Angel never used to work out, has never once joined a team or performed a proper push-up. All through elementary school she feigned menstrual cramps and carpal tunnel syndrome to get out of PE, and in middle school, thanks to sweeping cuts in public school funding, she never had to register for it at all. But because studies show that exercise during pregnancy results in lower rates of illness and obesity in infants, every afternoon Angel takes a walk. Brianna, Angel’s teacher at Smart Starts!, gave them each a daily planner and a sheet of foil stars to mark their daily exercise. Angel loves her planner with its maroon plastic cover stamped to look like leather, and she loves pasting the star neatly next to each date.
