Dr: Walker:Pregnant and exercising

So of course you probably know that you should exercise and that I am a fan of exercise as a family practice Chiropractor.  But something you may not know is that it is still important to be pregnant and exercising.  Here are my reason’s why:

1.     Help maintain a health weight:  women need to gain around 25-35lbs during 9 months with exceptions.

2.     Make Labor easier:   No labor is easy but labor is like running a ultra-marathon as far as energy expended so being fit can help.

3.     Banish prenatal mood disorders: Otherwise know as the baby blues or mood swings some woman have, your partner will be glad you exercise.

4.     Reduce number of backaches:  As relaxin hormone floods the system your body joints destabilize causing muscle aches and pains.  Keeping moving can help create stability and make you feel more comfortable.

5.     Staying Healthy and Preventing Pregnancy complications: Pre-eclampsia, Gestational diabetes are less common in women that exercise regularly.

So My program for exercise has been the following:

1.     Walk every morning with the Dog, if you have bad morning sickness as I have had you will want to eat breakfast first so that your blood sugar is stable.

2.     Squats as many times through out the day as I can possibly fit in.  I use my electronic toothbrush cycle of 2 minutes to do them as fast as I can.

3.     Lunges after the morning walk.

4.     Walking on hills like Quicksilver Park for 3-5 miles 2-3 times a week with the dog Bailey of course.

5.     Tracy Anderson pregnancy video that involves stretches and strength training 1-2 times a week for periods of 20minutes

6.     I now am adding in Biking on my personal trainer instead of the run’s I was doing.  I stopped running at 26 weeks as your pelvis and hips become unstable and start to have problems. 

For saving on clothing I recommend getting a new bra if you have to, but using your husband’s basketball shorts, Work out shirts and some cheap yoga pants from Target.   Remember to drink lots of water and follow the rule of being able to speak while you are working out you don’t want to deprive you or baby of oxygen.