Fitness and being pregnant. Oh what joy huh. I have been asked a couple of times to write on this subject. And I'm glad too because, I have experienced this. However, my experience .was on the side of being the fitness professional and my butt growing to the size of who knows what AND I HAD TO TEACH A CLASS with rotunda facing them! Sure I know a thing or two about fitness and pregnancy.
Now, clearly before you exercise you must consult your physician first. The reason being, if you have some health issues, exercising may only cause a problem. And this is especially for those that have - High blood pressure, poorly controlled diabetes and a condition called placenta priviea. PLEASE CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR FIRST.
Although you will make a lot of this up in your head on how you look terrible, trust me when I tell you that, you don't. I have a woman right now that takes my cardio classes that's VERY pregnant and she looks more beautiful than before she was blessed with such great news. I know you are going to feel yucky looking but you don't! I felt that was pretty important to cover first. As women, we already have enough pressure to confirm to looking a certain way(which I think is nuts), let alone being pregnant with tight clothes on and you feel like every eye in the place is on you. When really, it's not, I promise you this!!!! EMBRACE THE GLOW!
Let's get into what kind of exercise to do, that's ok during your pregnancy. Let's hit the first question I'm asked ALL THE TIME from expecting moms. They want to know if they can or cannot, should or should not work their core/abs in class due to being pregnant. Honestly, I did them all the way up to 4 1/2 months. After that I just felt like there just was a moral code that you don't want to sit there and crunch for days. I felt if I did, my child would come out deformed or harmed by it. Kids permanently hunched over because you kept doing those damn ab challenges at the gym. No, seriously, I'm cracking up, due what I thought would happen if I crunched. On a lighter note, you should probably abstain from doing any ab work after being 4 months pregnant, nor do yoga moves after 6 months pregnant that require you to lay on your stomach.
Find a yoga class, most gyms offer pre-natal, or sometimes the hospital where you are going to have your baby, offers that to patients. Hey, when you are holding your legs up in the air, THAT LONG, trust me, you need to be flexible. Wink, I'm winking at you, you'll be sorry if you don't get yourself limber!
Listen to your body, that to me is most important. You are in charge of a growing little nugget and your job is to handle it with care. So if you feel funny, don't dismiss it...PROMISE ME!
So, the only thing I would stay away from is a very high intensity high impact cardio class *like crossfit/bootcamp this requires high jumping and you could fall) after 4 to 5 months. As you grow you aren't going to want to do high intensity. Be mindful NOT to exercise to the point of breathlessness, if you do, you could be cutting off the oxygen supply to your baby. So this is why working at a lower impact is very important. Otherwise besides killing your back, you would be peeing all over the place. NOT that I would know about the pee part, it's just, SO I'VE HEARD.
Aqua fitnss is fantastic because you can then jump, run, skip and not have the same impact as jumping in a bootcamp class. It's low impact and the workout is fantastic!
Running? Is that ok? Usually if you are in a habit of running, you can continue running. However, if you did not run before pregnancy, you may want to speak to your health care provider before you begin a running program. If you run, make sure you're well hydrated, avoid over-heating , and wear good shoes = again watchout for becoming BREATHLESS and dizzy!
Now, clearly before you exercise you must consult your physician first. The reason being, if you have some health issues, exercising may only cause a problem. And this is especially for those that have - High blood pressure, poorly controlled diabetes and a condition called placenta priviea. PLEASE CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR FIRST.
Although you will make a lot of this up in your head on how you look terrible, trust me when I tell you that, you don't. I have a woman right now that takes my cardio classes that's VERY pregnant and she looks more beautiful than before she was blessed with such great news. I know you are going to feel yucky looking but you don't! I felt that was pretty important to cover first. As women, we already have enough pressure to confirm to looking a certain way(which I think is nuts), let alone being pregnant with tight clothes on and you feel like every eye in the place is on you. When really, it's not, I promise you this!!!! EMBRACE THE GLOW!
Let's get into what kind of exercise to do, that's ok during your pregnancy. Let's hit the first question I'm asked ALL THE TIME from expecting moms. They want to know if they can or cannot, should or should not work their core/abs in class due to being pregnant. Honestly, I did them all the way up to 4 1/2 months. After that I just felt like there just was a moral code that you don't want to sit there and crunch for days. I felt if I did, my child would come out deformed or harmed by it. Kids permanently hunched over because you kept doing those damn ab challenges at the gym. No, seriously, I'm cracking up, due what I thought would happen if I crunched. On a lighter note, you should probably abstain from doing any ab work after being 4 months pregnant, nor do yoga moves after 6 months pregnant that require you to lay on your stomach.
Find a yoga class, most gyms offer pre-natal, or sometimes the hospital where you are going to have your baby, offers that to patients. Hey, when you are holding your legs up in the air, THAT LONG, trust me, you need to be flexible. Wink, I'm winking at you, you'll be sorry if you don't get yourself limber!
Listen to your body, that to me is most important. You are in charge of a growing little nugget and your job is to handle it with care. So if you feel funny, don't dismiss it...PROMISE ME!
So, the only thing I would stay away from is a very high intensity high impact cardio class *like crossfit/bootcamp this requires high jumping and you could fall) after 4 to 5 months. As you grow you aren't going to want to do high intensity. Be mindful NOT to exercise to the point of breathlessness, if you do, you could be cutting off the oxygen supply to your baby. So this is why working at a lower impact is very important. Otherwise besides killing your back, you would be peeing all over the place. NOT that I would know about the pee part, it's just, SO I'VE HEARD.
Aqua fitnss is fantastic because you can then jump, run, skip and not have the same impact as jumping in a bootcamp class. It's low impact and the workout is fantastic!
Running? Is that ok? Usually if you are in a habit of running, you can continue running. However, if you did not run before pregnancy, you may want to speak to your health care provider before you begin a running program. If you run, make sure you're well hydrated, avoid over-heating , and wear good shoes = again watchout for becoming BREATHLESS and dizzy!
Take care and continue to eat healthy foods, minus caffeine and continue to build your endurance as this will help you with your labor!
CONGRATULATIONS!
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