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July 13, 2009
Remember that labor, with or without drugs is hard and you will need endurance and strength to
get through it. The more fit your heart is, the more energy and endurance you’ll have for you and
your baby’s big event! So…how do you get a more fit heart?
Cardiovascular fitness, of course! A strong heart is better able to supply your hardworking
muscles with freshly oxygenated blood, which keeps them primed for action. And, if you want to
go straight to the heart of the issue, women in the real world have testified to the fact that being
fit helped them tolerate labor pain better and increased their stamina to endure the whole labor,
pain AND pushing!
There is no single way to get in good cardiovascular fitness. There are many ways! Remember
to consider your fitness level first and foremost and then the Borg Scaled of Perceived Exertion.
You should stay around a 2 to 4 for your cardiovascular work. If you cannot talk while you
are working out, you are probably at too high of an intensity.
You can also switch it up, walking one day, swimming the next or any combination you want.
You should try to get in 2 to 3 days of cardiovascular work depending on how you are feeling!
June 30, 2009
Although walking is a great way to get your cardiovascular exercise in, there are some things to watch out for. You want to be sure to not harm yourself or lose your balance on one of your walks. Just keep the following in mind: Be sure to watch your posture while you are walking! Keep you abdominals between your hip bones pulled in so that you’re back doesn’t go into “sway back.” This could cause of intensify back strain and pain. Keep your chest out and shoulders back and down. Think of a string attached to the top of your head and it is pulling you towards the sky. Try to keep your feet straight ahead, not turned out to the hips. However, don’t watch your feet, this will cause you to lean forward, destroying your posture and putting more strain on your head, spine, and back.
Swimming is one of the best exercises a pregnant woman can do. It helps keep you from overheating
and keeps you safe from injury by avoiding jarring movements. It also makes your body bouyant so
the extra pounds don’t feel so hard to carry. I loved swimming during my pregnancy, even though I
am not a particularly good swimmer, it just felt good.
The Benefits of Swimming While Pregnant:
-It’s good for anyone, no matter your fitness level!
-No matter how much weight you’ve gained, you’re “weightless” in the pool!
-Being in the pool aids your posture. The water can also act as a sort of massage!
-Being shoulder-deep water can help decrease your overall blood pressure!
-It can increase circulation and relief from swelling!
-It’s relaxing
June 29, 2009
Often in our technological age we have a tendency to think it’s
not really exercise unless we are running, on a treadmill or in a class
with a bunch of other sweaty people. But fortunately that is NOT
true!!! Walking is exercise too! Walking is simple and quick, just
put on an old t-shirt, some shorts, a well fitting pair of tennis shoes
and you are off!! You Can walk just about anywhere, on the
sidewalk, in the park, at the mall, you can even get a lot of walking
done at Disneyland or your county fair!
So, if you are doing your cardio work and don’t want to go to
the gym, just check your watch and get out and walk for 30 minutes
or so! I enjoy it a ton better than in the gym on a treadmill and you
get to see a change of scenery, not just the same old thing minute
after minute.
Low impact, appropriate form of aerobic exercise.
Since you
Low impact, appropriate form of aerobic exercise.
Since you probably already know how to walk, you
won’t have to learn. You can make walking as hard or
as easy as you want it quite easily. While your balance
and coordination get worse, walking doesn’t require a
great deal of skill or balance.
probably already know how to walk, you
won’t have to learn. You can make walking as hard or
as easy as you want it quite easily. While your balance
and coordination get worse, walking doesn’t require a
great deal of skill or balance.
June 23, 2009
If you begin to wonder as the months go by if
strength training is a good exercise for you,
worry no longer! Most women don’t want to
“bulk up,” especially during pregnancy. Well,
that’s good because the goal of weight training
during (and even after) your pre natal months
is strength and resiliency, not muscle building!
The following are some of the many benefits of
strength (weight) training during pregnancy:
-Muscle burns more calories at rest than fat
(which burns next to nothing anytime!)
-Effective exercises of strength training require
less time than other types of exercise
-Weight training helps prevent osteoporosis by
building bones
-Strength training helps reduce stress levels
-Strength training aids rest and sleep
-Strength training improves posture, balance,
and joint stability.
June 18, 2009
As with everthing else in pregnancy, breathing right is also important in your workouts. Keep in mind that as you breathe, you are also taking in oxygen for your baby. The same oxygen that helps you with your workout, nourishes your little baby. As you exhale you are “detoxifying” your body by releasing carbon dioxide.
DO’S:
-Breathe normally
-Exhale on exertion
-Inhale as you lower or return weights to starting position
DON’TS:
-Don’t hold your breath
-Don’t do the “vasalva maneuver.” This involves forcefully exhaling air while not releasing air from your lungs. This is much like the breathing done during a bowel movement. This can cause problems in intr-abdominal pressure and cause problems for your pregnancy.
June 4, 2009
Even if you were in good shape pre-pregnancy, you are probably finding
yourself out of breath at the top of a flight of stairs especially in the final
trimester. The reason for this breathlessness is that by the time you are in
your 36th week, your uterus has expanded to about 1,000 times its normal
size. This means the more it grows the more it presses against your
diaphragm. Your lungs have less room to operate.
This shortness of breath may tempt you to quit exercising. However, quite
the opposite is true. A study compared sedentary pregnant women with
pregnant women who were rode a stationary bike three days a week for 25
minutes each time. Researchers found the women who exercised had less
severe symptoms of breathlessness. This led them to speculate that physical
conditioning may make the mechanics of breathing more efficient and may
help prevent and treat pregnancy-induced shortness of breath.
The Bottom Line:
If you feel out of breath, slow down or stop and rest. But if your Doctor has
cleared you for exercise, don’t stop all together. Stay active and continue to
exercise because of the potential benefits to you and your baby!
May 29, 2009
If you’ve heard horror stories about bladder control and sex after your baby, don’t worry there is
something you can do now to help with those things later. You can do Kegel Exercises! If you
don’t know what that is or if you’d like to know more, read on!
We have a muscle group that is uncommonly known about, but extremely important. This is the Kegel Muscle. This
is a hammock-like structure of muscles located in the pelvic floor region in
both men and women. In women this muscle group actually helps hold the pelvic organs, like
the bladder, in place. There are 3 openings to the muscle: the urethra, the vagina, and the anus.
Each of these openings is surrounded by a sphincter which is comprised of voluntary and
involuntary muscles. The voluntary muscles provide you with control over the release of urine
and feces. The involuntary muscles hold your organs in place.
Where is the Kegel Muscle?
The best way to find this muscle is to empty your bladder while you are going to the bathroom. After you’ve done
this, try to imagine stopping the flow of urine. The muscles that you contract to stop the flow are the Kegel Muscles.
*be sure to empty your bladder before doing Kegels, having urine in the bladder can potentially cause urine to back
up and cause a bladder or kidney infection.
How do you perform Kegels?
Kegels do not have to be done in the bathroom. Once you have found this muscle, you can do them anytime,
anywhere and nobody will know the difference! Just contract the muscles that cut off the flow of urine and hold.
Try doing 10 repetitions and holding each one for approximately 10 seconds. You can work up to 15 to 20
repetitions or do just the 10, but hold each for 20 to 30 seconds.
May 22, 2009
Trimester 2 Begins…what do you do now when it comes to exercise?
First, always be sure your Doctor approves of it for your pregnancy.
Secondly, the most important change from Trimester One to Trimester Two when it comes to exercising is NO SUPINE movements. This means you should do no exercises while lying on your back. Laying on your back could obstruct the venae cava (or, the two major veins of the body) which decreases cardiac output to you AND your baby!
Though exercise in the Second Trimester is generally safe, moms-to-be embarking on an exercise program should be aware of warning signs. If any of the following symptoms occur, stop exercising and contact your practitioner:
Sudden and severe abdominal pain
Regular uterine contractions lasting 30 minutes once exercising stops
Dizziness
Vaginal bleeding
Decreased fetal activity, visual disturbances, or numbness in the body
Remember that during pregnancy, your first and foremost goal is to keep both you and your baby healthy. To do this you must be aware of your body. Continue to use a heart monitor and keep your intensity moderate. If you feel fatigued, you need to stop and rest. And if you are in any doubt, ask your Health Care Provider!
May 15, 2009
#1 Clarify exactly what you want.
Sit down and decide what you want and why. Be reasonable, don’t make goals you know you can’t reach. Then write it down and post somewhere you can read often to remind you.
#2 Make a road map for how you will achieve it.
Be specific about how you will reach the goals. How many times a week will you do resistance training? How often will you exercise? Again, make these reasonable for your pregnancy.
#3 Believe!!!
You’ve probably also heard that a long journey starts with a single step! All you need to do is focus on “baby steps.” During pregnancy our goals should be related to gaining strength, improving body stability and balance, building a better, stronger core. And these can and will generally improve and, in turn, build confidence! You CAN do it!
#4 Persistence!!
Persistence seems easy when the going is easy, but it gets tough when you have setbacks. Pregnancy can be full of setbacks, so you need to be sure to reward yourself for your progress and forgive yourself for your mistakes! Be sure to ask your family and friends for their support and help with your goals or look into finding someone else who wants to train with you, or maybe take your walks or bike rides with you. That way you can support each other!
#5 Journal, journal, journal.
Recording progress towards your goals is also proven to help us get to them. It can show the peaks and valley and what we can learn from them. And keeping a journal is especially valuable for those who are pregnant because it helps you adjust to the many changes you are experiencing, and to manage the excitement and anxiety.
Good Luck!
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