked out for the big day! It will give my husband and me something to look forward to and an extra surprise when finding out if we are having a boy or girl after I deliver.
Medical advice tells us that if a woman is already engaged in certain fitness activities at the time of conception, it is fairly safe to continue the activity with slight modifications as the pregnancy progresses. There are also a lot of health benefits associated with exercising while pregnant, both for the mother and the baby. What can you tell us about your experience with running a marathon while pregnant? Did you face a lot of negativity surrounding this choice?
I thought I would receive a lot more criticism than I did. I am very grateful for a supportive community that has seen me running since I was in elementary school and has seen me run marathons starting 10 years ago. People really rallied around me and supported my decision (along with clearance from 2 doctors!) to continue to run and continue to train for a marathon. I had been training for the London Marathon before I found out I was pregnant, and I’m grateful that the medical community and my doctors reminded me how safe and beneficial it was to continue to stay active. I finished that marathon when I was just over 19 weeks pregnant and took a full hour longer to complete the race to make sure my heart rate stayed low, and I was hydrating at every mile. Staying active and running that marathon reminded me to stay fully present in my body and again – to trust that baby and I were on this incredible journey and that if I had completed 15 marathons before baby, then I could complete one more marathon while pregnant. Healthy mama = healthy baby! And I can’t wait to tell baby the stories of the two of us running through the streets of London.
How has becoming a mother impacted your view of the world?
People keep telling me that being a parent is the hardest but also the most rewarding experience I could have. So, I think it’s a good reminder that when I see parents struggling, I now extend them grace in a way that I wouldn’t have prior to becoming a mother. I have a renewed respect for parents who are just trying to do the right thing and keep it together for their families in a way that I probably did not appreciate before.
How do you plan to manage a healthy work-life balance after the baby arrives?
This is going to be the biggest challenge for me! I asked my husband to give me daily reminders that he and the baby come first no matter what! Nothing is more important than family and a new baby. And everything else can fall in line after that. I think there is a part of me that will always feel guilty for not being with my baby more when I am at work and a part of me that will feel guilty for not being able to give 100% to my work when I’m at home with my baby. But I do know that I will be a much better mom if I’m working, and then when I am home, I will try to be fully present for my baby. It’s a huge adjustment, and I know I will make mistakes. When baby is awake, I am going to try to be there for the baby 100%, and then when baby is sleeping, I’ll try to do things to focus on myself and my husband. But it will be a constant work in progress!
Do you have any fears associated with becoming a new parent?
My biggest fear is screwing up. I have to remind myself that I am doing my best and baby and I are learning together. There are parents who aren’t present for their children, and their children grow up to be just fine, and parents who give their kids everything and the kids still make mistakes. So I keep reminding myself that I can only do the best I can and try to give my children what I think is best to help them succeed, be independent, and be contributing members of society. After that, it will be out of my hands, and I’ll just have to sleep at night knowing I did my best.
Pregnancy Update:
Taylor and Bryan just had a baby girl, Rodell Mildred "Milly-Ro" on September 6th! To see baby and to learn more about Taylor and her work, follow Taylor on social media: Instagram @riggsreport and Twitter @riggsreport
ABOUT TAYLOR RIGGS
Taylor Riggs joined the FOX Business Network (FBN) in December 2022 and currently serves as co-host of The Big Money Show (weekdays, 1 PM/ET) alongside Jackie DeAngelis and Brian Brenberg.
Prior to joining FBN, Riggs spent nine years at Bloomberg News, where she co-anchored a daily program on Bloomberg Television, covering equities, bonds, currencies, and commodities. In addition, she led Bloomberg’s cross-asset market coverage and as a municipal bond reporter. Earlier in her career, Riggs was a markets reporter for The Bond Buyer, covering municipal bond buy-side investors and sell-side analysts.
A graduate of New York University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Communication Studies, Riggs also earned her Master's in Finance at Johns Hopkins University’s Carey Business School and is currently a Juris Doctor candidate at New York Law School. Notably, she completed her Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) level 1 (2015), level 2 (2017), and level 3 (2018). Photos provided by Taylor Riggs