The right thing is to keep going, right? (Exercising while pregnant)

[allhailtheaubergine]

I do a military style boot camp 3 times a week. I love it. It's an hour of sprinting, push-ups, sit-ups, crawling around, swimming and other torturous contortions. It's very competitive, but also enormously friendly and really you are only competing against yourself (no one really expects me, a middle aged mum of 2, to beat the 22 year old lad next to me).

So, now I am pregnant. About 7 weeks and feeling like hollow hell. Vomiting, dry heaving, can't eat, struggling to drink, knackered, belching, shitting, acid indigestion... oh the glamour!

I initially thought I would keep up the exercise thing for as long as I could.

But now, well, I want to curl up in a corner and die.

I should keep doing it though, right? Because even if it's really hard, it's healthier for me and the baby to get some exercise than it is for us to sit at home eating beige things and belching to rattle the windows.

I am sensible about making myself drink as much as I possibly can, and I do try to eat healthyish things.

[myhouseWILLbecleanthisyear]

you are meant to be exercising as much as before as far as im aware. Obviously some things you will have to reconsider (for example sit ups or any contact sport where you might hurt baby). i would also tell your instructor you are pregnant.

Paula Radcliffe was still running miles when she was 8 months pregnant.

I was just starting a new exercise program when I found out i was pregnant so going back to it next year. I would love to do a boot camp style thing and its something Im conisdering myself.

[coastgirl]

God, don't torture yourself. You won't get a medal for it. It's FINE to sit at home eating crap for a while, it really is.

[allhailtheaubergine]

I am worried if I tell them they will tell me to stop.

Should I not do sit-ups?

I am taking it easier than before because I simply don't have the energy I did a couple of months ago.

I know I won't get a medal, and that it's okay to sit home eating crap, but surely it's better to keep fit and healthy?

[bagelmonkey]

I had to stop running when I was 4 1/2 months pregnant because I couldn't eat enough to justify the exercise! I probably couldn't have continued much longer anyway because it would've been crazy to run in the ice or snow.
As long as you can eat enough calories, are not risking falls or injury and not overheating, it's probably fine to continue be careful in hot weather though.

[bagelmonkey]

No sit-ups!

[Grumpla]

Stop going. Don't tell the family though. Spend your bootcamp time eating cake or possibly having a nice swim. That's what I'd do anyway

[melliebobs]

Crunches are fine until 12 weeks

[allhailtheaubergine]

Lol Grumpla - I like your thinking!

No over-heating. Erm... so hypothetically, if I lived in the middle east and it was averaging around 38 degrees, that would be a bad thing? Hypothetically.

Oh, I really don't want to do anything harmful, but neither do I want to wrap myself in cotton wool and bloat to 8 X my normal size. That's not healthy either.

The current run is over in 3 weeks and them I'm off on holiday anyway. I'll finish the next 9 sessions and then have a re-think in September. All being well I'll be 4 months by then.

God I feel shit.

[FirstTImePregnancy]

I've been going to a similar bootcamp for just over a year and have recently found out I'm pregnant - I'm at 10 weeks. I told my instructor and he's said its fine to keep going but is just adjusting certain exercises for me. As fate would have it, he's just started a course in delivering pre & post natal fitness training!

I've been told that sit-ups are OK initially, but its when you start getting bigger that they become more dangerous. Make sure you concentrate on your breathing during exercises, and drink LOADS of water! I've gone from barely finishing a 250ml water bottle each bootcamp session to downing almost a litre now!

It is important to take it easy though - don't push yourself too hard. If your knackered, stay at home, but if you can make it then just take it slowly. I'm massively competitive usually so a few people have noticed I've slowed down a bit but so far I've been able to blame that on either the heat or the pouring rain which has worked up until now :) I've mainly had to slow down because my boobs are in agony and extra bouncing is not pleasant!

Good luck with it all! x

[NearlyHeadlessnickelbabe]

I do bellydancing, and I found that I had no choice but to slow down when exercising in the first few weeks.
I told my teacher straight away (you really have to tell them straight away, especially doing bootcamp stuff, because they need to know not to push you too far, which is easy to do with tough exercise)
she told me to be careful with shimmies, but most things I was okay on.
was able to sit out when I needed to, and run off to the toilet, and drink more etc.
it meant I was also more comfortable with saying "i need to rest a minute" or "i can't do that because it doesn't feel right"

definitely take it easy on sit-ups - I found that from about 14 weeks, I couldn't bend much at all without discomfort.

[NearlyHeadlessnickelbabe]

"I am worried if I tell them they will tell me to stop." - they shouldn't do that, but they should support you to do as little or as much as you want to/can.

The only regard to exercise you should be wary of, is taking up exercise if you didn't do anything before.
if you've already been doing it regularly, it shouldn't pose a problem.

[sprinkles77]

I see no reason not to stick with it, but don't push yourself to your maximum. Leave off the crunches and anything where you are likely to fall (like err leaping over logs or up and down steps when wet). And if you feel like a day off, have one. I continued horseriding and mucking out most days till about 6 months pregnant including in snow. Not to say you should, but it did me no harm. Actually I had horrible morning sickness and felt my best out in the fresh air. If you take a break while you are on holiday, just remember when you come back your bump will have grown and you will have lost some fitness so you will have to take it back several notches then.

[BikeRunSki]

I usually run 10K three times a week, but hyperemisis has put a stop to this in both pg (am 24 weeks with no.2). After 2 months of feeling crap, and a lot of time in bed, I tried a bit of running but couldn't manage anymore - too hot, too heavy, too tired, too achey. In both pg I took up walking miles (we live in countryside), swimming and pg yoga instead. I carried on these activities pretty soon after DS was born too.

You need to be careful of overheating, overstretching pelvis, contact, falling, stressing abs (eg sit ups) and beware that Relaxin will be making your joints and muscles very flexy - maybe over flexy. I think it is only fair that you tell you Bootcamp coaches, as there may well be insurance issues if you do injure yourself.

I am sure that Paula Radcliffe probably had very close medical/physio supervision. And if you lived in the middle east you'd be more acclimatised to the heat, than occassional 1 hour bouts.

[NotJustKangaskhan]

No sit-ups, these are specifically warned against due to them aggravating the muscle separation common in pregnancy (TVA exercises can prevent this. Nothing that involves you lying flat on your back is recommended during pregnancy.

Walking and squats are very beneficial in pregnancy, do as much as you feel up to. Look for exercise that stretches your glutes and calves particularly is useful for labour. The main things to watch out for is over-doing it (Your pregnancy will mostly dictate what you can do energy-wise, so listen to yourself and rest as you need to) and make sure to get clearance for abdomen workouts as some are helpful or harmless to pregnancy while others can cause a lot of pain.

[allhailtheaubergine]

Thank you for all these thoughtful, helpful posts. I do appreciate you taking the time.

Will re-think the sit-ups. It's always fine to sub another exercise, so will do squats maybe, or that TVA squeeze in the link.

[myhouseWILLbecleanthisyear]

Dont forget your pelvic floor excercises though ;-)

[princessdave]

I'm still running at 32 weeks, a lot slower obviously and sometimes only 3 miles a week but I've had a lovely, no sickness, enjoyable (first) pregnancy so far which I am putting down to keeping going & eating as healthily as I did pre-pg. I told our coach at running club as soon as we found out (13wks!!) so definitely tell your bootcamp instructor and train with water. Good luck and enjoy :)

[Woodifer]

Hi. I really wanted to keep running and was ok up to about 14 weeks, then after getting a bit carried away on a bit of downhill running in the lakes I realised I had really bad pain in my pelvis in the pubic bone at the front, the dreaded SPD. I would prob have got it anyway but maybe not so soon. Weirdly it didn't hurt until after the run.

I found I had a bit lower energy in the first trimester. When I was running I preferred taking it steady. I still do bike commute to station at 23 weeks. This is about 15/20 min each way, only bout 6 miles int total, but involves riding home up a big hill which may get too hard in last trimester, I'm playing it by ear and not trying to prove any points. SPD means I can't walk as far as I'd like at once (though I have it very mild at the mo). I am starting to get more into swimming.

It's really personal how your body responds, and how you feel about it. Before I was pregnant I was training between 7 and 12 Hours a week running and biking, now I log time walking, swimming and cycling and I'm doing about 5:30, there's been a certain amount of letting go :)

[bcmummy]

You should definitely keep doing some exercise - it is good for you and good for baby. You can basically keep doing whatever you are used to doing at the moment. But you also have to listen to your body - if you feel particularly awful one day, it won't do you any good to go out and exercise. It's ok to skip a day or 2! Make sure you stay hydrated, don't work out to the point of exhaustion and stop the crunches from the 2nd trimester on.

You should also definitely tell your instructor next time you are at the class. They won't make you stop going but they WILL be able to ensure that they give you safe options if some of the exercises are specifically contraindicated for pregnancy. Remember that your instructor is a professional and has a responsibility to keep you safe - he/she can only do that if they know your situation.

I am currently retraining as a fitness instructor and planning on specialising in prenatal and postnatal exercise - and am also 8 weeks pregnant with DC2. I have been absolutely fine to keep going with my normal exercise up until this week, but I have been feeling SO sick this week that I haven't done anything. I'm not stressing about it though as I know the rest was what my body really needed this week. Hopefully I'll feel up to getting back to it next week! Good luck with everything.

By the way, there are a couple of really good books on Amazon about safe exercise in pregnancy, if you are a keen exerciser they might be worth a look.

[Meglet]

Exercise is fine, but if it feels too hard and makes you feel crap then slow down!

I 'kickboxed' until 20 weeks first time round but even then I only did a couple of push ups to everyone elses 20, skipped the crunches, sauntered through the shuttle runs and just did gentle kick pad practice, certainly no contact fighting! I also did dance, yoga and pilates during my pregnancies.

My gym instructor gave me a pregnancy gym routine during both my pregnancies and I was told in no uncertain terms it was about gentle maintenance, not pushing myself and only doing as much as I felt comfortable with.

By the end of both my pregnancies I was still doing a short 2 minute run on the treadmill, some weights and cycling.

If it makes you feel any better I was back at the gym (taking it very easy!)12 weeks after my cs's.

[goodnightmoon]

you should tell your instructor. I took yoga in the first trimester of this pregnancy without telling the instructor (my yoga centre like many others recommends taking the first trimester off) and it was more hassle than it was worth to have to try to modify things myself, make excuses for not doing certain poses, etc.

also, don't kill yourself - do listen to your body and don't overdo. I ran until 30 weeks in my first pregnancy and got terrible SPD for the last several weeks of it. This time the SPD started flaring up at 14 weeks so now I'm really taking it easy, not through choice. Squats can really set it off too - but then only a small percentage of women get it at all - so not to worry! Frankly I wish I was out there running, I know it's awful feeling like you're just going to become a blob.

[WishIWasRimaHorton]

overheating is bad, OP. and if you are feeling shite, ease off. really - it is doing you no favours. if you have time, go for a brisk walk (yeah - i know, it is NOT what you want to do, but it will probably ease the nausea)

i ran thru nausea when pg both times. with DS it was the pits. i would be running along dry-heaving. i went out one morning at 6am and started retching as i was running along the road. thought at that time in the morning i could just let it all out and not feel bad. and then the cows started bellowing back at me. hadn't realised what a racket i was making!

there was another time i was running along retching and a man walked out of his garden shed looking VERY alarmed. i was rather that time.

really - do what you can but don't push yourself. and certainly NOT IN THE HEAT....

[allhailtheaubergine]

Funnily enough however shite I have been feeling, the hour exercising is the only time during the day I don't feel so bad.

[GotArt]

I exercised throughout, although I stopped running at 6 months cause I could walk faster. I did pilates and yoga till the end... you'll know what exercises start to get uncomfortable and stop doing them. Don't over exert yourself, listen to your body, (ex: don't run through the pain), drink plenty of water and be sure to eat lots of protein and calories.

Congrats too.

[MrsVidic]

I am 36 weeks and still going gym / swim- 2nd preg did same last time all the way through. I'd say till about 12 weeks just carry on as normal and as others said listen to your body. If you feel like your too hot/ tired etc just take a rest. You will get frustrated / gym envy where you miss working out hard core but it's so worth while. I'd avoid free weights / equate etc after 24 weeks and running you'll know when you should stop - for me it was like I needed to wear a bump bra- down hill hurts more strangley.
For the moment I swim twice a week, walk 3 miles a few times and go to the gym 2 times. Usually I do something 4-5 times a week but I also have a toddler so I'm doubly knackered.
Don't worry about weight gain- I've put on nearly 2.5 stone and did last time but it comes off quick due to the excersize your doing now