Exercise??

[KittyandTeal]

I've just found out I'm pregnant with number 2. Yay.

I'm now very active at the gym. I do high interval training, Zumba, pump and run occasionally.

I've just booked with mw and she was very vague when I asked about if there's anything I should avoid.

Does anyone have experience of keeping exercise up during early pregnant? She suggested walking and swimming but they're not really as active as I like. I mainly to it to keep depression at bay tbh

I was told I could continue with anything I normally did (which in my case involved riding a couple of horses 5 days a week and all the associated looking after of them). I stopped riding at about 6 1/2 months once my bump popped out to the point I felt like I might damage the baby if I fell on it but am still very active looking after them now at 39 weeks. I don't think they like you to take up new things, but continuing with what your body is used to is ok.

Thanks, that's great to know. I'm not a horse rider (wish I was) but the stuff I do is much lower impact so I guess it's ok.

After doing a bit of reading around I think I'll carry on with what I do but take it slightly easier/keep my weights low and see how I go.

Last time I was exhausted for the while first 16 weeks so I might not fancy it in a few weeks :)

I have a good, sensible book (Your Pregnancy Week By Week by Lesley Regan - leading obstetrician and expert in miscarriage prevention) which suggested keeping to exercise you/your body is 'used to', taking it easier if you feel breathless and avoiding contact sports.
So things like zumba etc' are fine.

I did pump and balance up until about 24 weeks, when there became so many of the exercises that I couldn't do - abs, lying on tummy etc, that it was a waste of time. At that point I upped the swimming and started aqua natal. Aqua natal is pointless from an exercise point of view, but fun to bob around at. With swimming I also started to run up and down the pool - I'm doing quite a bit of that around now (38+ weeks).

Squitza I think I borrowed that book from a friend while I was pregnant with dd. Didn't pay much attention to the exercise bit though as I wasn't active at all back then.

I think I'll carry on but, like you said, not get too breathless. My skip my occasional metafit session and probably should cancel the zombie 5k I'm doing but apart from that I'll stick to it.

Good to know you managed to 24 weeks. I guess after that you really can't do abs work or push ups etc.

I did aqua natal with dd but I just don't think it's active enough for me atm, maybe further down the line. Swimming is tricky as my local pool is bloody miles away but I might start once I can't do the gym anymore

Same advice as misog2000 and see how you go. I kept cycling through both my pregnancies, though I did cut down from 85 miles per week to about 50!

Yeah I'm no where near the 50 mile cycling level :)

It's great to hear people that have managed to stay fit and active during pregnancy

I'm currently 9 weeks, and, apart from weeks 6 and 7 when I felt sick all of the time, have been continuing to exercise. I used to cycle a lot (circa 120 miles per week) and run a fair bit (20 miles ish per week) and I still do, just a bit less and at a slightly lesser intensity (i.e. not collapsed over the handlebars after racing up a hill). I find that I do get much more out of breath though and also get much more tired for the same amount of intensity if that makes sense. I sometimes wear a HRM, just so I can see what I'm doing roughly in terms of intensity.

My plan is to continue doing what I'm doing for as long as I'm able, maybe chuck in a bit of swimming, so that it's not such a shock when that's all I can do!

Argh I've had such mixed advice on this. Thanks Kitty, I will be watching this thread!

Was training for a half marathon when I fell pregnant. In my early weeks I ran several 12 mile runs without realising.

Doc advised me to pull out of the race, which I have done. Midwife advised me to stop all exercise till after 12 weeks... Which I found disappointing. However, am now 10 weeks and have been far too tired recently to do anything! It's hard enough staying awake at work!

Next week I'm starting reformer Pilates again, and going to do some jogging, stopping when necessary.

As Minstrelle said... I think a HRM is a good idea. In fact my Pilates place insists on it for pregnant folk!

Haven't done much yoga in my life - thinking of trying a prenatal course. Does anyone have any experience? Are they worth it? Am desperate to stay as fit and healthy as I can!

I think just do what feels right for your situation. They say avoid impact sports. I feel nervous about falling over. Initially I felt nervous about doing my weights but now (11+4) I have relaxed. A lot of it was feeling too tired or sick to leave the house. Now I feel a bit more motivated I'm finding exercise is helping me feel better and less depressed about the sickness (and less guilty about the fact that I ate SIX packets of skips in one day last week)
Hope you can keep it up and don't feel too sick!

Infant - I did an ante natal yoga course while pregnant with dd. I loved it! I started at around 28 weeks when I started getting big and less mobile but it made me feel so much better. Dd also seemed relaxed (she was a real wriggler inside but totally chilled out for yoga)

I might try and get back to it when I'm big again.

A hrm might be a good option but we're pretty tight on money. Can anyone recommend a fairly cheap one?

I used to be very active but first tri tiredness and pain kept me put of it for 12 weeks - I presume it's ok to go back to what I was doing when my energy comes back? I have good muscle memory and will take things slowly if need be

Ooo thanks Kitty. I think maybe it sounds perfect for later on when I'll be more of a lumberer than a runner!

I bought a HRM from Amazon for about 30 quid. It was called i-Got U Bluetooth Heart Rate Monitor and syncs with an an app on your phone. But there were some even cheaper watches for about a tenner I think. Probably simpler to use too.

Looking forward to getting some energy back. I've had zero morning sickness, but major tiredness.

Serenity - I've been pretty frustrated with the lack of consistent advice I've had. First GP I saw said to do no exercise whatsoever?!?!

Hi infant , I'm 16 weeks and same position as you, had to pull out of half marathon due to risk of dehydration. I only really run for exercise and have no coordination but have just started a pregnancy yoga course. I think it's helping with back aches already which will only probably get worse as I get bigger! Like the breathing techniques and it's nice to meet other ladies in the same boat :)
OP, just watch the dehydration I guess, I've been on a few walks and I think low impact things like cycling and swimming are fine too.

My MW said if you were doing it before, to carry on with caution (fewer sessions, slower speeds etc). Ive just reluctantly admitted defeat with running at 18 weeks- went out on saturday and my back was really playing up, but some people do manage to carry on much longer- you just have to listen to your body i guess

Remembered at the weekend that id signed up for the london marathon- it'll be sods law that i'll get in this year!

During my 1st pg i was a zumba instructor and worked until 26 weeks. I think the advice is to not take up anyrhing new, and avoid contact sports. Is zumba gold an option for you? Its not as intense but you still feel like youve done something.

bangles I've managed to defer my GNR place til next year, if you get in you might be able to do that. I'm thinking it's a good target to get back in shape, not sure I could manage a whole marathon though!

Oh and another vote for pregnancy yoga. Tis marvellous and will help during birth.

nutty thats what I'd hope! Two months is so not going to be enough time to train! First time I've applied since my last marathon in 2006, so the chances are i won't get in anyway, but the power of the law of sod is strong!

Thanks Nutty (great name) and Expat. I will definitely give it a go. When is good to start? I'm nearly 11 weeks. Is that too early?

Bangles and Nutty - hope you get your deferred entries. Obviously happy I'm pregnant, but I was looking forward to the half!

Kitty I think I'm basically going to go running jogging again as soon as I have the energy but keep the pace down and take it easy. Most of the pleasure is just being outdoors in the early light.

With my last pregnancy I exercised up till the day before she was born but just tried to keep my heart - rate below 140 or thereabouts. It meant that as I went through my pregnancy I would find I needed to work out at less intensity to still keep it below that rate.

Running went at around 20 weeks as I kept getting braxton hicks so thought it was best to stop.

I did find that men in the gym would not stop staring once I got a bump and was over in the weight section. I did stop classes (spinning, pump, combat) mostly because I didn't want to explain why I was taking it easy in the early days.

I hope to do the same this pregnancy once I start feeling less sick.

infant check with the instructor. Mine said 14 weeks and the class started when I was 15 weeks so it was good timing! I feel a slight fraud with my non-bump at the moment though :)

Thanks Nutty. Will do. Yes know what you mean about the fraud feeling! Here's to a fit pregnancy for us all xx

When I got pregnant I was doing about 7 classes a week - spin, pump, combat and body attack. I got coccyx pain early in pregnancy so had to give up pain but kept up with all the others til 36 weeks - I just took the low impact options for combat and attack and modified some of the pump routines. (There is a Body Pump & Pregnancy leaflet available here w2.lesmills.com/files/GlobalCentral/Clubs/PregnancyBrochures/BP%20pregnancy%20brochure.pdf) I dropped to just pump after that til 38 weeks and then did two weeks of antenatal yoga everyday day, and walked a mile to the studio too. I like to think all the exercise helped me as I had the calm water birth in the birthing centre that I wanted and recovered very quickly. I also only put on about 10lb in pregnancy, 8 of which was DS and was back in my regular clothes after a fortnight. Of course now I'm lucky if I can just get to the gym twice a week but walking everywhere with DS and breastfeeding helps keep the weight off.

I ran up until 28 weeks. Rarely more than 5k because my bladder couldn't take it. I couldn't dream of doing it now at 36 weeks... managing ok depression-wise just really looking forward to when i can get back into it tbh and that's sort of keeping me going