Pregnancy Huh? (Part II)
By Jamie Broadnax, Expert Personal Trainer
If someone offered you a magic potion that would ease pregnancy symptoms more comfortably — and promised better sleep, improved balance and grace, fewer backaches and headaches, less gas and swollen ankles, a happier state of mind, a more positive body image, an easier labor, and a healthier baby — would you take it? But wait there’s more!: You’d also get to eat more than other pregnant women and still keep your pregnancy weight under control. Now would you take the magic potion? Sure you would. However there’s no magic potion but I do have an answer (and some of you know where this is going). Just lace up your sneakers and start exercising.
Exercise is for everyone:
More women than ever are deciding to make fitness a part of their lives. And with your practitioner’s okay, you can too. It doesn’t matter whether you started out in peak physical condition or someone who hasn’t worked out in years — the health benefits (both physical and mental) of regular exercise during pregnancy are very interesting. And all it takes to rake in those perks is at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise.
Overcoming Challenges:
But there are challenges to getting or staying fit during pregnancy, especially when you’re working out for two. If you’ve never excised before 30 minutes a day may seem like an eternity, and if you’ve been very athletic until now it can be a struggle to bring it down a bit or a lot for that matter. Even dragging yourself onto the treadmill when pregnancy symptoms have got you down can be more than a challenge. But make some workout time, put (force) it into your routine (that’s how it becomes “routine”), and you’ll be happy you did and your baby will appreciate it too.
Cardio fitness during pregnancy: Cardio includes any exercise that gives your heart and lungs a good workout, such as walking, running, or swimming. Cardio workouts provide a host of great health benefits. Pregnant women should do these workouts at moderate, to harder intensity, working up to at least 30 minutes a day, at lest 2 to 3 times a week. For some people, gauging the intensity of a workout isn’t easy. If you exercise at a pace that’s too light, you’ll cheat yourself out of some health benefits; if you push yourself too hard, you run the risk of overheating, dehydration, and fatigue — which can also set you up for injuries, not to mention pregnancy problems.
Strength training during pregnancy: Lifting weights strengthens muscles and bones. The more muscle mass a woman has, the higher her metabolism. While weight training is fine for pregnant women, you may need to scale back the amount of weight you’ve been lifting, and increase the number of repetitions: Because of increased flexibility in your joints and ligaments, it’s easier to injure yourself. And remember to be careful of your shifting center of balance as you move along in your pregnancy, since this may cause some stability issues.
Flexibility exercises during pregnancy: Stretching (simple stretches, yoga, Pilates) is a pregnant woman’s best friend, easing leg cramps, back strain, and sore shoulders. But stretch with caution — because of the increased relaxation of ligaments during pregnancy, you will need to be careful — those relaxed joints can trick you into straining a muscle. You’ll also have to accommodate your pregnant body by avoiding any exercise that requires you to lie flat on your back or stand without moving (like some yoga and tai chi poses do) after the first trimester. Both can restrict your blood flow.
Filed under: Fitness