Q:Â I love your program and do the workouts religiously, but I just found out that I'm pregnant. What should I do differently?
A: CONGRATULATIONS! Okay, let's start at the beginning: Be sure to talk to your doctor about your nutrition and exercise. From my perspective, the key to staying fit during pregnancy is to not gain more weight than is necessary. Most of the weight you gain during pregnancy is totally accounted for — when you have the baby, most of the weight will go along with him or her. There is the weight of the fetus and the placenta, not to mention the fact that your blood volume will go up 4 percent during pregnancy. Your body will also retain several pounds of excess fluids. When you give birth, most of that will be lost. As for exercise, most women can and should maintain the same level of activity they did before becoming pregnant. Of course, please consult with your physician and make sure he or she clears you to exercise; in general, here are the following adjustments I recommend you make to your fitness routine:
- Avoid exercising to exhaustion. Your normal session of 45 to 60 minutes can probably be continued, but instead of working out at 85 percent of your maximum heart rate (MHR), keep your intensity at or below 70 percent of your MHR.
- Don't let yourself get overheated. The fetus can't cool itself through sweating the way you can, so you have to maintain normal body temperature. Proper hydration is necessary to do this. Try drinking 6 ounces of cold water every 15 to 20 minutes during exercise, and drink before you feel thirsty.
- Avoid heavy weight lifting and any activities that require straining. Use lighter weights and more repetitions.
- Avoid high-impact exercise like jumping, running, kickboxing, and so on. Try biking, walking, swimming, or using the elliptical machine.
- Don't do exercises that compress your body or spine. In other words, no overhead presses or weighted leg exercises such as the leg press. Leg extensions, standing hamstring curls, squats and lunges using your own body weight, and leg lifts while lying on your side are all fine.
Keep in mind that there may be days when you just don't have the energy or feel well enough to exercise, and that's okay — the important thing is to keep you and your baby healthy!
