A: First off, congratulations! How exciting for you and your family. What a magical time in all of your lives. Enjoy it! As for exercise during pregnancy, I am a firm believer in exercising consistently if you can manage it. Exercise is important throughout a woman’s life and pregnancy is no different. Some mothers will disagree with me and, God knows, they have every right. I have not been through this personally, so it’s easy to have an opinion. I realize you are probably tired and possibly still nauseous. Exercise might be the absolute last thing on your wish list of activities, but I promise you that it can give you energy, help you sleep, facilitate an easier labor, and speed your recovery time after the birth. Exercise is good for your baby, too. Studies show that babies whose moms exercised during pregnancy may benefit from better stress tolerance and advanced neurobehavioral maturity. These children are leaner at five years of age and have better early neurodevelopment. One of the things that you need to determine before you get started is where you are fitness-wise. If you have previously been a couch potato, which it doesn’t seem like if you’re working out to my DVDs, this is not the time to take up most sports or train for your first 5K. If you have been very active before and are participating in an activity that is safe for pregnancy or can be modified for pregnancy, generally speaking you can continue to participate. However, most women are not able to maintain the same pace that they did before the pregnancy, so keep that in mind. Before embarking on any kind of exercise program, check with your doctor first. This ensures that he or she is aware of the kinds of activities you intend to do and he or she can provide guidance and even make suggestions. That said, let’s go over some basic rules for fitness during pregnancy:
DO drink lots of water to keep hydrated, and wear loose, comfortable clothing.DO walk, swim, and bike at a low- to moderate-intensity level for 30-minute sessions.DO skip back exercises, but remember that abdominal and back exercises are important. They help with postural changes and stability and keep your body strong after the baby’s born, when you’ll have a lot of lifting to do. Since doing crunches on your back is not safe, switch to standing pelvic tilts or lying on your side or on your hands and knees; concentrate on bringing your navel toward your spine. Also consider a prenatal yoga or Pilates class to help you with this.DON’T use heavy weights and bouncing or jerking movements — especially during the third trimester. Hormones during the third trimester make your body more malleable and weight lifting at this time can put too much stress on tendons, ligaments, and bones making you more susceptible to injury.DON’T do any exercises that require you to lie on your back, to avoid placing any undue stress on your spine, from about halfway through your pregnancy. I have heard many women gripe about the validity of this, but let’s just not do it. Better safe than sorry!DON’T allow your body temperature to go above 102 degrees Fahrenheit. Be sure to workout in air conditioned environments and keep yourself cool while training at all times. Generally, you should keep your heart rate under 140 beats per minute. However, for some women this may be too high and for others, too low. So, the easiest way to do this is what is called the “talk test.” Simply put, if you are too winded to carry on a conversation while exercising, then you are doing too much.DON’T play contact sports like basketball and any sport where you may be prone to lose your balance. Remember that your center of gravity is off while pregnant and we don’t want you and junior taking any kind of tumble!DON’T twist or compress your abdomen, torso or spine. So, no overhead presses or weighted squats. No crunches. No twisting yoga poses. There are plenty of good core exercises you can do without engaging in these types of movements. Check out the prenatal yoga class that I mentioned above.DON’T exercise more than three to five days a week. Your body needs rest, so be sure not to overdue it. And if you experience any of the following symptoms stop immediately: dizziness, faintness, headaches, shortness of breath, uterine contractions, vaginal bleeding or fluid leaking, heart palpitations.
One final caveat: The third trimester is intensely stressful on your body. Your baby and YOU are growing in ways you have never grown before. For example: Your uterus is 100 times its normal size. You’re carrying around an extra 20 to 40 pounds, making even the simplest movements a workout. So, start out by giving yourself a major pat on the back for going through what would make even the toughest gym rat grunt and groan, and then proceed with zero ego and plenty of caution to make sure that you and your little one are as safe and healthy as possible! Have a motivation, fitness, or health question for Jillian? Ask here and check back in two weeks for her next “Ask Jillian” column. Read all ‘Ask Jillian’ Q&A Columns here. For more fitness, diet, and nutrition trends and tips, follow @weightloss on Twitter from the editors of @EverydayHealth.
