| cortcase
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**Let me preface this by saying I'm NOT pregnant. :) However, I am a plan-psychotically-in-advance type person, and I'm just trying to think how my new lifestyle will be affected when I decide to have children.**
Before SB, I never exercised. Ever. Now, I exercise six days a week, and it's become a big part of my life. I do the Couch to 5K jog/walk program 2-3 times weekly, I have a 60-minute aerobics class on Saturdays, and on the other days I do things like aerobics videos, stability ball, handweights, pilates, etc.
I've read that during pregnancy you can continue to exercise. However, I've also read that certain activities like running can become difficult with your changing shape. I've also read that you should not let your heart rate go over 140 (I have no idea what it is now when I exercise — maybe I need to get a heart rate monitor). Seems like the most recommended exercise during pregnancy is walking and swimming, but I don't have access to a pool. I'm worried that if I'm only walking and skimping on other exercise, I may lose the muscle that I've worked so hard at building over the past six months and that I am continuing to work on.
Any words of wisdom out there from people who have been or are pregnant? Am I destined to lose all of this progress eventually, or is there a way to maintain this muscle once I decide to have kids?
Thanks, and sorry for the novel! :) |
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Wed Mar 28, 2007 12:32 pm |
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| luvs_torun
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More often than not...... yes, you can continue right on exercising!
I know quite a few young women who are marathoners, who ran (albeit a bit slower and not as many miles).... almost up to delivery..... and looked fantastic.
However, every woman and every pregnancy is different, you could have a very normal pregnancy or you may have complications.... whatever.
The questions you are asking are ones for your OB. He/she will let you know the level of activity you can enjoy throughout your pregnancy.
(um..... this isn't the first "baby" post I've seen from you recently cort..... :wink: :D )
btw here is an article from the Mayo Clinic on pregnancy and exercise
Pregnancy and exercise: Baby, let's move!
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pregnancy-and-exercise/PR00096 |
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Wed Mar 28, 2007 12:58 pm |
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| agusia12
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You can definitely still exercise when you become pregnant, but running gets hard once you hit a 2nd trimester and you start growing a belly. You can still do exercises like an elliptical at the gym, recumbent bike, step aerobics w/ low impact and yoga. You can still do strength training you just have to adjust the intensity, ab work on the floor is out- but strong abdominals prior to getting pregnant will make labor ohhh so much easier :D You can't push yourself doing cardio- no HITT or hard intervals, just moderate cardio. But, it's inevitable that you will lose some muscle and gain fat- but it's all worth it and you can definitely work on getting back in shape after the baby.
I had the best intension of continuing w/ my workouts while pregnant but honestly I was so sick (morning sickness that lasted all day) and tired that I could hardly get out of bed to go to work. So, everyone is different and you can plan ahead as much as you want, but you just never know how much you can physically do until you are pregnant. |
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Wed Mar 28, 2007 1:09 pm |
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| cortcase
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| LOL Luvs...I do have babies on the brain lately. One of my good friends just had a baby Monday, and another one of my friends is pregnant. So it's been forefront on my mind! :) But my day is still a ways off. ;) |
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Wed Mar 28, 2007 11:38 pm |
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| Dragonrose
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| No babies here yet either, but my friend who's little one is almost a year old now was told not to do anything high impact like aerobics after the 12 week mark and specifically nothing that would raise her heart rate too much or cause her to overheat. She was still able to exercise if she wanted but had to take it a little more easily. I think she gave up exercising though until several months after delivery. |
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Wed Mar 28, 2007 11:54 pm |
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| Paigers
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| I exercised through both my pregnancies (after the 12 weeks of morning sickness passed LOL!) Your OB will normally tell you to drop it down a notch and stick to things like walking, swimming or anything low impact. You don't want your heart rate too high or your core temp to raise too much. As your belly gets bigger, your center of gravity shifts and you'll notice you're more clumsy, your ligaments are looser and you just don't feel like doing anything more than that anyways. It's tempting to quit exercising altogether, but if you can keep it up, it helps with the delivery and you'll be in better shape after the baby. |
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Sat Mar 31, 2007 7:37 am |
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| littleg
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| The woman next to me on the elliptical the other day was 8 months pregnant :) She wasn't going hard (I'm pretty sure the HR value is an effort to make sure your body temp doesn't get too high) - she said she hadn't changed much about her exercise except for to decrease the intensity. |
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Sat Mar 31, 2007 1:24 pm |
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| cortcase
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I just realized today that this woman in my Cardio Blast class through the township is very pregnant. I'm guessing at least six months pregnant, although I'm not good at estimating those types of things. She seems to do everything that everyone else does except she does her ab work with a ball instead of on the mat. I was really surprised when I realized today that she was that pregnant. Considering I pour sweat during the class (it's 60-70 mins, with aerobics, weights and abs, it's brutal!), I would think that would get her heart rate up pretty high. But maybe she's just already in better shape than me!
It made me kind of hopeful that I could be like that too when I'm pregnant! :) |
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Sat Mar 31, 2007 8:27 pm |
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