Fit Friday! 1/5

llamamama14 · January 2018

How are you staying active in this cold, ladies?

llamamama14 · January 2018

I'm back in a gym class routine. Over the holidays I took lots of hikes despite the cold. (My in laws have a mountain cabin.) I'm pretty slow/weak/low energy still but I can feel sore muscles which makes me feel accomplished/motivated to keep at it.

LaceyBee522 · January 2018

@llamamama14 Thanks for reviving this thread! I hadn't seen it in a few weeks. I hope you're enjoying the mountain cabin! That sounds fun and gorgeous!

I'm still training twice per week with my trainer (plus some strength classes on my own). Primarily strength training with HIIT breaks. She has started having me do some really functional exercises - like getting up from the ground holding two 12 pound weights or doing squats with big weights in my arms. She says she's getting me ready to lug the twins around. Lol!

I have seriously fallen off the wagon with my spin classes. I need to get back into it. I think I've gotten MH convinced to get me a Peloton bike after I give birth, so I don't want to be out of practice.

ramblebee · January 2018

I have a goal of trying to do at least 3 days/wk at OrangeTheory. I was only able to do 1 this week because I picked up a cold and I can't breathe. Fingers crossed next week is my week!

Edit autocorrect.

doxiemoxie212 · January 2018

I took two Pilates reformer style classes in CA. I’m hoping to do more of those here in NY. My equinox membership starts back up on 15th (we put it on hold for while we were in ca). So I’ll need to do more spin classes etc there before I cancel for the long haul.

llamamama14 · January 2018

@laceybee @doxiemoxie212 Spin is a good cardio exercise as pregnancy progresses because it's basically zero impact. Bladder control/constant urge to pee became an issue for me with running and elliptical but stationary bikes were always fine.

pupsicle23 · January 2018

I really wish we had a gym closer to our house (we moved to a newer development this year and are way out there). I’ve been walking and doing yoga videos, but I need to step it up a lot. I think classes are so much more motivating!

@ramblebee I feel like I’ve heard a lot of people talk about orangetheory lately!

ramblebee · January 2018

@pupsicle23 I do enjoy it! Mainly because I can go and just do the workout without thinking much!

pupsicle23 · January 2018

Any mommas here do yoga? I like doing videos, but I’m having trouble knowing what to avoid. Like, I know no deep twists or going upside down, but are planks cool?

LaceyBee522 · January 2018

@pupsicle23 I don’t do yoga, but I do planks regularly. My personal trainer and my OB said it was fine. Of course, you should check with your doc if you have concerns.

FWIW I’m doing bear planks the most bc they’re supposed to help strengthen my pelvic floor.

doxiemoxie212 · January 2018

@pupsicle23 I’ve been told by my doctors to avoid yoga while pregnant because I’m hyper flexible and do not need any more flexibility, especially with all the pregnancy relaxin. Instead they recommend Pilates for strength and stability. (Obv it you need to work on flexibility, though, then yoga is great)

llamamama14 · January 2018

@pupsicle23 +1 to planks. I did them 'til the end of my 1st pregnancy. I think the only reason to avoid would be if you have diastasis recti.

Maybe there are good prenatal yoga videos out there on YouTube/DVD (Maybe Netflix/Prime, not sure.)

ffw0617 · January 2018

@pupsicle23 planks are fine. Coning and crunching should be avoided. I’m not a doctor but I am a certified pole instructor. I do yoga mostly videos at home now. The pregnancy yoga videos are very low impact I can see them being more useful the last couple months of pregnancy when that’s about all you can do. You can do regular yoga (obviously avoid coning and crunching) nothing upside down, no flat back laying, also widen your stance to accommodate your bump and new center of balance (don’t push into it trying to do what you taught is proper form).

As for for me I finally hiked for the first time since my BFP. We have a 4 mile trail less than a mile from our subdivision. TW My friend who had a loss early last year and I would hike a couple times a week during her pregnancy. End TW I finally did it alone today all 4 miles. I had to stop for a pee break and sit a little towards the end but I made it. Weather was perfect. I hope to do it again tomorrow. Otherwise this week I did yoga twice and step aerobics once.

llamamama14 · January 2018

@ffw0617 I recently asked an instructor at my gym about pregnancy modifications and she said she did crunches through the third trimester on an incline. After I saw your post I did some web searches and there is a lot of conflicting advice out there on whether crunches on an incline are safe/ increase risk of developing diastasis recti. I even saw some articles warning that planks could increase the risk of diastasis recti. (This surprised me.)

It seems not all trainers agree on how to exercise safely to avoid exacerbating ab separation. This SELF article was the best summary I found explaining the concern and the controversy.

While most women will experience some degree of ab separation during pregnancy, some experts say modifying the way you exercise can help decrease the severity of your case. One study, for example, found that pregnant women who performed heavy lifting 20 times or more every week were more likely to experience ab separation than those who didn't (the study didn't define what researchers considered "heavy lifting"). Many trainers and physical therapists also recommend avoiding “conventional” ab exercises that may overwork the rectus abdominus abs—like crunches—in order to limit the amount of ab separation you experience during pregnancy.

The risks of crunches during pregnancy is still up for debate, however.

It’s important to note that what works for some women may not be the best for you; in fact, while there’s a fervent “no-crunches” camp, how to prevent or reduce diastasis recti is still up for debate. One study, for example, found that doing crunches in the late third trimester up to 14 weeks postpartum could actually be beneficial for narrowing the separation gap. "The reason crunches helped reduce [ab separation] may be related to the fact that [the move] is very specific for the rectus abdominis," challenging those muscles more effectively than other ab exercises, explains study author Patrícia Mota, Ph.D., to SELF. And a recent review of studies on diastasis recti found that there’s currently not enough evidence to make a case for one method of exercise over another to prevent diastasis recti, although the authors did find that general exercise after pregnancy was beneficial for reducing any ab separation.

ffw0617 · January 2018

@Llamamama we're not even suppose to sit up straight to get out of bed, hard to believe full on crunches would be okay. I know a body builder who just delivered a healthy baby girl and posted videos of her doing hard core workouts (including crunches) on her IG. Like I said, I'm no doctor, just a pole fitness instructor. I'm not even teaching right now (as much as I love it and will miss ALL the extra money that comes with teach pole around Valentine's Day) out of the obligation to spot heavy humans and the probability of getting kicked in the stomach. I'm no team safe than sorry. That's just me though, like I said I know someone who still lifts heavy and does crunches all the time during pg.

ffw0617 · January 2018

I'm on team better safe than sorry*

llamamama14 · January 2018

@ffw0617 That's valid. I'm not sure how I'll approach abs as this pregnancy progresses. I'll definitely be cautious with ab work but probably won't avoid it altogether. I may keep researching for some moves to do in lieu of the ab workouts at the end of Bodypump/Power classes. I did planks and bird dogs with a trainer in my first pregnancy and never felt overly strained. I also think it helped with labor and recovery. I didn't attempt crunches then and it wasn't something my trainer suggested (though I don't remember her explicitly warning against them.)

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Fit Friday! 1/5

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The risks of crunches during pregnancy is still up for debate, however.

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