Crossfit, Paleo and TTC

JILLKEITH

Hi all,

I am looking for others who are in the same boat as me - I am curious about how you are scaling. I had a MC and all those who dont crossfit blame crossfit - dr. says intense exercise okay- but i do not htink he understands what i mean when i say intense.

Maybe we can share wod scalings?

I realized I do need to eat more...

Today I scaled back from 85 sdhp to 55 lbs. and broke them into sets of 5 instead of unbroken. I broke up the wall balls and then broke up the c2b pullups - the idea of the breaking up is to keep my heart rate down.

 I had a MC in October - i think i didnt scale enough because i would have cramping during wod - that could be due to blood being pulled from the uterus to the muscles being used at max?

Thoughts? I need a community of people who know exactly where i am coming from. The acupuncturist said to stop completely and nourish the body.

I never thought i would ever have such problems eating MORE and working out LESS - until i found my beast in crossfit.

linnae939

my trainer is certified in maternal exercise (i forget the official title) and I asked her a bunch of questions about this. She said that you shouldn't up your exersice while pregnant, but what your body is used to can be maintained...as long as:

 you can talk during your workout (to make sure baby gets enough oxygen)

you aren't physically exhausted (to that point where muscles shake just picking up your purse, i don't mean sleepy...although my trainer said she wouldn't blame me if i ditched her to nap. haha)

you aren't doing anything that would cause you to have violent impact on the abdomen (hits or falls, so no gymnastics or boxing etc)

you aren't too hot (don't want to raise body temp too much)

no scuba diving (sad for me)

and lastly, no heavy intense abdomen workouts in 2nd and 3rd trimester (ask trainer and dr. for specifics)

I'm so sorry about your miscarriage, many people have them with our without crossfit, it isn't your fault. excersize is essential to a healthy pregnancy, and most of all listen to your body. I hope this helps.

this is info i got from my personal trainer and my dr., I would ask my own for my personal situation if i were you. good luck

VPGIRL06

You need to do what your body tells you to do to do. I don't believe you had a MC due to Crossfit; but I'm not a doctor so I don't know. I once had a woman tell me she had a MC lifting ten pounds above her heador so her doctor told her and seeing as I'm 39 weeks pregnant and split jerked 65 lbs 30x today...I'm skeptical

As far as scaling your going to find some guidelines that will work well for you and some that wont. Crossfitmom.com had wonderful scaling options but remember all of our bodies and pregnancies are unique and some scaling options may not be applicable. Here is how my scaling has gone..

First tri
Focused on not over heating. Really important in first tri and early 2nd to a avoid possible neural tube defects.
Focused on just making it in, despite being tired and sometimes nauseated.
Starter splitting up movements to keep heart rate down and body heat down
no weight or movement scaling at this point. In fact I learned how to do kipping pull ups while pregnant and did my first girl WOD with pull ups RXD nicole

Second tri
when the belly started popping out, I did pushups and burpees on parallette
Bars
toes to bars became knees to elbow
stopped looking at the clock!
WODs with alot of double unders got scaled
still no weight scaling!

Third tri
stopped doing snatches and did KB snatches
lowered weights on cleans
I PR'd on deadlift, front squat, press and push press this tri!
around 36 weeks was my last WOD with pull ups. Kipping was too much on my belly
last week 38 weeks I realized running longer than 200 m was out
37 weeks I either did box jumps on the tires or on a 12 inch box
this week I've really started slowing down and lowering weights beyond what I normally do because I did the WOD Kelly last week and was hurting pretty bad

I kept box jumps an hand stands until late third triwhich is normally against what the norm states but neither of these movements provided any dangers for me. I kept my weights heavy and PR'd on them in third trimester. I still squat below parallel and for short 35 min WODs I still go hard.

spainy17

I don't do the same type of exercise that you do but when I was pregnant I was training for an obstacles race and working out pretty hard core. I started having bleeding and talked to my doc who told me to stop everything got a week and add exercise back in to see if it made a difference. It completely did and if I overdid it it showed. I eventually scaled way back and found what worked for my body and I am pretty sure that it saved my pregnancy. I to was used to being very active and still worked out my whole pregnancy but my daughter was way worth the lesser workouts. Just listen to your body and know that the lighter stuff id only temporary and you could be back kicking butt on no time :

JILLKEITH

Thank you! Exactly the info I needed in the same language:)  I did Grace today at rx weight - but not for time - did it for technique in 8:02 and didnt let my heartrate up too much. I am 38 and having difficulty - so a little scaling now - after my last experience - although tough, especially with the open starting and not signing up, is tough.

I am continuing with Paleo - although not strict - I dont do refined sugar or processed foods. And I am eating more.

Congrats on yoru PRs - it is amazing that you did that. I cannot wait:)

JILLKEITH

Thanks Ladies:) I feel better about what I am doing... I hated when people said to stop everything - seemed a little drastic... will listen to my body more closely this time and make sure I am eating more... when my eaiting is on track - with fats and protiens, I am not always hungry and I need to make myself eat more.

BeachBabe22

www.crossfitmom.com

 You can definitely work out while pregnant it just needs to be scaled back.  Good luck! 

MAB27

Thank you for all this information. I asked my doctor about exercise crossfit specifically at my recent 1st appointment and she had no idea what it was so trying to get a real answer from her was tough.

eshanks122

Lucky to say the my OB is a Crossfitter at the Box I coach in. Listen to your body. your baby needs oxygen and blood, so don't overexert yourself to the point where you are hogging it all. 

 I hear your frustration on the scaling, especially because I am not sharing yet and am the coach, and all of a sudden I WOD less and my times are going down. Ooooh well everyone will put the pieces together soon enough.

For those of your signed up for the Opens (I am) good luck, and listen to your body!  

amdietrich

I loved the Cross Fit Mom blog during my pregnancy. I worked out at a box pre pregnancy and then my dr told me to scale back once I became pregnant. I did the Crossfit Mom wods 3x a week in our home gym and really liked them.

VicinoSeven

Lucky for me, my OB GYN crossfits herself so she knows exactly what we do. You did NOT have a MC bc of crossfit. I had 2 MC myself. It's just your body's way of saying something was wrong with your baby and it got rid of it. I've been CFing for almost 5 years so scaling is very hard for me too. So what do I do? I go ahead scale them and so my wods facing a wall. Watching everyone else tempts me to race them. Not good

BShreeve

VicinoSeven said:

Lucky for me, my OB GYN crossfits herself so she knows exactly what we do.

Wow, how nice would that be? Though many trainers at my gym are moms so that helps.

I've had to modify several core exercises (no more sit ups, flutter kicks, deck squats, etc), I do half ass burpees and I just go a whole lot slower than I used to. Fortunately trainers will come shoot the breeze and talk to me during WODs so I don't get out of breath. I don't even pay attention to the time anymore, which used to drive me crazy but it's also kinda nice.

I appreciate all the comments on this thread. CF has made me a healthier, happier me and that has only remained true while prego. Good luck to you all ladies and lets use this board to keep each other motivated.

cookingardener

I highly doubt you had a miscarriage due to cross fitting. Unfortunately if you're 38 you're at higher risk just due to age. Regardless if you workout hard.

I had a hard time figuring out scaling too. And ended up with a couple strained muscles because of it. Of course the first one was before I even knew I was pregnant. My dr was more concerned about the weightlifting than the cardio. He said to just do what felt good for cardio. But for lifting we had a "discussion" about what was too much. I ended up trying to stick to about 70-80% of the weight I would normally choose for a wod. That worked pretty well until my recovery time got to the point that I didn't see the workouts as more beneficial than detrimental (the beginning of my 3rd tri).

speechie517

How has everyone stayed on track with Paleo eating during first trimester MS? I feel crummy and crackers and oats help for a while (veggies and meat gross me out right now), but have me blocked up, which was the reason I eliminated them in the past.

Amandagar

Hello everyone, my name is Amanda and Im new to thebump... well to forums in general, this is the first post Ive ever written anywhere... welcome to 2013 right?  That's me stuck in the stone age ha!  Well Im 32 and recently had my first baby who is now a month old... things have a been a little hectic lately so I haven't had a chance to do much of anything until now. Anyway I thought I would reach out to ladies who have gone through, are going through or who will be going through what I have.  Pregnancy, birth and caring for a newborn have been some of the best things in my life so far but also some of the most challenging.  I was reading this thread in particular because I love exercise and became really involved in crossfit about 2years before pregnancy, competing and in the best shape of my life... well that has now completely changed and Im in the worst shape ever... cant even do a situp. ha! but its all worth it!!!  Im wondering when it may be okay to get back into crossfit after a C-section.  My doctor says I should just be walking but like JILLKEITH says Im not sure my doc truly understands the intensity of crossfit workouts and how much I was doing before and during pregnancy.  I was still crossfitting until DD.  Anyway, Im super anxious to get myself back and any advice to get back in the box would be awesome.  thank you so much

Lindsaym5!

speechie517 said:

How has everyone stayed on track with Paleo eating during first trimester MS? I feel crummy and crackers and oats help for a while (veggies and meat gross me out right now), but have me blocked up, which was the reason I eliminated them in the past.

I had the same problem. I had horrible morning sickness and all I wanted to eat was carbs and things I never eat normally. I say give yourself a break because I kind of beat myself up over it but it did eventually go away. Later in my pregnancy I read that eating plain rice was not too bad. Something about it being easy on your stomach but still gluten free at least. It also recommended bone broth. I found this site somewhat helpful.

paleopregnancyguide.com/ppg/

Hope this helps. Hang in there it gets better!

Lindsaym5!

Amandagar said:

Hello everyone, my name is Amanda and Im new to thebump... well to forums in general, this is the first post Ive ever written anywhere... welcome to 2013 right?  That's me stuck in the stone age ha!  Well Im 32 and recently had my first baby who is now a month old... things have a been a little hectic lately so I haven't had a chance to do much of anything until now. Anyway I thought I would reach out to ladies who have gone through, are going through or who will be going through what I have.  Pregnancy, birth and caring for a newborn have been some of the best things in my life so far but also some of the most challenging.  I was reading this thread in particular because I love exercise and became really involved in crossfit about 2years before pregnancy, competing and in the best shape of my life... well that has now completely changed and Im in the worst shape ever... cant even do a situp. ha! but its all worth it!!!  Im wondering when it may be okay to get back into crossfit after a C-section.  My doctor says I should just be walking but like JILLKEITH says Im not sure my doc truly understands the intensity of crossfit workouts and how much I was doing before and during pregnancy.  I was still crossfitting until DD.  Anyway, Im super anxious to get myself back
and any advice to get back in the box would be awesome.  thank you so much

I'm interested to see if anyone has any advice on this also. I stopped cross fitting a week ago. I'm 2 days overdue and already wondering about when I'll be able to go back to CrossFit.

VPGIRL06

Amandagar said:

Hello everyone, my name is Amanda and Im new to thebump... well to forums in general, this is the first post Ive ever written anywhere... welcome to 2013 right?  That's me stuck in the stone age ha!  Well Im 32 and recently had my first baby who is now a month old... things have a been a little hectic lately so I haven't had a chance to do much of anything until now. Anyway I thought I would reach out to ladies who have gone through, are going through or who will be going through what I have.  Pregnancy, birth and caring for a newborn have been some of the best things in my life so far but also some of the most challenging.  I was reading this thread in particular because I love exercise and became really involved in crossfit about 2years before pregnancy, competing and in the best shape of my life... well that has now completely changed and Im in the worst shape ever... cant even do a situp. ha! but its all worth it!!!  Im wondering when it may be okay to get back into crossfit after a C-section.  My doctor says I should just be walking but like JILLKEITH says Im not sure my doc truly understands the intensity of crossfit workouts and how much I was doing before and during pregnancy.  I was still crossfitting until DD.  Anyway, Im super anxious to get myself back and any advice to get back in the box would be awesome.  thank you so much

Hi Amanda! Welcome to the Bump

So, I too had a Csection. my last crossfit workout while pregnant was at 40w4d-I stopped because I wasn't sure if maybe all my exercise was keeping that kid IN instead of getting her out LOL! I ended up going into labor 6 days later.

I went back to Crossfit at exactly 6w1d post partum-the day after my doctor gave me the OK to go back into exercise. He is very pro exercise and I healed up pretty nicely. However, at around 4 weeks PP I started doing some body weight workouts (he told me at a month I could start gradually doing some body weight and upping my walking intensity, since I was walking  4-5 miles a day since 2 weeks PP) so that I wouldn't be completely dead. So 3x for the next two weeks I did some sit ups, some body weight squats, pushups, banded strict pull ups, and practiced different aspects of the Oly lifts (the 1st and 2nd pulls, OHS, Front squats, PC, etc) with either a broomstick or an empty bar.

I'm not going to lie-the workout back was hard. My kip was all over the place for awhile, my endurance was SHOT (I hadn't redlined in so long that I was taking more breaks than normal), I was sore for days after.....it's hard. It's very humbling, especially when everyone was making such a big deal about how I crossfitted my entire pregnancy. However, one of my coaches told me I should take this recovery time to relearn my technique for my lifts, work on mobility, etc.

At 6 months PP, I feel like I've finally progressed beyond where I was. It took 3-4 months to get to where I felt like I had my pre preg endurance AND strength gained through pregnancy, and at 6 months now I've improved on a lot and have set PR's.  Just be vocal with your coaches, talk about your recovery (I had to explain a lot to these guys!) and keep trucking! 

BShreeve

How do you know if you've passed neural tube defects onto your baby? Sort of a paranoid question but I know in the first tri I probably overheated at times. Is this what the first tri tests look for? I've had a very healthy pregnancy so far (as far as I can tell) and have felt awesome. I assume these are all good indicators?? My midwife is also aware that I CF but I do sometimes let the hype and paranoia get to me.

On a related note, I was noticeably winded during my last WOD. I'm 23 weeks along and my lungs just can't seem to fill up with as much air! Wondering if that timing seems familiar to you ladies? Needless to say my hubby was very concerned to see me leaning over and gasping, but I took my time getting my breath back to normal before going again.

JLMcWeeney

I did crossfit for a year before getting pregnant, but my dr recommended that I stop doing it. I had several complications though. Early spotting, baby was fine, and I went into pre term labor at 30 weeks. I'm not the best candidate for normal working out while pregnant.
However, my trainer delivered may of this year and she did a WOD the day she delivered. She was just sure to modify the moves as she got further along, and she didn't push too crazy hard. I think it depends on what you are comfortable with.
I'd you aren't comfortable, you will be nervous and increase your risk for injury. I you feel 100 percent about it, then go for it. Every pregnancy is different, and what works for one doesn't always work for another.

JLMcWeeney

Lindsaym5! said:

Amandagar said:

Hello everyone, my name is Amanda and Im new to thebump... well to forums in general, this is the first post Ive ever written anywhere... welcome to 2013 right?  That's me stuck in the stone age ha!  Well Im 32 and recently had my first baby who is now a month old... things have a been a little hectic lately so I haven't had a chance to do much of anything until now. Anyway I thought I would reach out to ladies who have gone through, are going through or who will be going through what I have.  Pregnancy, birth and caring for a newborn have been some of the best things in my life so far but also some of the most challenging.  I was reading this thread in particular because I love exercise and became really involved in crossfit about 2years before pregnancy, competing and in the best shape of my life... well that has now completely changed and Im in the worst shape ever... cant even do a situp. ha! but its all worth it!!!  Im wondering when it may be okay to get back into crossfit after a C-section.  My doctor says I should just be walking but like JILLKEITH says Im not sure my doc truly understands the intensity of crossfit workouts and how much I was doing before and during pregnancy.  I was still crossfitting until DD.  Anyway, Im super anxious to get myself back
and any advice to get back in the box would be awesome.  thank you so much

I'm interested to see if anyone has any advice on this also. I stopped cross fitting a week ago. I'm 2 days overdue and already wondering about when I'll
be able to go back to CrossFit.

I'm waiting until I am 6 weeks pp to start up again, but I was on bed rest in my last trimester so I don't think my muscles are ready for crossfit yet. I am running 3 miles a day though. I thinking you were able to stay active during pregnancy, and you feel healed and ok with moving around, then going back to crossfit should be no big deal.

hollyfp

I don't CF but I teach some intense group fitness classes and eat paleo (well before PG).  In the same boat as speechie above regarding paleo - I cannot stomach meat or veggies right now!  Grilled cheese, mac and cheese...Husband is like "who are you!".  Hopefully back to normal soon... ?

crossfitkiwi

I've been struggling to stay paleo in my first tri. I can get meat and veggies down but am craving oats, crackers, mac & cheese like you would not believe! If I eat starches I try to make them 'safe starches' e.g. potato, white rice, quinoa, tapioca. Roasted root veggies and hot sauce have been my savior lately. I also eat greek yoghurt as I tolerate it well and helps with getting enough protein.

I also totally recommended buying a copy of Primal Girl's Magical Multipurpose Paleo & Primal Dough: https://www.e-junkie.com/252961/product/489265.php we have tried making crackers and rolls and both turned out great. Now to try the pizza