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Prenatal Swimming...

KarmalifeKarmalife member
in Health & Exercise

Hi folks.

Just wanted to get an idea of how many of you Moms-to-be swim regularly. I have been a an avid gym goer since college and have always focused on cardio and strength training. Due to a knee injury, it's been very hard to do any cardio except for the spinning bike and I'm feeling the urge to start swimming since even the bike tends to hurt my rear (that seat is HARD!!).

How often do you swim and for how long? Do you find you can swim as much as you did pre-pregnancy? My workouts are definitely not quite as long as they used to be, but it many be due to the fact that I am sleeping in much more these days Wink

How about goggles...can you recommend a good brand/model for indoor swimming?

Also, do you wear a swimcap?

I know it's a lot of questions and I appreciate the feedback!

Smile 

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Re: Prenatal Swimming...

  • sarabostonsaraboston
    I swam a few times a week during the summer when I was pregnant. There's a perfect swimming hole near us that's about a one mile swim if you go across and back, which is what we'd usually do. I was definitely slower than I had been in years past, but I still really enjoyed it and got a good work out. I think I have speedo brand goggles, I went to REI or Dicks and just tried on a bunch until I found a pair I liked. No swim cap--personally, I don't like the way they feel and it's not like I'm racing.
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  • TeacherVickyTeacherVicky member

    I am going to answer thinking that you are not a regular swimmer as it's not mentioned in your post...

    First off, a swimcap is a must. Even if you tie your hair up, the little hairs get out and get in your face. Get a silicone one (around 10$) instead of a latex one. They don't pull your hair out.

    Get a pair of Speedo or Nike goggles. Make sure they provide a tight seal and have an adjustable nose piece. A rubber seal around the eyes is the best. Also, you want two straps (or a strap that splits into two parts) for the back of your head.

    As for the swimming part, do as much as you feel comfortable doing. Assuming you are not a regular swimmer, you will probably find it more comfortable to stick to breaststroke as freestyle forces a lot of twisting (but if you are not far along in your pg, the twisting shouldn't bother you). However, breaststroke may bother your knee. Try it out and see what works. You may enjoy just grabbing a kickboard and doing a few laps of flutter kicking too.

    I don't swim as much as I used to. Time wise, yes, but definitely not the same distance in that time frame.

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  • dukestar5dukestar5 member

    I'm a long distance runner and I've been trying to keep up with running several days a week while pregnant.  However, I'm definitely not running as much or as long.  A friend of mine and I decided to take a water aerobics class this summer.  We do it 3-4 times a week for an hour and it's nice to change up the exercise routine.  Perhaps you could find one in your area to try.  Ours is only $35 for two months (and they offer it 4 days a week), so it's a really good deal!

    I do occasionally swim laps.  I recommend Speedo goggles.  I don't wear a swim cap when I go, but that's because I swim more for fun! 

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  • KarmalifeKarmalife member
    imageTeacherVicky:

    I am going to answer thinking that you are not a regular swimmer as it's not mentioned in your post...

    First off, a swimcap is a must. Even if you tie your hair up, the little hairs get out and get in your face. Get a silicone one (around 10$) instead of a latex one. They don't pull your hair out.

    Get a pair of Speedo or Nike goggles. Make sure they provide a tight seal and have an adjustable nose piece. A rubber seal around the eyes is the best. Also, you want two straps (or a strap that splits into two parts) for the back of your head.

    As for the swimming part, do as much as you feel comfortable doing. Assuming you are not a regular swimmer, you will probably find it more comfortable to stick to breaststroke as freestyle forces a lot of twisting (but if you are not far along in your pg, the twisting shouldn't bother you). However, breaststroke may bother your knee. Try it out and see what works. You may enjoy just grabbing a kickboard and doing a few laps of flutter kicking too.

    I don't swim as much as I used to. Time wise, yes, but definitely not the same distance in that time frame.

     

    Thank you so much for the great, detailed advice!

    I know breaststroke is usually my go-to (when swimming leisurely) but I didn't think about how it might hurt my knee. I will hopefully go swimming this week and find out. Thanks again..

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  • KarmalifeKarmalife member
    imagedukestar5:

    I'm a long distance runner and I've been trying to keep up with running several days a week while pregnant.  However, I'm definitely not running as much or as long.  A friend of mine and I decided to take a water aerobics class this summer.  We do it 3-4 times a week for an hour and it's nice to change up the exercise routine.  Perhaps you could find one in your area to try.  Ours is only $35 for two months (and they offer it 4 days a week), so it's a really good deal!

    I do occasionally swim laps.  I recommend Speedo goggles.  I don't wear a swim cap when I go, but that's because I swim more for fun! 

    I think my gym offers those classes but they start at 7:30 in the morning- yikes! The earliest I ever get to the gym in 9:00.

    I am considering the swim cap because I don't want the chlorine to damage my hair and I hate the thought of having to wash my hair every single time I workout!

    Thanks so much for the advice :)

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  • jlm245jlm245 member

    I swim twice a week now.  I find that I am a little slower than I was pre-pregnancy... but it is a lot less than how much I notice in my other exercises.  I typically swim about 2,500 meters each time.  That would be a lot for someone who isn't a swimmer though.  I still do all the strokes (free, back, breast, fly) along with kicking.  I notice that breaststroke kicking feels great lately.  It helps open up my hips.

    I would shoot for a time rather than a set distance until you have an idea of what your comfort level is.

    I wear a swim cap.  I like the silcone ones.  I would recommend using a basic Speedo or TYR goggle.  (For example, the Speedo Sprint.) 

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  • ras26ras26 member

    I'm a little late the game, but I support those who recommend speedo goggles and a silicone swim cap.  I wear the cap because otherwise I breathe in all my little wispy hairs around my face.  I'm currently about 10-15 seconds per 100yds slower than I was before pg, but I took some time off from November to May, so that could contribute.  I do find it a little harder to breathe, so sometimes it's more comfortable to do sets of like 500-1000yds as opposed to the really long straight swims I did before. My husband did note that the roll on my freestyle seems a little funky now, so maybe I'm doing some sort of accomodation for my growing stomach.

    PS, I'm not really a swimmer, I just learned to go long in order to do an Ironman (2.4 mile swim), so maybe good swimmers see less of a performance drop.   Good luck!!

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