Exercise advice for 5 weeks gone - lonely and climbing the walls!

[WS]

Hi,

My first post, I've been pretty lonely since I found out I was pregnant - we're really happy about it and were trying but, along with a nasty cold bug, I'm feeling completely de-energised, poorly, sicky and generally completely unsocial and to be honest pretty low.

My family and best friend have been brilliant but as it is so early I've not been able to tell anyone else - hence the loneliness.

I've always been really big into my exercise and know that would cheer me up but my big 'thing', pole dancing, I'm no longer allowed to do as my class isn't insured and my teacher says "The first trimester is the most delicate time for exercise, and anything involving isometric contractions of the muscles (ie: lifting weights and holding muscles contracted) isn't advised. Basically it raises the blood pressure very quickly which puts a strain on your body and the foetus as well. I've been advised that sit-ups are also a no-no, as you must not pull your tummy button in or put a strain on your lower stomach - again, involving isometric contractions. "

I've had some poor exercise advice from my Doctor it seems and I don't know who else to ask.

I've been looking at some exercise DVDs on Amazon, but I'm pretty overwhelmed and I really don't want to resign myself to 9 months of pilates - not yet anyway! I've started swimming but could do with something aerobic - is a salsa dvd an option? I couldn't bear a class at the moment as am feeling hideous and really don't want any men touching me!

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

i was told 'carry on as normal'

though i have to say i stopped playing tennis at 7 weeks due to some bleeding, but it's not supposed to make any difference at all

what about cycling?

This topic annoys me, there is so much BAD advice out there about exercise in pregnancy.
Choosyfloosy is basically right, anything you were doing before is almost certainly ok to continue with. Don't worry what your heart-rate does exactly, go with how you feel. It's fine to do exercise that leaves you happily tired, just not exhausted.

Very rough contact or falls, Overheating, dehydration, ligament strain and exhaustion are the main risks (overheating is the worst risk in general). It's not hard to prevent these problems and yet still keep fit.

Activities with a higher risk of falling/rough sports you will have to assess carefully after 13 weeks when the uterus emerges from deep in the pelvis and becomes more vulnerable to outside knocks.

Sounds like pole-dance instructer is clueless.

Babycentre advice isn't bad.

Thanks guys, really appreciate the comments. Looks like I can tackle some more aerobicy style exercise then and don't have to get the pilates dvd just yet! Think I will try a salsa DVD then :-)

I think because your obviously carrying extra weight whilst your pregnant you should tone down the level of exercise that your used to. A gentle walk or swim is a really good way of continuing to exercise during pregnancy without going overboard.

I carried on with high-impact aerobics, running and all the usual til 16 weeks. After that I pretty much gave up on anything involving jumping around as it made my bump ache. I did abs work til 16 weeks as my aerobics instructor advised it was ok until then, but after that I should avoid lying on my back for prolonged periods. I don't do weights personally so have not taken any advice about whether it's safe to do weights.

If I had felt well doing high impact work I would have carried on with it throughout (and did fully intend to) but for me it became too uncomfortable so I'm on the ante natal yoga, walking and swimming now. I can't wait to get back to some 'real' exercise, especially now it's so bright and lovely outside, I'm itching to get moving!

I'm 9+4 and have been doing circuit training and boxercise 3 times a week with twice daily dog walking as well. Just as well as i'd be the size of a house otherwise with my increased appetite! The advice i'm following is very similar to above- don't overheat (how to women in hot countries get on?!), when exercising you should be able to maintain a conversation, so don't run round like a loony. Full length press ups and full sits ups (elbows to tops of knees) are not advised, but kneeling press ups (which must be good for pecs!) and gentle crunches are fine. I just don't do the stuff I think would place too much of a strain on me, like reverse curls as they do put a lot of pressure on the lower abdomen and lifting heavy weights. Some weights work is fine, just for toning afterall, you don't want to get aching arms lugging a baby around having done no exercise for 9 months would you?! Lots of people who run regularly continue to do so and you can also get supportive bands that enable you to do more high impact stuff.

Ref the pole dancing- have never done it, but it does seem to involve a lot of core stability work and lots of pressure on tummy muscles as you swing down the pole with your legs above you!

Oooooh must look into the bands - Elsa123 are they sports specific? I think my aching is down to round ligament pain as my bump is quite low, but with some support it might be okay? Any ideas where to buy??

lljkk your advice sounds exactly like what my gynaecologist told me.

She told me that I shouldn't immediately stop everything I am doing as it's not good for your body to go from full training to nil, but that I should carry on and slowly taper down as I turn from an athlete (sort of) to a weeble. The other instructions were not to fall and, alas, no more racing as that is a situation where you are less likely to listen to your body telling you to slow down.

I've seen a Runners' World book on pregnant running, so that is on order and I've been making the most of the snow by cross-country ski-ing. I would be going up the walls if I couldn't do anything.

emsyj- although this is in $ its what I was talking about and you will see one popular with runners. here

My understanding with both pregnancies was not to start anything new but you can carry on with what you were already doing unless there was a specific reason.

Obviously if your class won't allow you to continue then you can't but there are lots of classes you could do alternatively. I used to do an aerobics class and there was a pregnant lady there who carried on until she was ready to stop.

I'm a bit curious as to how Swimming is not aerobic? Perhaps you could trying swimming a bit faster or a different stroke?

Good luck with the DVD!

I am a childminder and although it's not exercise specifically, I lift children all day long and push a pushchair with 3 children under 3 for a big part of the day. I can feel that I am using a lot of my stomach muscles, I am now 16 weeks and have had no problems, don't let one instructor and a doctor put you off doing the things you enjoy.

I did a spinning class once a week up until 36 weeks!! I was just told not to start a new exercise class, but could continue doing my normal one as long as I didn't take my heart rate over 140.

I am 26 weeks with DC2 and still running 3 miles a couple of times a week (which is much less and much slower than pre-preg), and have been 'racing' 5k on Saturdays for the last month (I just do it for the double takes it illicits ).

I am also still playing badminton once a week and apart from when I bend down to get the shuttlecock, I mostly don't really feel pregnant and I have a good sized bump!

I also cycle around town with DS1 in his bike seat and walk a lot.

Without wishing to offend HannahDA - the advise to try "gentle walking" is never (in my experience) well received by anyone who is used to exercising before they were pregnant. Unless you are seriously unfit or infirm I can't see how gentle walking could ever really be considered as exercise. But maybe that's just me

God this thread is such a relief to me. There are others!!!

I am 15 weeks and do 2 sessions of personal training (have taken it down a lot- free weights no greater than 10kg each side, bigger breaks between sets and a new focus on core to help me avoid back pain later on), a couple of sessions of tennis and then a few hikes or something. My Obs has always just said "dont get too hot, drink a lot and stop if you get dizzy". I gave up spin because I do tend to go all out and also even with the air con on I would be absolutely running in sweat by the end so I figured it might be a bit excessive as I am someone who tends to "run hot."

I am about to start prenatal yoga but mainly as a way to meet other people who are having babies.

Re sit ups, I believe that the danger is aggressive "crunch" movements. The best way to do them safely is to slide your hands up your thighs to your knees (wrist level with knee), then back. As an alternative, the "plank" or "bridge" is apparently the safest abs exercise for pregnant women and can be done until your bump hits the ground.

Ffs these people don't half come out with some shite. I planned to very much continue as normal, but in my case my morning sickness put pay to that! However, on the days I did feel better I rode and it was wonderful, yep, I built up a sweat - but then I normally would. Ffs, you get hot, you slow down and have a drink. It's not bloody rocket science is it?

Go for a gentle stroll my arse.

Hooray I'm not alone! A gently stroll is not sport in my book.

At what point have any of you found that your athletic performance started decreasing? I was puffing a bit on Sunday after ski-ing up a hill but I don't know if it was the altitude or the pregnancy (only 6 weeks).
My only disappointment was being forbidden to race, but I know that is probably sensible and at least having spent the winter preparing for my main ski race, I'm pretty fit so should be able to carry on doing sport for a while.
DH is also being very supportive and has offered to come swimming with me when I get too big to run and has also assured me that I will be able to race again.

cardicorgi I was about 6 weeks when my body "shut down" on me and I was out of breath doing just one flight of stairs. It's all very normal apparently, increased blood requires more oxygen etc., etc. I live in The Netherlands and some of our hills have had me gasping for breath!

I can't think of anything more condusive to a healthy pregnancy than mum getting out in the fresh air and getting some exercise.

It's also been shown that ceasing activity to concentrate on biscuit eating on the couch is a sure-fire way to induce ante-natal depression.

Cardicorgi- I have noticed a pretty significant decline as I am just not beasting it as much as I was before I was pregnant- in particular I'm not doing cardio/weight combined circuits anymore (where you get your heart rate right up and then hit the weights).

I'm not too bothered though. My main aim is to stay strong and healthy, not lose too much muscle mass, not put on a lot of excess weight, and give myself the best possible chance of a natural delivery and good recovery.

I find exercise really helps me sleep as well.

I am a pretty serious cyclist (road and mountain bike, I do endurance races / events, solo 24 hour races etc) and have cut down a fair bit, but am still riding about once a week (currently 17+2). The advice I was given was to try and keep your HR down if possible, to below around 150. I have carried on going to the gym and spinning classes as well. I have found that my stamina is not as good as it used to be, I have to eat more when out on rides to keep going. Road rides I have cut down to 30 or 40 miles, and mountain bike rides I am sticking to what I know are easier trails, I?m not hurling myself down quite such rocky bridleways as before and am avoiding big group outings.

I have found that I just cannot push myself as hard, your body definitely stops you going too far ? I started noticing at about 6 weeks that I was getting more out of breath. TBH for weeks 7 ? 11 I didn?t do much as I was feeling too sick, but am feeling great at the moment so am trying to take advantage of it before I get too big! The weather turning lovely has also helped me want to get out on the bike more.

It sounds more like your teacher doesn?t have the experience and doesn?t want to risk it, but please don?t think you have to stop exercise. I know plenty of people who cycled all the way through, skied, ran half marathons etc. I agree with the poster above who said that suggesting a gentle stroll is not quite the same as ?proper? exercise to someone like me. I don?t think I know how to stroll.

I carried on as normal (gym 3 times a week) till about 25 weeks - wish I'd carried on longer as feel really unfit now and can't wait to get back to it! I only stopped going as I started feeling self-conscious in the gym with a big bump (mostly men in my gym for some reason!)

I still walk everywhere including 25 minutes each way to work.

Hahahahahaaaaaaaaa, so glad there are other people who respond to the suggestion of a gentle stroll with !!!

I'm starting pregnancy yoga tonight and to be honest I'm dreading it. I would love to be able to do all the normal stuff I did before, and am looking at the bump band suggested by Elsa123 in hopes I might get my life back!!!

Thanks ArcticFox and skihorse so the being a bit more puffed out than normal is to be expected at this stage, I can cope with that then.
I'm in Germany which is great for cross-country ski-ing and when the snow is gone I row and do an occasional triathlon.

Cosmosis have you had to adjust your bike fit at all? I've read that sometimes things will need tweaking to be comfortable. How about clothing or does normal stuff still fit?

Cardi Lucky girl! I was hoping to do the Cologne triathlon a couple of years ago but got sick bah. I'd love to have been able to do the x-country skiing here, I think it would've suited me to a tee - out in the fresh air, plenty cold and going at my own pace. I'm very envious!

I am hilariously bad at x-country skiing. Tried it in Chamonix, just on the beginners course where they do the tracks for you and the downhill bits were just disasterous. How are you meant to stop?

Flinging yourself to one side? Trees?

cardicorgi at the moment my bikes all fit fine as they are, but I'm only just starting to get a bump now. I can see in a couple of months that I'll not be able to ride my road bike because it's too bent over, and I'll have to move to slick tyres on my hardtail mtb on road.

Likewise with clothing, at the moment my normal stuff still fits, but I have been speaking to debbie at Minxgirl.com who has been giving me some advice about what kind of shorts will work till late on.