Sporty mums-to-be! Accountability thread

[tostaky]

Hi there, Just thought it'll be nice to have somewher to keep track of my/yours/our exercise regime! Just helps keep the motivation levels up!
So post here what you've done today...

I'll start:

04 June - 3 miles on the threadmill + stretch

I was a bit disappointed last evening by my yoga classe bc it was much more about relaxation/breathing and moving the hips than a workout. I usually break a sweat in a yoga classe but def not yesterday.

So today, after work im going swimming, hoping to do around 45 mins (I cant count how many lenghts I keep forgetting!)

Glad to see more people in this thread!

Hatcam - it's good to have you here! Are you a PT ?

LadyT - apparently lying in bed eating pie is FINE it's just lying on your back for exercise that puts obs/gynae/midwives/GPs in a state of nervous tension....don't even go there, the contradictions are a little crazy. I still feel perfectly comfortable lying down (ha ha at every opportunity) on my back, keep waking up in bed lying on my back, but some rules are worth following.

oui oui I am a PT specialising in pre and post natal, train private clients but also run a pregnancy fitness programme and local Buggyfit.

Also 23 weeks pregnant with baby #2, still running (sooooooo slowly), cycling and teaching daily classes, so always really interested in what other people are up to!

Just wish I had a big sign on my bum for when I'm running, to explain that I AM up the duff, not just plodding like a hippo with a beer belly.

Hi hatcam - could you say a bit more about abdominal exercises that are OK, esp. the crunch variation that you mentioned? (BTW my interest is no longer theoretical - I tested this morning and am actually pg! Can't quite believe it yet!!)

Hi - I'm 18 weeks and still training at the gym, albeit at a much lower intensity. Still running (but v.slowly now) - was advised to keep heart rate under 150. I think I'd have gone nuts if I hadn't continued with exercising. Have also started swimming again which I hope to be able to do right up until birth. Am hoping all of this will make it easier to lose the baby weight later! Plus it makes me feel good :-)

Tostaky, sorry to hear the yoga was a bore - I am hoping my class will be a little more challenging when I start in 10 days time. Will start swimming next week -at my local swimming pool they use so much chlorine it makes my skin itch and I get a rash so I have found a gym that has a swimming pool where they use a reduced quantity of chlorine with ozone - supossed to be healthier?

francesrivis - sorry for delay. Have endless examples of abs exercises and am happy to list some here, but first up have a look at www.babyfit.com (American website) which has some safe examples of modified abs exercises, with pictures and demos which really helps to get the idea of how to do them properly.

But.....if you're not doing any abs exercises already I wouldn't embark on a tummy regime now! If you're starting from scratch in pregnancy I'd say do pelvic tilts (standing or lying), using a swiss ball for hip circles and hip hitches (sitting up really tall and trying to squeeze your hip bone towards your ribs) and using your abs by trying to pull your bump/tummy button in towards you.

Does that make sense? Happy to give more exercises!

Went running yesterday, plod, plod, plod - but it was lovely. Poor dog keeps running off ahead and then looking back at me as if to say hurry up!

Tostaky, I too found pregnancy yoga a bit slow. Most of the class I went to was dedicated to breathing exercises, which I found really boring. It would probably do me good if only I could relax into it a bit...

Good to see others are still exercising, though. I haven't seen any other pregnant women at the gym, so this thread is v motivating! I'm usually a runner, but have switched to x-training and swimming in pregnancy. To be honest, for the first 14 weeks, I was so nauseated it took every single shred of willpower to drag myself to the gym. The only reason I kept going was that, weirdly, exercising gave me around an hour's relief from the nausea. Anyway, now I do around 40 mins low-intensity cardio, foll by a few light weights and pilates. I'm so impressed you're still running, hatcam - it just feels too weird for me in pregnancy.

Hatcam - your posts have all been great, v useful. Can I ask another Q? (You'll have to start charging soon .) Is it safe to keep doing the plank in pregnancy? Have been doing it all along, but DH looked slightly aghast when I told him I was still doing it (21 weeks).

Whiteorchid, no charge I am a fitness GEEK and love my job! If you've been exercising before and throughout pregnancy you can keep doing a plank for a while if you're comfortable.

I would start to watch out for your body position being compromised by your bump (am sure you already know you need to be in a solid straight line from shoulders through hips to knees). Also be careful of holding a position like the plank, which can cause your blood pressure to go up - so I would go for holding it for far less time, dropping down on to your knees and then pushing up again. No holding your breath! Also, because of the weight at the front you'll find your back is working much harder.

You could start doing an incline plank with straight arms - the angle will just take a little bit of strain off, but will still be good work.

As you go on and your bump inevitably gets bigger, you will find it harder and harder to do the plank and you will get uncomfortable. As soon as you feel even slightly uncomfortable, stop and change your routine. This isn't the time to be brave and push on!!

Don't forget the good old press up (knees down) which uses a plank style position and will also work your chest/upper back/upper arms as well as your abs. Try using the swiss ball as much as possible too.

Also don't underestimate how much your abs are working all the time and especially when you're exercising. As your bump gets bigger, try standing in front of the mirror and looking at the difference in the shape and 'lift' () of your bump when you tighten/brace your abs! If you do this regularly, then it's actually a really great workout as, when you think about it logically, it's weight lifting for your abdominals!

I felt v. odd running in my first pregnancy, so didn't run a step. This time it feels totally and utterly normal - so am enjoying it while I can!

Please don't overdo it anyone, I love fitness and love my job but it's easy to get carried away esp when you feel good in the 2nd trimester. Exercise, eat well, eat in reasonable quantity and enjoy being pregnant.

I'm pretty evangelical about exercising in pregnancy, I have spent a lot of time poring over the Royal College of Obs/Gynae research on the subject, I badger the midwives for info and they've helped me loads, but it's also important to remember that eating CAKE when you're pregnant is good too!

(shuffles off to be fitness geek in corner on her own.)

Hatcam - indeed the very reason I exercise is SO I can eat cake! :-) In the days before being PG it was to burn off wine; now it's food....how things have changed...sigh.

oh how i miss wine...

me too, I run a lot as I am VERY greedy (wipes cake crumbs off chin)

ha ha! A kindred spirit. I can now only run at a max speed of 8kph to keep my h/r under 150. I feel like I could go a bit faster without over-exerting myself, but was advised to keep well under 150. What do you think?

Thanks for all the good pointers Hatcam!

Thanks for all the advice, Hatcam. Yes, agree about the cake - scoffing almond croissant as I write.

When you say 'incline plank with straight arms', not sure what you mean. Is that as opposed to being on your elbows, but knees still off the ground? (You'll need to start doing youtube videos soon .)

MonkeyMargot - Hatcam had sth to say about heart rate limits somewhere: since everyone's heart rate is different, better to use 'perceived rate of exertion', and keep it at or under 7/10, ie you can still hold a conversation. Is that right, Hatcam?

I am going to the gym 2/3 times a week now and trying to walk more as well - am 15 weeks now and really loving the exercise. Had a bit of a break though in the first few weeks when not feeling v. well. I am keeping to lower intensity on the cardio stuff (just what feels ok rather than trying to push myself), but I just have to ignore the HR things on them as to get my heart rate below 150 I think I would actually have to be practically dead. Even before I was pg the HR monitor would go off the scale as soon as I so much as move, even if I am barely exerting myself at all. I think they are just rubbish.

As for the lying on your back thing, I have also found that strange (although I am not doing it) - I mean its not like they warn you off the missionary position is it?!

I started a thread about this but I think it's too boring a question for people to answer, so I will bore you lot instead (zzzzz) Do those scales that analyse your body fat, muscle mass, body water etc which work by sending an electric pulse through your body - are they dangerous for the baby whilst you are pregnant? Just had horrid panicky thought...

me again

Heart rate - varies hugely person to person and to get an accurate idea of the best training 'zones' for you, then you need to get someone to help you to do a fitness test on a t'mill or similar. Best not done while pg. The 'rate of exertion' works pretty well, so to be working at a moderate pace you want to be a bit puffed but still able to talk, but not in long sentences. If 1/10 is sitting on the sofa eating PIE and 10/10 is sprinting like your life depended on it then no more than a 7/10 if you're pregnant. Hope that helps!

It's quite easy to go overboard in the 2nd trimester when some people feel really well - the extra lung capacity can actually make you feel a bit 'superhuman', especially before the baby actually squishes your lungs too much. So go steady, don't get too hot - you should feel invigorated (hate that word but can't think of better way to explain) NOT knackered. Go with what feels good and right - if it feels uncomfortable, unusual or 'too much' then listen to your body. Not the time to be GI Jane.

So sorry, 'incline' plank was FARKING unhelpful! Think plank position, but straight arms with your hands on a bench or similar, so you're then at an angle rather than the much more horizontal position if your hands/elbows are on the floor. It's a bit easier on the ole bump but still good for abs.

Re body fat measurement - the general consensus is not to measure with the scales/electrical current gadgets. Don't worry, it won't have harmed you but it's really misleading in pregnancy because of the higher water content in the body which really skews the reading. If you've got scales and want to weigh yourself, then you should be able to switch the body stat off. I say switch the scales off totally! .

Thanks whiteorchid and Hatcam for the advice re. H/R.
Re the dreaded scales, I have been continuing to weigh myself but have decided to stop now - there is simply no point in making yourself feel even worse. My DH was really helpful the other evening by pointing out that I was eating like a horse...nice! (Am now in the kitchen secretly eating some biscuits...tee hee).