Being Pregnant
Do’s and Don’ts of Pregnancy Fitness (Focus on “Do”)
Bring on the bicep curls.
I had high hopes of staying in better shape during this pregnancy—mostly for health and delivery purposes, but I admit, also out of vanity. (It took nearly a year to get back into my regular wardrobe last time around. Don’t believe what everyone tells you about nursing and slimming down. It was worth it, but hard on my waistline and also my confidence.)
I started out strong with long walks on the treadmill. But since my 20-week appointment, things have gone downhill. I blame it on time management, fears about my placenta, as well as lack of child care. But it’s time to quit making excuses.
Now entering my third trimester and in-the-clear as far as the placenta is concerned, I wonder if it’s too late to start a more healthy regimen? Babble recently tackled two topics, safe pregnancy exercises and the do’s and don’ts of pregnancy fitness. I’m planning on putting at least some of this info to use this week.
Just do it! Here’s where to get started:
What I’m choosing to focus on from of 10 Safe Exercises:
But first I’ll be reading up on what’s OK. Here are some “don’ts” in terms of pregnancy fitness:
- Don’t lie flat on your back.
- Don’t hold your breath.
- Don’t jump or bounce.
- Don’t practice inversions.
My husband is home today, so I’m off to the workout room. Please share any other pregnancy fitness thoughts and tips below!
Go Back To Being Pregnant
7 Comments
Paulina commented on Sep 19 11 at 12:01 pmWell I’m less than 2 weeks from my due date and the most exercise I get is a slow walk around the neighhborhood every few days. I’ve kept my weight gain under control I guess, but I gotta admit I was banking on nursing to help me slim down post baby. That, and signing up for a few lunch break ‘express’ fitness classes at the gym near my office. Please explain how nursing didn’t help you the first time around! I’m in 2 weddings about 7 months after my due date so I’m hoping to be back to my normal size by then.
Katie commented on Sep 19 11 at 4:35 pmNursing didn’t help me either! I don’t know who that works for! I had the same hopes for my second pregnancy and kept getting colds from the gym so it was hard. Oh well. And unfortunately it’s not any easier to deal with the post partum flab and self-esteem.ugh. You are so small though, lucky girl
alismith commented on Sep 19 11 at 4:55 pm@Paulina: I don’t know why nursing didn’t help me. The only reason I can think of is that I made *a lot* of milk and I have a petite frame, so I just felt really top-heavy while I nursed, which made it difficult to slim down—not to mention have any desire to do anything cardio-related. I had to have surgery when my baby was about 8 months old and it totally affected my milk supply, so my baby kind of weaned himself. And then I lost weight really easily without even trying!
@Katie: I’m happy to know I’m not the only one. It’s hard to watch your friends slim down naturally while you stay the same. And yes, it was the flab that definitely got to me, not necessarily my size.
Gillian commented on Sep 19 11 at 6:15 pmThe most important thing to remember about exercising through pregnancy is that a pregnant woman’s capacities, in the absence of any complicating factors, are a direct function of her pre-pregnancy fitness level.
I am a martial arts instructor and an Olympic weightlifting coach, and I am 19 weeks pregnant. While I have given up sparring and holding kicking pads until after baby arrives, I am still performing technically, in both sports, at standards approaching my pre-pregnancy abilities.
There isn’t much good research done about active women’s pregnancies. One notable exception is the body of work done by Dr. James Clapp, who has been researching the effects of exercise in pregnancy in women ranging from recreational athletes to Olympians. His conclusions broadly support the idea that a woman should work within her previous limits once she finds out she is pregnant – pregnancy isn’t, to speak of one of my sports, the time to be pushing for maximum lifts. However, to suggest blanket recommendations for all women is quite problematic.
I have some serious issues with the “advice” provided in the articles about exercise appearing this week. First of all, it is frankly insulting to suggest that all women should aim to use 3-5lb dumbells. I, and many women I know, wouldn’t benefit at all from such a light resistance. Secondly, the best thing a woman can do is listen to her body and be aware of her limitations. Interestingly, one thing Dr. Clapp’s research noted is that physiologically speaking, lying supine (on one’s back) and performing a strength exercise is quite different from lying prone; some women are comfortable performing bench presses up until the third trimester, or even all the way through pregnancy, while others aren’t. Olympic weightlifting involves very dynamic movements, as well as incredible strength at a full range of motion: because my ligaments are quite used to its ballistic nature, and because I am not pushing maxes, my doctor has no problem with me jumping with weights, which directly contradicts one of your “don’ts”.
It’s a lot more individualized than these articles suggest. Overall, the topic of exercise in pregnancy often leads to needless fearmongering, and I get very frustrated with constantly having to defend my activities, in spite of there being no real research condemning them. For more resources, check out www DOT stumptuous DOT com, or www DOT cassandraforsythe DOT com.
ldancer commented on Sep 19 11 at 11:10 pmRight on, Gillian! Stumptuous is awesome. I’d also like to add (as I have before) http://www.crossfitmom.com. I found that very helpful. 3-5lb dumbbells were not in the least bit useful to me! I did drop the amount of weight I was pushing around, especially later on, and I am nowhere near an Olympic lifter – I was a beginner crossfitter and now I’m a slightly less beginner crossfitter. But I ran, took and taught bellydance classes, performed (though I stopped shimmying after 5 months or so), and did tons of squats, thrusters, walking lunges, plank holds, pushups, one-armed kettlebell swings, rowing, and pregnant burpees, which are actually kind of boring. I found it easy to listen to my body and back off when necessary. Where I discovered it was important to be careful, and where I failed, was after delivery. That’s when your body might be at its most vulnerable. Pushing out my girl temporarily creamed my core strength, and relaxin + me being stupid and pushing myself too hard caused some pretty serious foot and knee problems. Add to that, you’re asking things of your body you never asked before, at a time when it’s been weakened by pregnancy and birth: wearing your baby, nursing in all kinds of positions, maybe co-sleeping (which was wonderful, but caused me to sleep in contorted positions that gave me stiff and tingling limbs). So get into the best shape of your life before you get pregnant, work out and enjoy yourself while pregnant, and then be NICE to yourself afterwards! Oof!
Gillian commented on Sep 20 11 at 6:40 amLdancer, out of curiosity, was your post-partum experience a matter of pushing yourself too early for comfort – out of habit, out of a feeling that you *should* be exercising because it’s so much a part of your life – or did you actually feel ready to go, only to realize afterwards how exhausted you were?
I ask because I’m totally the type to go and lift because, duh, it’s what I do, and I’m determined to take the rest I need after baby arrives, I’m just not sure I’ll recognize how worn out I will be.
ldancer commented on Sep 20 11 at 9:52 amGillian, it was both. I felt pretty badass after delivering her, and I’d also had such an active, relatively easy pregnancy (until the last couple of months when I was exhausted all the time, but that’s another story). So I was cocky and thought I could do some ballistic/impact exercises (“These rules are over-cautious and only apply to beginners!”). And I also had something to prove. I wanted to fit back into my costumes and get back on stage. That didn’t happen; I have a very slow metabolism and nursing seemed to slow it even more, and I’m still losing weight very slowly, a year and a half on. But I think that if I had been more strategic in my return to movement, I wouldn’t have gotten hurt. If I had it to do again, I would start with a lot of yoga, and then slowly work back up to other things. The second thing I’d do after yoga would be bodyweight exercises and weights. Instead I threw myself into hard workouts that my core was nowhere near ready for, and forced myself back into teaching, too. Now, things are much better, and I’m lifting more than I was before I got pregnant, but I still have these foot issues. Actually, they’re old, pre-bellydance injuries that came back postpartum.
But you’ll know, I’m sure. Everyone’s body is different and you might not have any of the issues I had. I hope you share your experience – it’s important for people to hear a range of experiences!
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