Anyone that knows about pregnancy, and the "do's & don't's"of exercise...please read on:?

Question

I have a 5 month old baby, and I have a feeling that I am pregnant again. I have only lost 30 of the 50 pounds that I gained from my first pregnancy, and I'm a little concerned about my weight/health, and I want to know what exercise(s) I can do while pregnant. During my last pregnancy, I heard different things from different people, and because of this, I hardly did anything physical. I want this pregnancy to be different. I want to do active things, I want to exercise regularly, but I need to know what is safe and what ISN'T safe. For example, is jogging okay? Can I do sit-ups? Can I do a little bit of weight-lifting? Can I do stretches? I would love it if someone could tell me exercises that they did while pregnant, and how it helped them, or someone they know.

Answer 1

My trainer and I are dealing with this as we go and so far this is what we know:
Anything you did before pregnancy is fine, just don't step it up.
Walking is better for your pregnant organs than jogging, it's much lower impact.
Weight training is fine but lower the weight and up the reps to make up for it.
No exercises laying on your back after the first trimester
Same goes for exercising with your arms above your head, this can promote the umblical cord to wrap around the neck.
Sit ups are fine, right now your baby is still behind your pubic bone and has no clue what you're doing.
Stretches are fantastic and later in the pregnancy when your belly is to big to really do a sit-up, try isometrics.
Swimming is probably the best thing for you right now. It works your major muscle groups as well as the supportive ones. It get's your heart rate up but not enough to hurt you or the baby unless you are doing some serious lap swimming. Try keeping your heart rate under 150(depending on age, talk to you're OB about it) Use a kick board and gently kick your way to the other end, and back and then take a short break, do some jogging and cross country sking in the water and use your hands as resistance against the water whenever possible. Swimming is also very relaxing.
ALWAYS make sure you warm up slowly and cool off just as slowly.
Eat a small snack before working out.
Just listen to your body and do what is comfortable for you. You go at your own pace and stop when you have had enough. Working out, especially in the first trimester, will actually give you a little more energy and help you sleep a little better at night. It's also beneficial to baby.
Happy Working Out!

Answer 2

You can jog- walking may be better/more realistic the further along you get in your pregnancy, especially with a newborn- get the stroller out and go for some active walks (stimulating for your baby as well!!!). You can do sit-ups to a certain degree- I would seriously limit them though because you don't want to over-do it. But sit-ups are fine. I asked my dr about ab work during my pregnancy and she said it would be a lot easier to get back to my figure once the baby was born since the muscles would stay toned- so true! Weight lifting and stretching are also ok, but you probably want to cut those back significantly as well. You will need to adjust your weight and also the stretches that you do to accomodate your changing body. Subscribe to Fit Pregnancy magazine (it's like $9 for the length of your pregnancy- you can go to their website)- this magazine was a lifesaver while I was pregnant, with info on fitness and other stuff too. Good luck!

Answer 3

First get yourself a pregnancy test, make sure that you are. Are using your prenatal vitamins? I would suggest that you consult with your OB/GYN before you start any exercising. You can exercise while pregnant, I was in the military during both of my pregnancy and I ran did push ups until I was told I couldn't do them anymore. The thing is I consulted with my doctor before and after my children. I was pretty much in the same position that you might be in now. Good luck to you, I am sure that you have the will power to lose the weight if you happen to be with child the second time around. Walking is a great exercise if you are. Good luck with the turn out.

Answer 4

You can't do sit-ups.

But you can do anything you did before you were pregnant.

Me, I played indoor soccer until I was 6 months pregnant, both times. I also commuted to and from work via bicycle several days a week. I swam. I walked the dog, I chased my toddler around...

Light weight training is OK. Stretching is OK, just be careful because your ligaments are stretching and it's easy to turn an ankle or stretch too far.

It was all good. I lost all of my baby weight within 6 weeks (although it wasn't necessarily distributed the same way), and despite two C-sections, I was up and around and back to my usual routine pretty quickly. I also developed preeclampsia in both pregnancies, and my doc said that being active and not overweight probably helped me stave it off for a few extra weeks.

Answer 5

If you are pregnant already and have not jogged actively prior to getting pregant I do not think this is the best route to take.

You can stay active by swimming which is excellent while pregnant as it does not stress your joints like jogging would do.

The good thing with swimming is you can enroll in a mom and tot program that will help you bond with your new baby, teach the baby how to swim and keep you active.

You can also do cardio in the gym like treadmill or recline cycle. These can also be low impact.

There are lots of books and videos at the Library on Prenatal fitness that you can sign out for free.

Good luck

Answer 6

Unless you are very used to vigorous exercise, keep your heart rate below about 150. If your body isn't used to heart rates that high, you may not allow enough time for oxygen exchange accross the placenta. However, you can still be working pretty hard and keep it below 150. Stretching is totally fine, as is weight lifting (I'm assuming you're working with like 8 or 10 pound weights here, not 30 or 50 pounders). I agree that sit ups are probably not good later in pregnancy, but are likely fine for the first couple of months.

Answer 7

These people are not telling you the real story. YES, you can do sit ups. I am 12 weeks pregnant and my doctor knows how much I work out and said it's perfectly fine. Now once you are further along then it might be a little uncomfortable and wouldn't be such a good idea. As long as you're not laying flat on your back for long periods of time then sit ups are perfectly fine. You want to build your core muscles. It's only going to help you when you deliver. I work out the same as I always did which includes spinning classes, elliptical machines and weight training. As long as you don't get your heart rate up too high you will be fine. Good luck!

Answer 8

You can do whatever exercises you were doing before you got pregnant, but you don't want to get your heart rate up too high. Take it slower, but I would definately talk to your doctor and maybe get some ideas from him/her as well. It is best for you to keep up your workout so you won't gain as much weight and you will just be healthier all the way around and ready to get back into losing your baby weight again after the next one is born.

Answer 9

you can pretty much do anything you did before you were pregnant. When i was pregnant with my second one i walked i had 3 paper routes which required me to walk about 10 miles a day.....at least.....then i had a full time job in a grocery store and chased my eighteen month old daughter around everyday. When it comes down to it your body will let you know what your limits are. Do what you are comfortable with. If there is pain or discomfort associated with it dont do it. Walking is also a great low impact exercise which will help keep your weight down. Hope this helps....Good Luck

Answer 10

I would recommend taking prenatal exercise classes or watching prenatal exercise DVDs or tapes. Jogging is not recommended. You can walk, if you aren't an avid exerciser. Some people like yoga or pilates, but make sure it is for pregnant women. You could also look into mommy and me fitness classes. I wouldn't advise weight-lifting or sit-ups without talking to your physician first.