exercise and pregnancy

[Alli21]

Hi ladies I have a question.  I am wondering if anyone has some suggestions as far as exercise goes when you are pregnant.  I was an athlete before getting pregnant...ran, biked swam and played softball.  Now that I am lucky to be pregnant, some of these activities the doctor wants me to avoid.  I have been walking on my treadmill, but getting bored with that.  I may be athletic but I love food... so I am starting my pregnancy off overweight.  I want to have a healthy pregnancy and enjoy some exercise.  Does anyone have some fun, ideas to keep me moving and not towards the frig? : )

Thanks

Alli

[Elaine Brown, MD]

Hi!
There are more and more studies coming out showing the benefits of exercising during pregnancy. A good rule of thumb is that you can continue to do what ever you were in condition to do pre-pregnancy.  I always encourage my patients to continue anything that is non-contact--in your list above the only thing I would object to is the softball--and that is just because of the possibility of abdominal trauma.

Swimming is a particularly great sport during pregnancy--it is low impact, aerobic and exercises the whole body.  It seems to keep the blood pressure and swelling down for a lot of my patients too.

There are lots of good yoga programs and aerobic programs if you want to exercise at home, and often your obstetrician will know of any local facilities offering classes.

By the way, it is not necessary to gain a ton of weight during pregnancy either--often anywhere between 10-25 lbs is sufficient for a healthy baby.

By the way--congratulations!

Best!

Dr B

[Super_sally888]

Ali,

as long as your pregnancy is uncomplicated there is no reason not to be physically active.

I am 33 weeks pregnant today.  I was a triathlete before getting pregnant and kept running and biking and swimming up to 3 months, when I had a laparatomy for suspected (and then confirmed) appendicitis (that's the problem with us athletic types - we are pretty good with pain, and no one would believe i was in so much pain becuase I was able to stay active despite it.  But that's off-topic).

Anyway, I had to take 4 weeks off exercise post surgery, and then take it easy for another month.  However, I am now back to running (very slowly), walking on treadmill, and swimming.

I think the prinicipal is that you should listen to your body.  If it hurts don't do it.  BUt if it feels fine and low risk of injury then go ahead.  Just make sure you don't exercise in really hot conditions, and stay hydrated.  

There's a book by a Dr. James Clapp called "Exercising through your pregnancy".  Available from amazon.  You can get it pretty cheaply if you want to go second hand.  It is excellent and reassured me that, as long as you take commonsense precautions, it is fine to exercise even at fairly high intensity, during your pregnancy.

Sally

[mandy38]

I exercised through my last pregnancy and unfortunately miscarried at 20 wks, for that reason I am now pregnant again and never exercise, apart from walking.  I don't know if that was the reason, but for me, that is something I avoid now!.  I too am overweight but think I will deal with the weight issue once the baby is here and healthy.  Swimming is harmless and has good health benefits but at the moment I haven't the energy to do anything.  I would say go with what you feel and as soon as it starts to feel uncomfortable, stop!  Good luck!

[Alli21]

Thanks,
I found a great workout dvd that incorporates pilates, yoga and low impact aerobics.  I think I will go find a aqua class as well.  

Thanks for your advice.

Alli