subject: Healthy: Going to the Gym? [print this page] Healthy: Going to the Gym? Healthy: Going to the Gym?
In fact, according to Brooke Correia of the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association in Boston, Mass., 17 percent of clubs belonging to the association offer prenatal programming and 15 percent offer postnatal programming. "Special programs aside, I think most club operators would encourage pregnant members to follow their doctors' advice as it pertains to exercise," says Correia. "If they are permitted to engage in an exercise routine, health clubs offer such a wide variety of exercise options, it's easy for women to exercise throughout pregnancy."
If you have an uncomplicated pregnancy, a regular activity program can enhance your quality of life. There are many benefits to be obtained from regular activity in academias, says Healthworks Fitness Centers' Regional Fitness Director Maria Shea from Boston, Mass., who cites several of them:
. Improved aerobic and muscular fitness.
. Facilitation of recovery from labor.
. Enhanced psychological well-being.
. Establishment of permanent healthy behaviors.
. More rapid return to pre-pregnancy weight, strength and flexibility.
. Less weight gain.
. Reduced back pain.
. Social activity - opportunity to meet other new moms.
Exercise has also been recognized as an effective alternative to insulin therapy for treating gestational diabetes and as a means of preventing the disorder, writes Raul Artal, an internationally recognized expert in exercise during pregnancy and the lead author of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' (ACOG) guidelines on exercise for pregnant women.
"With ample evidence to show that regular, moderate exercise in women with healthy pregnancies results in no adverse maternal or fetal effects ... obstetricians should make exercise recommendations a top priority," says Artal.
Safeguards should be followed, of course, before starting an exercise regimen. First, a clinical evaluation is recommended, and "physicians should consider the type and intensity of exercise - as well as the duration and frequency of [the] sessions - for each patient based on her level of fitness and familiarity with various activities," Artal says.
The obvious ones to avoid are contact sports and exercises with a high risk of falling or abdominal trauma. If something is uncomfortable, it should also be avoided - like lying on your stomach after a certain point in the pregnancy, says Shea.
Some recommendations Shea passes on from the American College of Sports Medicine and ACOG include:
. Avoid exercising on your back after the first trimester.
. Be aware that the lack of oxygen available will affect you; you may get tired sooner and have an increased heart rate at lower exercise levels.
. Take care to balance properly, especially as pregnancy increases, to avoid injury. Exercises in which loss of balance can occur should be avoided in late pregnancy.
. Remember proper nutrition, as the pregnancy alone will require 300 additional calories a day.
. Pay attention to how your body feels with exercise, listen to your body, talk to your physician regularly about any changes and adjust activity accordingly. Every woman will respond differently to exercise, which is why the continued communication with health professionals is critical.
If you're wondering what body changes to be on the lookout for, Shea cites a few from ACOG:
. Signs of bloody discharge from vagina.
. Any gush of fluid from vagina.
. Sudden swelling of ankles, hands or face.
. Persistent, severe headaches and/or visual disturbance.
. Unexplained spell of fainting or dizziness.
. Swelling, pain and redness of calf in one leg.
If you experience any of these, discontinue exercise and seek medical advice immediately.
Gauging exercise intensity is also important. Moderate exercise is defined as a level of intensity that still allows normal conversation. "For women who have been sedentary and are taking up exercise for the first time, a gradual progression to this intensity for up to 30 minutes per day is recommended," says Artal. "Those who are already fit when they become pregnant should be advised that pregnancy is not a time for greatly improving physical fitness and that, in general, overall activity and fitness levels tend to decline during pregnancy."
Exercise caution when increasing the intensity of your workout, especially when extending sessions beyond 45 minutes, says Artal, because body core temperatures can rise above safe limits after that time. "Strenuous exercise has not been proved to increase overall benefit and could actually be harmful, so this level of exercise intensity should be avoided," Artal says.
When Helen Durkin of Medway, Mass., got pregnant, she didn't push herself as hard as she normally would when doing cardio exercise. She was careful about not letting her heart rate get too high. She also did her weight training in a class setting so she'd have the assistance of the teachers. Why did she continue to exercise once she was pregnant? "Most of my friends had their children before me," she explains. "I saw what a difference exercise made with my friends. The ones who didn't exercise seemed to have a lot harder time with their pregnancy. I also found that it really helped me with morning sickness. When I felt sick, exercise seemed like the last thing I wanted to do, but every time I did it, I felt so much better."
The second time around, Durkin also knew she would bounce back from childbirth faster. With a kindergartener at home, she wanted to make sure she was as healthy as quickly as she could be. She loved exercising while pregnant. "It made me feel so powerful and in touch with my body," says Durkin. With her second child, she kept thinking of the exercise as training for the marathon of birth. "The confidence I got from training really helped physically and mentally with giving birth," she says. She also liked the support she got from the other women in the classes.
Durkin recommends buying a few pieces of fun exercise clothes. She bought a couple of fun, comfortable maternity outfits she loved to wear. She questioned whether it was worth the money for such a short time, but she got a lot of compliments, and they helped her feel good about how she looked. "I was glad that I did it," she says.
The best thing about exercising during pregnancy is it puts you on the right path for life. "Women whose exercise habits have become firmly entrenched during pregnancy stand a much better chance of maintaining them postpartum - and perhaps even into their next pregnancy," says Artal.
