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Health & Exercise
Fallingstars129
member
Running or Walking with a Bump?
Fallingstars129
member
Hi all! I as running before pregnancy (Couch25K!) and I'm not an athlete by any means. I stopped running and started walking instead. Any advice for staying healthy/fit while walking with a bump? Did you run while pregnant? THANKS!
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Re: Running or Walking with a Bump?
I would continue doing what you're able to do, as long as it's comfortable for you to do it.
I know that sounds kind of vague, but really, it's a personal thing. Listen to your body and make adjustments as necessary. I ran before pregnancy and was able to keep it up throughout my entire pregnancy. I have friends that are runners who had to stop running at a certain point. It's different for everyone.
I went on 2 3+ mile walks the day before my induction at 41 weeks.
My pre-pregnancy walking pace was usually around 14-15 minutes a mile, and it was down to 18-19 minutes per mile. I'd go at dawn/dusk and just pace myself. I also ran before pregnancy but I had a spotting scare and a really stupid first doctor who spooked me from running. By the time I switched practices and got the green light to run from my new doctors the damage had been done and I couldn't get back into it. Instead I did the elliptical trainer at the gym 5 days a week with walks 4-5 days a week.
Exercise is REALLY important and a great thing to keep up while pregnant, but a healthy diet is even more important. I kept a food journal and ate healthfully while allowing myself indulgences here and there, focusing on adding in healthy things rather than giving into cravings (which I really didn't have many of). Staying satisfied eating lean proteins, heart healthy fats, and fresh fruits and vegetables and choosing the "right" carbs helped mitigate my weight gain.
I was crazy tired in my first trimester and didn't think I'd be able to keep running, not to mention the lower abdominal sensitivity I had made it more difficult, but I am days away from 30 weeks and I just went on a 5.25 mile run this morning and still felt good. My pace has definitely slowed, but it feels better than a fast walk for me. For whatever reason, speed walking gives me more cramping than a slow jog!
With that said, in my first trimester I gathered a lot of interval walking workouts from BTDT moms in an attempt to get a plan together for the rest of pregnancy in case I wouldn't be able to run. I haven't done it myself, but I know many BTDT moms who highly recommend doing hill interval walking workouts. You don't have to go super fast, but the goal is varying the incline and speed to bring your heart rate up a bit, then give it time to come back down, and complete intervals over a period of time you're comfortable with. I would recommend finding some stairs or a hilly loop you could walk to vary your incline if you don't have access to a treadmill. I also HIGHLY recommend working some light resistance training into your routine. I would recommend resistance training PP, too, and increasing slightly so you can improve lean body mass (you'll notice a difference--I promise!!). Best of luck on your workouts!
I usually use the talk test to make sure I'm not going crazy. Whenever I start to get down because of my slowed pace I tell myself it's LOs workout, not mine and she isn't very fast yet. Lame! I know, but I needed to help myself keep working out even if it was ungodly slow. Now I think of my runs as labor training. Some runs are better than others, but none of them are easy mentally or physically. Just like with labor, I am trying to keep strong through the struggle because I know I will be so satisfied with the end result.