Planning
for Pregnancy - Exercising and pregnancy
Being fit and healthy is always important,
but takes on increased significance for those of us planning
pregnancy.
This article by Sonja Falvo, head personal
trainer at What Women Want Personal Training in Brisbane and
regular feature writer for www.weightloss.com.au,
explains the importance of exercise before, during and after
pregnancy, and provides some suggested forms of exercise that
are appropriate, explains how personal trainers can help during
this very important phase and gives some very important safety
considerations to note when exercising while pregnant.
Planning for pregnancy
The best time to start planning and implementing
our pregnancy health, weight and exercise program is immediately
after we’ve decided to try to become pregnant.
Having a strong, fit and healthy body will
not only prepare us for the strength and stamina required
during our pregnancy, but it will also increase our chances
of conception and make for a generally easier pregnancy, labour
and most importantly birth!
For those of us who are more than just a
little overweight, pre-pregnancy exercise and weight loss
takes on extra significance.
Research shows that being significantly
overweight during pregnancy has potentially detrimental affects
on the health of both the mother and their unborn children.
In addition to helping avoid medical complications
associated with being overweight while pregnant, the other
reason to start our health, weight and exercise program prior
to conception is that during pregnancy is not a great time
to start anything new as it may cause unwanted stress to us
and our baby.
Exercising during pregnancy
Generally speaking, any activity we are
doing in the 6 months leading up to our pregnancy is OK to
continue through the term of our pregnancy, however a visit
to our Doctor or Obstetrician is always recommended to discuss
the appropriateness of our activities and the intensity at
which we should be training through the various trimesters.
Regular exercise during pregnancy provides
us with many benefits when compared to the alternative –
a sedentary pregnancy! Keeping fit and active during pregnancy
assists in preparing our body for the intensity of labour,
will assist in our ability to cope with the physically demanding
challenges that motherhood brings with it and will also help
us to reach our pre-pregnancy weight much faster.
The types of exercise we choose to do both
pre-pregnancy and during our pregnancy should depend on the
types of exercise that we enjoy doing; if we don’t enjoy
what we do, chances are we won’t keep it up for long
– especially if we are planning to exercise for the
6 months prior to our pregnancy and the 9 months that follow.
Good pregnancy exercises include:
• Aqua aerobics and swimming
• Walking
• Yoga, Pilates or stretching
• Cycling (on a stationary bicycle once you are pregnant)
• Specially formulated pregnancy exercise classes
• Light strength training
Personal Training and pregnancy
A great way to keep motivated during our
exercise program and to ensure that we are doing the best
by our body throughout our journey is to find ourself a personal
trainer who is experienced in exercise during pregnancy.
There are many advantages to using a personal
trainer before, during and after our pregnancy.
As well as being providing motivation, encouragement
and support, a good personal trainer will be fully versed
in the safety aspects of exercising while pregnant and can
provide valuable advice on things like nutrition, proper exercise
technique, and plan suitable and practical exercises aimed
directly at preparing us for giving birth.
If you’re starting to think about
starting or continuing to grow your family, I highly recommend
that you hire a personal trainer and have them design a tailored
strength training program at least six months prior to your
planned pregnancy (and from my experience, healthy clients
who plan for pregnancy usually fall pregnant quickly!).
Strength training for pregnancy,
I hear you ask!
Absolutely!
Strength training is now recommended
by the American College of Obstetricians and has been associated
with:
• Making pregnancy easier
• Helping avoid excessive pregnancy weight gain
• Decreasing time in labour
• Making labour easier
• Quicker recovery after giving birth
• Reduces tiredness
• Better control over body-fat fluctuations
• Increased strength to perform daily activities during
and after pregnancy
• Strength to cope with the lifestyle changes of a new
baby
Safety considerations for exercise
during pregnancy
To ensure that our exercise program provides
us with all of the wonderful benefits outlined above, we also
need to do whatever we can to ensure our safety and that of
our baby, so below is a list of safety considerations to be
aware of; and remember to always speak to your Doctor or Obstetrician
if you are unsure.
1. Avoid overheating. Growing babies don’t
have the same ability to dissipate heat as we do.
To avoid overheating:
• Avoid prolonged exercise.
• Stay well hydrated.
• Do not use sweating as an indicator of how hot you
may be getting.
• Avoid exercising on hot, humid days. Use fans during
hot weather.
• Wear light, loose fitting clothing. Cotton is best.
• Avoid saunas and steam baths at all times during pregnancy.
2. Avoid high intensity exercise. Studies have indicated that
when a mother’s heart rate stays in a range of approximately
140bpm, the foetus has no abnormal responses. To keep exercise
intensity at a safe level, follow these guidelines:
• Change from an intermediate or advanced
aerobics program to a lighter paced program.
• Learn how to measure your heart rate or invest in
a heart rate monitor and check it regularly.
• Be realistic about the need to exercise in moderation.
• Have a prolonged cool-down after the aerobic portion
of the workout.
3. Avoid frequent and prolonged exercise after week 28 of
your pregnancy.
4. Limit the amount of exercise that you
do lying on your back. This is of particular concern from
your second trimester on.
5. Avoid the use of hand weights over 0.5kg
in weight during aerobic classes.
6. Perform Pelvic Floor (Kegel) Exercises.
7. Wear a good supportive bra.
8. Avoid rapid changes in direction and be very cautious if
you are doing Step exercise classes.
9. Stretch gently.
10. Have a light snack approximately 2 hours
before exercise and carry a small carton of fruit juice to
your workout.
11. If at any time during your exercise
session you feel very hot, faint, dizzy, short of breath,
experience vaginal bleeding, have palpitations, blurred vision,
or severe or continuous headaches - STOP EXERCISING IMMEDIATELY.
It is also important to stop if you experience lower abdominal
pain, tightness or cramping, back pain or pubic pain. If you
experience any of these symptoms, consult your obstetrician
as soon as possible.
Conclusion
Being fit and healthy is always important,
but it takes on increased significance for women planning
to get pregnant.
This article by Sonja Falvo, head personal
trainer at What Women Want Personal Training in Brisbane and
regular feature writer for www.weightloss.com.au, explained
the importance of exercise before, during and after pregnancy,
and provided some suggested forms of exercise that are appropriate,
how personal trainers can help and some very important safety
considerations to note.
To contact Sonja for further information
or request a copy of the her monthly RESULTS newsletter, which
is filled with great motivational tips, yummy recipes and
lots of interesting articles, visit www.whatwomenwant.net.au
or call (07) 3216 1234.
For more great articles on weight loss and
leading a healthier life, visit www.weightloss.com.au.
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