Lotsa questions about exercise, maximum heart rate, books and gyms

[VegemiteSandwich]

Hi,

I'm 4 weeks pregnant (only found out yesterday, still feels a bit unreal!) and want some advice on exercise please lovely ladies :)

I want to keep up running/gym/cycling around town - not to increase what I'm doing but to try not to let my fitness and weight slide into a blobby mess. Especially since all I've done for the last two weeks is eat.

I don't want to overdo things though - I've heard that overheating can cause problems. The thing is, if I'm at the gym I do classes with friends or watch the telly on the treadmill or cross trainer in order to distract me from how hard it is. I therefore tend not to notice if I'm worn out until I'm done.

I read somewhere about keeping your heart rate below a certain percentage/below 150. Does anyone else monitor this to avoid overdoing things? Is that a sensible plan of attack? I was thinking of buying a heart rate monitor. Does anyone know what sort of heart rate I should keep below?

When should I tell the instructor that I'm pregnant? If I'm doing a class with friends I don't want to "out" myself just yet!

Finally, if anyone has any good suggestions on exercise during pregnancy books I'd be grateful. Currently looking at Amazon at a Cherry Baker one as well as Runners World guide to running and pregnancy (though running is only a small bit of what I do).

Congrats on your bfp. I think with exercise you can continue doing what you normally do but listen to your body. If you are getting tired easier then slow down and def tell your instructor you are pregnant. I'm no expert, so your best bet would be to talk to your doctor.

You can continue to exercise as your body is used to it, I would be careful during the first 12 weeks though and would not do anything that makes you sweat or get to hot. There's lots of pregnancy exercise classes - although most won't let u start till after 12 weeks. Just go slower on the treadmill and bike - could tell ur friends ur knee is playing up or something and just fast walk. What type of classes are u doing? Avoid abs exercises - no crunches and don't lift any weights.
Things like yoga & pilates are great.

Ps Massive congratulations on your pregnancy

I am a bit of an exercise freak and have had to drastically reduce my effort. Absolute max HR ive been told is 145 and some say 130. Normal effort would be 170-180 so this a taking it a lot easier. Overheating to be avoided too. Still lots you can do, I think HR monitor good idea and been meaning to get one as I often forget and push it harder than I should.

Carry on but don't overheat - esp in first tri. Your body is working really hard so don't be surprised if you find it harder/more tiring then normal. No more than 80% ish of your usual effort - if you find it hard to gauge then a monitor might be a good idea. Listen to your body - if you've been exercising regularly then you should have a good sense of when you're pushing yourself too much.

justhayley - There's no issue with carrying on doing weights at all, as long as you're used to doing so, and don't suddenly massively up your usual regime. There's also no reason to avoid ab exercises, especially while you don't have a bump! As you get further along you'll find you have to adapt what you do.

Also when you get a bit further along there are things you should avoid eg anything that involves you lying flat on your back. Re classes I'd tell the instructor from the start, personally. If you're unsure, I'd book a session with a personal trainer who's qualified in pre and post natal exercise, or an osteopath - I've seen one at my gym recently (am 33 weeks) and he's given me some specific stretches/exercises to help balance out the extra weight/stop my back taking the strain, for instance, which you might find helpful as you get bigger.

Thanks everyone for your replies (and for the congrats too!).

My problem is that I really don't listen to my body in regards to tiredness. I've read that using exertion scales/making sure you can talk is a good way to avoid overexertion, but I know it just won't work for me!

I will definitely get a heart rate monitor. I was talking to one or two of my friends about working out maximum heart rates and the best zones to be in for different goals, so they won't be too surprised if I rock up with a heart rate monitor. Plus, I work in health so I can put it down to research.

My plan now is to set myself a maximum (say 140) and see how I feel afterwards. If I feel that it was too easy a workout then I can set it a tad higher, and if I feel it was too hard then I could drop it down. Does that sound like a sensible plan?

I hadn't thought about a fictitious injury being a good excuse to talk to the instructor before the class. I will definitely do that! I've skipped a class before for a quads strain so I might use that as an excuse.

The classes I currently do are: pilates, body attack and body combat. Body attack is probably harder, but there are varying levels of fitness and it's probably easier to go easier. Body combat I found really hard when I went 10 days ago ... I guess I now know why! I generally use the cross trainer and treadmill if I'm doing something on my own. I might get one of the instructors to do a program for me and then I can discuss it with them. I also do some swimming (if that list sounds impressive, let me promise you it's not! I don't do all that every week!).

Well done if you've managed to get through my essay :)

PS I found my usual regime tough in the first tri as I felt so drained and just took it easy - some days easier than others, depending on how I was feeling. Once I got into the 2nd tri I was prob 80/90 % of normal - and now at 33 weeks I'm still going 2/3 times a week + preg yoga/lots of walking, but definitely having to adapt what I do - for instance I've just had to stop using the rower as it's too strong/instable a motion on my abs - and my bump is getting in the way! Also bike is uncomfortable now and ostepath has told me to stop doing stuff that involves forward bending as it's putting strain on my back.

Pilates is great and will really help. Body combat - can't remember but does it involve actual contact? Be careful with this if so...

I'm seeing my osteopath in a week and a half, so I'll have a good chat with her about it. I have TWO friends who is an osteopath specialising in pre and post birth mother and baby stuff, so they will be awesome for advice ... but we're not telling friends until we get to the 12 week mark.

I've read mixed things about weights, but had planned to start doing them at some stage - under supervision by an instructor. I think that a bit of upper body strength will be good for lugging around a baby, but I just find doing weights SO DULL!

Am I right in thinking that lying on my back is OK until about 12 weeks?

The other thing with buying books/telling instructors/etc is that it just doesn't really feel real at the moment. It was a bit of a surprise (a good one though) and I feel that I'm counting the chickens before they're hatched (an appropriate analogy on many levels, I think ;) )

See, I feel tired but not actually drained. For now :D

Body combat doesn't involve any contact. It's boxing the air, kicking and sort of jumping forwards and back. It'd prob be an easy one to "cheat" and go easy on.

ah, if you haven't been doing weights until now then it's not the time to start in any major way - but light ones of 2kg or so should be fine, but yes, talk to instructor.

Lying on back is fine till about 26 weeks I think (ish - check this) - the reason for it is that once your baby gets bigger your uterus can press on a major vein and make you feel faint/reduce bloody supply to the baby. But you're fine for now. Sounds like your friends will be able to give you good advice and until you're a bit further along you don't need to worry too much about the more mechanical stuff anyhow :)

Congrats on your bfp

As for exercise carry on as normal & listen to ur body. As for monitoring by heart rate that 150bpm guide is really inaccurate and will vary from person to person. There are too many variables that can affect it. I know if I was to exercise my hr will sky rocket above that but for me that's normal & I'd be fine.

Good rule of thumb is
Drink plenty
Work to a level where your breathing faster/hr has increased but you can still hold a conversation if you had to

I thought the blood pressure problems idea was brilliant, but I've just suggested it to the husband and he says that'd be a bit like the ol' not-drinking-on-antibiotics excuse. Which is a shame as it'd fit in well with the heart rate monitor!

While I'm used to having some sort of exercise routine I'd really much rather stay on the sofa with tea and cake. But I really want to maintain my fitness as much as possible. And, pistachio, I want to be like you and feel strong and fit through out my pregnancy!

We're in our 30s, been married 2 or so years, just bought a house with a "spare bedroom" . . . our friends will be plenty suspicious!

I've facebooked two gym-going friends with heart rate training info . . . they lying has begun:o

I was told by a personal trainer not to exercise for the first 3 months on the basis that if anything does happen you'll never forgive yourself. And they were right I would have blamed the exercise so I stopped for the entire pregnancy aside of normal day to day activities.

Heswall - this is awful advice, in my opinion. There is no reason to stop exercising completely throughout your pregnancy - you're much better equipped to cope with the strain pg puts on your body if you remain active and maintain a base level of fitness. It'll help you not put too much weight on, keep you strong for labour, help you lose the weight afterwards... honestly, I'm stunned that a PT told you to just stop exercising.

Whilst that might be the latest fashionable advice there is no getting away from the fact if you miscarry then you'll always wonder if it was because you over did it.

I'm not saying 9 months on the sofa but I would take it easy.

Oh and I put 5 stone on with each pregnancy and lost it again 4 times, no big deal. You get plenty of exercise chasing toddlers.

Hi, congrats, and well done for wanting to continue exercising! I noticed that you said you were planning to cycle. I've been told that it's not a good idea as if you fall or are knocked off it could have serious consequences for the baby (the same reason you're not supposed to ride a horse!). I used to cycle to work but have taken to walking for these safety reasons. Also I was told not to do any serious jumping when doing aerobic exercise because of the danger of falling.
In regards heartrate, I go to a gym where we're encouraged to check our pulse for 10 seconds every 20 mins. I told the instructor I was pregnant at about 6 weeks. They said that I should try and keep my heart rate about 4 beats lower than it was usually for the 10 second count - my heart rate was fast to begin with, everyone's different so no benchmarks.
I'm not an expert but I hope that helps x

On cycling accidents, the advice I've seen has suggested sticking to cycle paths, parks and quiet routes i.e. avoiding busy traffic. I don't think that you need to give it up completely. Afterall, pedestrians get hit by cars too.

I suppose it depends on what your local area/commute is like though, if there isnt a quieter option.

Vegemite, congrats. I understand that you aren't confident in your ability to manage your intensity level, but its a good skill to learn. The heart rate monitor will give you an objective opinion though which will help you get started. A bit like with satnavs though, its best if you use them as a tool to help you but not as a replacement for your own senses. Try out your different activities and see what your heart rate does, and try and reflect back to yourself how your body feels at those intensities. Its all very well reading that up to a certain number is safe, but your own personal threshold could be lower than that.

Oh.. and yes it is fun to surprise your friends rather than have them guess before you are ready to tell, but its not the end of the world if they do guess. Or if you decide to get the surprise in before 12 weeks to forstall guessing. It's much more important that you listen to your body and work with it even if it means risking people guessing because you've changed your habits. Pregnancies told about before 12 weeks still have a good chance of a healthy baby, and unfortunately occasionally things still go wrong after 12 weeks so it's not vital that you wait till then.

Its great that you want to stay active during pregnancy, but don't blame yourself if at somepoint the exhaustion knocks you for six, it's normal and you'll just have to adjust your expectations of intensity/duration/occasions you exercise to suit.

I don't know if anyone above mentioned, but you do have to be careful of overstretching as your body now has hormones to relax your muscles. So just moderate your stretches rather than pushing as far as you possibly can go.

A class instructor once told the entire class (none of whom to my knowledge were pregnant) that its good to work to what you feel is 80% of your total ability, it stretches you enough that you improve and leaves you with some in reserve so that you aren't straining yourself.

All of the above super advice, but failed to mention the only thing that really stopped me in my tracks. Was running 10k competitions at 14 weeks and continued on on my own happily till about 16 when it suddenly dawned on me that my pelvic floor was not happy!!! I am a complete exercise freak too and am now almost finished being pregnant with number 4, so clearly my pelvic floor will be far worse than yours, but that is the only thing that stopped me - honestly do think about it - it really matters later on and afterwards!! I walk now every day for a good hour, and do what I can to stay fit, and am hoping it won't take long to get it all back again afterwards as I am still very fit. Am also finding this pregnancy considerably easier thanks to having been so fit before hand. And Congratulations. x

I ran a marathon while pregnant with DC1. I didn't realise I was pregnant. I continued to exercise reasonably vigorously for as long as my body was enjoying it but slowed down during morning sickness from about 8 to 11 weeks and then again as I started to feel heavier at about 17 weeks. I got some American pregnancy exercise DVD that was highly rated on Amazon. It was really cheesy but great for later in pregnancy. I also did tons of pregnancy yoga but that's just good for birth preparation and can't really be counted as exercise.

This time round I've been sick as a dog and have done no exercise bar walking to and from work and running up and down the stairs to the bathroom to vomit. I'm generally finding this pregnancy much tougher and wondering if that's because I'm unable to keep my fitness levels up the way I did last time. Or maybe it's just because I'm older and more knackered from having DC1. I'm also not going to have any time for pregnancy yoga not that it helped me much with childbirth in the end anyhow.

I know I'll probably put on loads more weight this time but I know I can lose it with a bit of effort post-BF. Loads of my friends say they are skinnier now they have toddlers than they have ever been in their lives so I am focusing on that and trying not to obsess.

Any guidance about specific heart rate values is very out of date; it's based on 1950s studies of male college students. Best to go with how you feel, don't overheat and don't get dehydrated.

My midwife & I both cycled on roads until 34+ weeks pregnant, worked for us :). Consultant strongly approved when I cycled 34 miles round trip to 34 week scan, too.