“Christina, I’m pregnant. Should I
keep working out?” I always answer with a question, “Is this a high risk
pregnancy?” If yes, I tell the client to quit immediately. Thankfully, the answer is usually no, but sometimes the client is still hesitant. Allow me to ease some of your fears with a
list of proven benefits that come from exercising while growing a human being
on the inside:
- Your body will be better prepared for delivery
- You'll be able to control your weight gain
- Better control over balance and coordination
- A decrease in normal pregnancy aches and pains
- Higher chance of having a smoother faster labor
- You'll bounce back to your pre-pregnancy size more quickly
If you’re already taking a DBF Boot Camp it should be easy for you to continue until about 20 weeks. After 20 weeks we will readdress your
physical state on a case-by-case basis. You will know when Boot Camp has become
too much. I had one unique client
continue Boot Camp until she was well into her 8th month of pregnancy. (I literally had to kick her out to take
the Hot Mama’s class!) Most clients
tend to switch over around five or six months into the pregnancy. The ultimate
decision will have to be made by you and your doctor. After all, you know your body better than anyone else.
The good news is the transition into our Hot Mama’s class
will be an easy one for you. Our
qualified instructor, Laurie Weber, follows the same DBF Boot Camp format, but
makes low-impact modifications for our mothers-to-be. The following are some
great modifications to start you with:
1. Working out your back is extremely important; largely due to
the amount of stress it will endure while supporting your growing belly.
Continue working out with resistance bands. Creating your own row machine while
seated on the floor is a great back exercise.
2. Instead of lower back exercises like Super Heroes try Yoga
style Cat/Cow stretches. Check out our DumBell Yoga class for more explanation.
3. Instead of Swimmers to target the lower back, combine abs,
lower back, and glutes by starting on all fours and reaching out with your right
arm and left leg. Then bring them in and stretch out the opposite side limbs.
4. Planks are still a great exercise to use for the abdominal
region.
5. Instead of using weights for resistance, just use your
body’s resistance while doing leg exercises like squats and lunges.
6. All cardio burst should include one foot on the ground at
all times. Goodbye jumping jacks, hello half jacks!
Remember to listen to your body. If an exercise seems too
intense or too strenuous, simply step back and try a modified version of it. (Yes, there is a modified version of Burpees for pregnant women. So, don’t take
it too easy on yourself!) You can find many more ideas related to working
out while pregnant and clean eating ideas for baby once they arrive on our
DumBell Fitness Pinterest account.
So get out there, keep moving, and we’ll see you back in
Boot Camp once the little ones are six weeks old!
