AMA and Exercise

Caroline7703

Hello! Becuase I'm AMA, my doctor told me no intense exercise (I need to be able to sustain a conversation) and no intense abdominal crunches. I walk my dog every morning (unless it's raining when I make my husband), fairly active at work, and have been fitting in a second, long walk a few minutes a week (usually a thirty-minute walk around the neighborhood). I just canceled my CrossFit membership, so I'm looking for something that safe to do and I'm able to do in the winter. Any suggestions? We have a TRX in our basement - would some pulls, push ups, and squats be okay do you think? I signed up for a prenatal yoga class starting next Sunday (we had out-of-town guests this weekend and since I'm only 5 weeks we're not telling anyone so I thought it would be rude to run out for yoga).

Wyattnash00

I'm doing everything I was doing before pregnancy, with modifications as I go but I kept the intensity up for the first few months, my dr. Was ok with that too. Many mommas do crossfit throughout their pregnancy, you just need to modify. I do T25, run, weights, also in the weekly check in from 1/15, think it's a couple below this thread, everyone talked about what they were doing to stay active, check that out too. Unless your having complications? And you feel well, you should be able to do what you were doing before to a certain level:)

redheadbride15

I've never heard that being AMA makes any difference I terms of what amount of exercise is safe in pregnancy. I think the general rule of thumb for all women, regardless of age, is not to take up something new or a more intense/rigorous training than you did beforehand, listen to your body and don't overdo things, and avoid high risk activities or contact sports. The advice about still being able to have a conversation is good for everyone too. Also keep in mind when you get into later 2nd trimester and 3rd that you will tire more easily than you're used to because your heart is pumping 40% more blood and you're also larger/heavier. So it's expected that you may have to make your workouts less intense over time.

For what it's worth I'm still jogging 3-5 miles at a time (which is what I did pre-pregnancy) though my pace is definitely slower. And I can do full day-long hikes (10-12 miles), which is also what I did pre-pregnancy, though I'm choosing not to do very steep hikes where the risk of falling is higher - that's also partly because it's winter though. My OB is fine with this. It never would have occurred to me that age would make any difference.

Jenniferk08

What about one of those dance video game things? I'm out of shape already but we have fun with the Zumba. You can set it for beginner.

carrieandr

I totally agree with @redheadbride15. My dr didn't even say I need to be able to hold a conversation. With that being said, I took a break from the gym because my nausea was so bad, and when that started to improve, I had 9 days of spotting. The spotting has stopped, so if I have a good u/s tomorrow, I will resume my workouts. I'm ready to announce the pregnancy, so I'll feel comfortable telling the trainers that I'm pregnant. I want to take it easy for a while while I get back into it. (It's high-intensity interval training at Orange Theory.) And since the dr didn't give me any restrictions, I will just do as much or as little as my body can handle. I'm sure that won't be as much as I used to do, but I'm glad I can decide for myself based on how I feel.

Sporty1216

Yay, @carrieandroy! I bet tomorrow can't get here fast enough!

And, re: exercise, I'm mostly just a walker myself, but I just do what I feel up to. I do avoid ab work (whether you have to or not, I don't know), and I know in second tri and beyond, you want to avoid lying on your back because it can affect blood flow to your brain and to your uterus.

bgf1

Can you get any more guidance from your doctor. I had a full placenta previa with my first and was given a 10lbs. Lift restriction and put on pelvic rest. I still went to the gym and did cardio and even did free weight exercises until the day before my son was born with the OBs blessing. The general guidelines outside I've heard outside of that scenario are to avoid any exercise that causes you to Valsalva (so no heavy weights) to ensure you warm up and cool down well, and to stay hydrated. I think trx sounds great at long as you adjust your angles so that you aren't working too hard. I wonder if you doctor might give you any specific guidelines for heart rate is even a 1-10 scale of exertion rating you should aim for

lillebowski23

I haven't heard much about age and exercise, typically restrictions have to do with pre-existince chronic conditions or certain pregnancy issues that make one higher risk.
As a trainer, I always follow the "if it hurts, don't or modify." For example, I'm 16 weeks and recently found it difficult to pull my knees to my chest. Also some core exercises are uncomfortable now so I avoid those.
My next appt is 2/1 so I'll check in with my Dr. about some alternatives. Also I need to recheck some of my trainers manuals about prenatal exercise: all of my clients are over 75, so prenatal exercise is not my specialty!

mthoomom

The only thing I was told was that if I was short of breath, my baby was short of breath, too. No restrictions related to my age, but Dr's are different and have their own opinions about what's OK. I've done lots of walking this pregnancy, including walking uphill, and I think it's one of the biggest reasons why I don't feel completely miserable at 30 weeks (that and not eating too much Ben and Jerry's cookie dough ice cream). If I could start my pregnancy workouts all over again, I would definitely add squats and push ups and keep them up as long as I could throughout my pregnancy. Prenatal yoga is also a great Idea.