Why All The Pregnancy Talk??

My first two blogs were about the importance of fitness during pregnancy. I chose these to be my first two because I am pregnant! Due in April and almost 24 weeks along.

I have looked through all different kinds of pregnancy websites to find first hand experiences women have had with exercise and pregnancy, but there simply is a lack of information. Fit Pregnancy, the magazine and website, has articles on what you can do to stay fit during your nine months and beyond, but I found that they were too easy and not on track with my needs.

My physical life has not changed all that much since I have become pregnant. Before becoming pregnant I would go trail running with my husband and our dog, go to the gym and do weight lifting and cardio, do yoga, go road biking, go road running, go hiking, jump rope, etc. Now I am doing similar activities, but in a controlled environment, with people who can keep an eye on my form so that I do not injure myself.

Working out with your partner or friend during pregnancy is a great way to stay fit and feel safe doing so. My husband and I workout together and I feel much more at ease knowing that if I feel lightheaded, faint, exhausted, or just plain crummy he is my advocate for safety.

We do a fitness program together called CrossFit and I find that this is the best thing for me to do both during and after my pregnancy. It is a really great and challenging workout, but I would not advise every pregnant lady to join. If you are not conditioned to high intensity, high impact, high weighted lifts than going to a gym and taking some classes would be just a good!

Another great path to consider is hiring a personal trainer that specializes in training pregnant women. Not only with this person be right on track with your need from month to month, but could also have great advice to staying healthy and feeling great up to the birth and the weeks following.

The important thing to remember is that after your third month of pregnancy, and I experienced this for sure, your ligaments become loser and your center of gravity shifts. This means that when you are doing any type of weight lifting you are more prone to injure yourself if you are not spotted or monitored.

The lower back is a main concern when it comes to injury due the decrease in abdominal support. You might not have ever thought that you had great abs before your became pregnant, but that lower back pain that is nagging away at you can and most likely is due to the spreading of your abdominal wall. You abs control so much of your balance, strength and posture, that without them your body begins to wreak havoc on itself.

From here on out I will be blogging about my own pregnancy concerns when it comes to fitness and exercise. Anything from keeping your abs and core strong, to preventing injury. Also, I will be touching on the tools to facilitate a good delivery.