Working Out While PG

michelleaxo

No, I'm not pg yet, but I'm trying to decide if I should sign up for the next bootcamp session or not. Since I'm not pg yet, I feel silly asking my ob about this, so I'm asking you guys

Is it safe/practical to work out in 100+ degree weather while in your first tri? I have been doing it for a year and a half, so my body is used to it, but I just wondered if it would unsafe since I do get overheated quite often. Also are there any exercises that would be unsafe?

brideonjuly8

I don't think it's safe to do that anytime, so my vote would be no.  But, I felt like ass both 1st tris and could hardly go grocery shopping without feeling like I was going to collapse.   

Jess.O

It may be different if you're used to it, but I think you're supposed to avoid getting overheated.  I know that even if I'm just outside too long (which I can usually stand) I start to get kind of dizzy.  I'd say that if it were indoors you'd be safe but I probably wouldn't do it in the heat.

rssnlvr

I guess it depends on how long you have to sign up for. If you're paying for 3 months or more, I probably wouldn't. If you're only paying for 1-2 months at a time, I would sign up. Then, in case I did get pg, I'd be so happy about that that I wouldn't care about having to eat the fee for a bootcamp I wasn't going to use.

I took both of my pregnancies OFF of hard core working out. My body was doing something hard enough. I enjoyed my 9 months of walking as exercise. There's always time afterward to get back into the hard core stuff.

michelleaxo

brideonjuly8:

I don't think it's safe to do that anytime, so my vote would be no.  But, I felt like ass both 1st tris and could hardly go grocery shopping without feeling like I was going to collapse.   

True dat. I forgot about the extreme exhaustion I had with G. Blah.

But, I'm going to go ahead and assume that I will skip right along with #2 with tons of energy, no throwing up and zero weight gain.

L L CG

I think no boot camp while pg.  Go swim.  Or meet me after work at the lake and we can walk together.  

ec3under4

My sister ran a marathon when she was 5 months pregnant. Not that I'm saying I would recommend that or even agree with it but she did it and her OB approved it. That being said, she had a perfect pregnancy and had no other complications and she was super active before(that was her first full marathon though but she had been training for a while before getting pg). I think the biggest thing would to make sure that you are increasing your calorie intact and drinking A LOT of water. I would also make sure that if you are going to work out outside, to make sure and do it in the early morning or late evening when the heat has died down a bit and you aren't in direct sun. 

Mrs.Froggianna

I had a similar dilemma a month before we started TTC.  I'd been working out with a particular class at an advanced level for awhile and I had to decide whether or not to sign up for another round.  The instructor/trainer (who had 2 kids of her own and could speak from experience) advised me not to do it.  First, your body could probably use a little break before becoming PG.  Second, you are sooooo not gonna feel like working out at that intensity during your first tri.  Even if you don't get m/s, you're probably going to be exhausted. 

We got lucky and got PG on the first month of trying and I am so, so, so glad I didn't waste money on that class.  I haven't even been able to drag myself to the gym and walk on the treadmill, let alone workout like I had been.

michelleaxo

L L CG:

I think no boot camp while pg.  Go swim.  Or meet me after work at the lake and we can walk together.  

Oooo, I might take ya up on that one!

Chicklit

ec3under4:

My sister ran a marathon when she was 5 months pregnant. Not that I'm saying I would recommend that or even agree with it but she did it and her OB approved it. That being said, she had a perfect pregnancy and had no other complications and she was super active before(that was her first full marathon though but she had been training for a while before getting pg). I think the biggest thing would to make sure that you are increasing your calorie intact and drinking A LOT of water. I would also make sure that if you are going to work out outside, to make sure and do it in the early morning or late evening when the heat has died down a bit and you aren't in direct sun. 

This sounds like good advice to me. There are a number of women on the Nest Health & Fitness board that have run marathons, tris, etc while pregnant. From what I've gleamed over there, if your body is used to it, you're usually in the clear to continue your normal routine with caution. I'd definitely take it down a little just because of the heat, but for a bootcamp class, you could probably work within your ability and quit when it got to be too much.

 

smb29

I was working with a trainer before I had M, and had a session before I knew I was pg.  I thought I was going.to.die. after that session, and wondered what was wrong.  I tried to go back to the gym but my body puts all its energy into baby making and working out while pg makes my blood pressure rise and I just feel crappy overall.  So, if you are trying soon, I wouldn't sign up unless its just for a month or two.

SarahPLiz

I go to Camp Gladiator and didn't quit until I was 24 weeks, and only because I couldn't wake up that early anymore and work too late in the evenings. I had to modify a lot, and burpees made me queasy from about week 8 on, but I still loved going. I miss it a lot. 

I think you should sign up and go. But is there a morning session so its not so hot?

 

ETA: As for what is unsafe: Overheating, lying flat on your back after 1st tri, double leg lifts and jumping squats or lunges once your ligaments start to get all loosey goosey.  But there was still plenty I could do. There was another girl there who was a month more pregant than I, and she kept going to about 30 weeks. At that point all she was doing was upper body and walking, but she still went. I did pushups until it got discouraging because my belly would hit the ground before I got to the bottom. 

ssinca

I would say if you did do bootcamp, make sure you wear a heart rate monitor to monitor everything.

libbyann

There's nothing wrong with boot camp at all - you SHOULD keep doing weight resistance exercises while pregnant. But the triple digit temps would concern me a little bit...I probably would go ahead and sign up, but realize that if you're getting overheated, you may need to swap out the boot camp for an air conditioned gym strength workout.

amyliisa

I read this post yesterday but didn't get a chance to respond till now.  (and ETA:  holy cow, I'm sorry this turned out to be so long!)

I am still going to the same bootcamp class I've been going to for the past year.  However, my class is held indoors at the rec center during the extremely hot months.  I've spoken with my instructor (who taught the class pregnant last year up until her delivery), and my doctor and both encouraged me to work out at about 70% of my max, and just listen to my body and do what is comfortable. 

I only went 1-2 times during the early weeks - I was just too exhausted and not feeling up to par.  But around 10 weeks, I started going back, and because of my schedule I had to switch to her evening class, which is only 2 days a week (before pg, I was going 3-4 days a week in the mornings).  I will walk when the rest of the class is running, use a smaller weight (5-8lbs instead of 10-12) or bands for resistance training, and I opt for the low-impact version of cardio exercises.  I'm planning (hoping) to stick with it as long as I can, because it's a huge motivator for me to participate in the class - if I don't go to class, it's rare that I push myself to work out that hard, if at all, on my own.

You mainly want to avoid getting overheated and your heart rate up too high for too long.  I wear a Polar heart rate monitor while I work out, and while my hr will still get up into the 170-180 range, as soon as it does, I back off and let it come down.  My monitor tells me my average hr for the entire workout session, and as long as the avg is around 140-150, I'm good with that.  That said, I personally would not be able to handle bootcamp outside in this heat - but I say that whether I'm pg or not, so take it with a grain of salt! 

Anyway, like others said, if I were in your place, I would sign up for 1-2 months, at a time.  My class renews monthly, and since we had been trying for so long to get pg, I just kept renewing every month for something else to do besides obsess over TTC.  It turned out that when I did get pg, I went to 1-2 classes in the remainder of that month, then did not pay for the next month because I knew I wouldnl't go, plus we were going out of town for a week, etc.  then I started up again around 10wks.

JARS2010

I worked out my entire pregnancy. I lifted weights, ran, etc. Now that that's been said  during the summer months I had to switch my workout time to the am class.... 100+ degrees is too hot for you and the baby.  Keep up the hard work I think that working out the entire pregnancy made it that much easier to deliver!!! Good Luck!

michelleaxo

Ya, my bootcamp is downtown at 5:15 p.m. and we face the sun. It is brutal during the summer months when I'm not pg. I can pay monthly, so maybe I will just sign up and keep going until I do get pg, then stop going after I get my BFP and start working out in the AC. Thanks gals!