Help! I miss cardio.
Hi ladies,
I worked out pretty aggressively pre-pregnancy (a combo of rowing, running, circuit training and ashtanga yoga 5-6 days a week) and was in great shape. I fully intended to keep it up as long as it was comfortable, but ended up having a really rough 1st trimester; I was sick all.the.time and was lucky when I made it to work!
So now (at 13 weeks) I'm starting to feel better, and want to start working out a bit harder again, but I keep being told to keep my HR below 140, not to run, and to take it easy. I'm finding it really frustrating.
What do you think? I swapped my super-intense yoga for pilates, quit rowing, and adjusted my gym workout. And I know my fitness levels deteriorated over the past couple months (although my abs are in great shape from all the throwing up!), but surely as long as I'm careful I can still run, right?
Thanks.
Re: Help! I miss cardio.
I've been told drink plenty of water, stop if you feel strange/pain/etc., and work out at a level that is comfortable and you can still talk at. This allows me to still work out at a fairly high level (but obviously not where I was pre-baby). I would encourage you to use a heart rate monitor, especially if you are like me and can work out at a fairly intense level and still feel good, breath normal and converse. I try to keep b/n 75-80% with bursts to 85% and have had no problems. The only thing I've stopped doing is the Jacob's Ladder as that really gets my heart rate up and is probably not comfortable to do pregnant. Currently I use the elliptical, stairclimber, treadmill and bike, spin, and continue my kettlebell training for about 60-90 min sessions 5x a week. On my off days and when I have time, I pop in a prenatal yoga video and walk the dogs. I am currently 18 weeks and am hoping to keep this up as long as I can!!!!
Just do what you can!!!!
You can definitely run- Don't worry about your heart rate, just take it easy and don't feel badly about walking if you're having a tough time. Any time you start running again after a break, it's a little more difficult and you have to take it easy, but don't let it get you down! Get in the running before the bladder pressure makes it difficult.
ps. If you are a person who wants a bump as soon as you can get one, you might want to stop the core activities (pilates). I didn't start showing until closer to 20 weeks because my abs were still tight from pre-pregnancy workouts.
Listen to your body and your mind. I worked out pretty aggressively pp and then just scaled it back a bit. I still hiked/kickboxing/jog through about 34 weeks when it just became too uncomfortable to do those things. (At that time I stuck to long walks and light weights.) You'll feel much better about yourself throughout your pregnancy if you continue to work out. It's good for you and your LO, just don't over do it.
GL!
I was put on PR from 6-10 weeks and started running again at 12 weeks. Just listen to your body. The HR thing is challenged all the time. If you can have a conversation while you're exercising with only a little or no difficulty, you're probably fine. The HR rule is so generic, it's a great guidline for some, and not so much for others. GL!
PS~I have had no problem laying on my back either...your body will tell you if it's not good for you specifically.