Safe exercises during pregnancy??

AmyW4225

I spoke with my doctor the other day about what kind of exercises are safe during pregnancy. She said that I can walk on the treadmill. I am not very satisfied with her answer. This is my third pregnancy, I am 13 weeks along. I was not active with my other 2 pregnancies and haven't been very active, yet, with this one due to morning(all day) sickness. I lost 38 pounds before I got pregnant, thanks to MFP! I was eating fairly healthy and getting plenty of exercise. I actually was starting to feel fit. I have been dealing with this nausea for 3 months, so that's about how long it's been since I have exercised. It's amazing how much easier/faster you can become jiggly than you can tone up. When I am over my morning sickness, I would like to get back to working out and tone my arms and legs. I know I won't be able to do as much as I did before I was pregnant, but I want to be as fit as possible. My question is, what kind of exercises are safe during pregnancy? When weight training, how much is it safe to lift? What is your routine? Thanks for any help. :flowerforyou:

hstallings13

swimming is excellent. I managed to do it through my of my first pregnancy, always made me feel better, plus it helped with swelling and even as my belly got big it was still easy cause it takes the weight off of you for a while

aquasw16

Safely, cardio wise i would say until late third trimester you can do what you did before you got pregnant (unless you are high risk)...weights wise, I wouldnt lift more than 25 lbs and during third trimester be even more careful.

SimplyDeLish

Sorry, but only your doctor can really advise you on this one. They know what's going on.

pipthegirl

Just had my baby, and I rode my bike up until about 6 months when my balance got all wonky. After that, I did a lot of walking -- 3 or 4 miles a day, if you can jump rope without falling over, that's a great one too, kept me in somewhat reasonable shape. There's also pregnancy yoga -- but I know once I hit 8 months it was hell trying to balance, and forget stretching -- even reaching for something on the top shelf was hell. Honestly, pretty much anything is okay as long as you don't risk trauma to your belly (no contact sports!) and you listen to your body. The rules about not lifting weights and blah blah blah are more because your body releases a hormone that relaxes your tendons and joints in preparation for birth, but it doesn't just work on your hips, it hits all of them, making you more likely to injure yourself.

Basic rule of thumb? Anything goes as long as there is no trauma, and you aren't so out of breath you can still hold a conversation. Listen to your body, and you'll be okay.

Edited to add: That's from my pre-med background, and advice from my professor, my doctor, and my pregnancy books (they all agreed -- how weird!)

emilymiesel

At my old gym I always saw a prego lady on the elliptical!

My sister stuck with chalean extreme (the weight lifting one) thru her pregnancy...she was curling 20lb dumbbells at 8mo!

I'm going to be trying once I get to my goal...I wanted to start in shape..anyway because I've had multiple miscarriages I'm not sure what I'll be allowed. I know there Are heartrate charts for what you shouldn't go over..remember you aren't supposed to raise your internal temp! I know if you have been working out 1+ years with say the elliptical, you can still when prego because it's not going to strain you.

Def best to ask your dr or get a 2nd opinion from another dr because they can evaluate u the best;)

AmyW4225

Thank you for your advice, Everyone. I was very sure it is safe to do more than just walk on a treadmill. I just wanted to see what everyone else did to stay fit during pregnancy. I am going to get back to lifting light weights and doing what I did before I was pregnant, as soon as I feel good enough. I just know not to push myself as hard as I did before. As for the doctor having the best advice, she's just one of those that doesn't have time for her patients and wants to rush you out of the room.