That the odds are against young student athletes doesn’t stop most parents from contributing to an industry with revenues in the billions. Parents spend money to hire trainers, buy the best gear, or even start their kids a year late in school to gain a physiological advantage. Sporting goods are placed in young kids hands as early as 14 months old just to have a chance to play professional sports.

But what if that isn’t early enough? 

Moms, it all starts with you. Your activity level and what you eat and drink during pregnancy is the foundation that your baby will rely on during their lifespan. There is no guarantee that your son or daughter won’t run into health issues later in life. But just like in sports, if you lack dedication and discipline during the developmental stages, the final outcome will always be in doubt.

The choices you make while pregnant have a huge impact on your baby’s physical potential. [Photo credit: Jerry Lai on Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0]

Healthy Moms Raise Healthy Children

Healthy moms give birth to leaner, stronger, healthier, and smarter babies, who may even have better motor function, cardiovascular capacity, and a greatly reduced risk for obesity, diabetes, and other health challenges as adults. As a healthy and active mom, you demonstrate wholesome values and become a positive role model for your child to emulate as they grow older.

Before you begin exercising, always talk to your health care provider. During the first trimester, the fetus does not yet have the ability to regulate its own body temperature and is at the mercy of its mother’s. Exercising can dramatically increase body temperature which could lead to birth defects if left unchecked . Be mindful of the weather and be extremely cautious about exercising in hot conditions for longer periods of time. Drinking water throughout the day and during exercise will help you avoid the effects of dehydration and help the fetus escape hyperthermia. Even if you already fit, you still need 6-8oz of water for every 15 minutes of exercise.

The duration, type, and intensity of the exercise will affect your heart rate and body temperature, as well as that of the fetus. Whether or not prenatal exercise poses a risk to the baby lies in the differences between trained and untrained women. If a pregnant client has already been training regularly and continues to do so, their fetus will better adapt to the stresses of normal exercise.

However, when unfit women perform inconsistent intensities of training, this may cause problems. When unfit women exercise at high intensities, uterine blood flow decreases to the point where the fetus will experience a serious oxygen deficit. In this case, it is essential that any program includes more gentle exercises. If you typically get little or no activity, walking is a great exercise to start with. Walking is safe for almost everyone, it is easy on your body and joints, and it doesn’t require extra equipment. It is also easy to fit into a busy schedule.

Should You Exercise During Pregnancy?

With so much information and misinformation out there about fitness and pregnancy, how do you figure out what will be best for you? One of the best steps you can take is to find a doctor who understands and supports your desire to stay in shape and who will work with you throughout your pregnancy. Constant communication between you, your doctor, and your trainer is crucial if you want to continue your exercise program.

The benefits to the mother of continuing a fitness regimen through pregnancy are plentiful and can include a reduction in backaches, constipation, bloating and swelling, improved mood and energy levels, prevention of excess weight gain, and better posture. However, when your body is telling you to slow down or stop, make sure you listen.

A commitment to strength, cardiovascular, and flexibility programs during pregnancy not only provides benefits for the mother, but also for the baby. Regular aerobic exercise has the potential to improve the mental and physical health of children into adulthood by creating an optimal environment for both the mind and body of the fetus. Aerobic exercise during pregnancy also programs the arteries of offspring to be more resilient and efficient. By staying healthy and active during your pregnancy, you will reduce susceptibility to cardiovascular disease and heart disease for the lifespan of your child. Another study has shown other long term benefits for your child including:

• Increased oxygen supply
• Improved IQ and vocabulary until at least the age of five
• Boosted the heart health in later life.

Tips for Exercising While Pregnant

To avoid over-exertion while working out during a pregnancy, it is important to monitor your rate of exertion, or RPE. The RPE should be your guide instead of heart rate since there is no one “target” heart rate for every pregnant woman. Strength movements such as front squats and deadlifts can help maintain strong legs, core, and good posture. Be sure to utilize proper breathing patterns to reduce some of the intra-abdominal pressure.

A gymnastics movement called a hollow body will help strengthen the muscles in your abdomen and help alleviate back pain during pregnancy and labor. To perform a hollow body, lie on your back and bring your knees up over your hips to 90 degrees. Tilt your hips forward and pull your abdomen in. Your lower back should be pressed down hard onto the floor. Stay in this position for thirty seconds then relax without letting your lower back come off the ground. Repeat for 3 or 4 sets and work up to 90 seconds.

Pregnancy Nutrition

A nutritious, well-balanced diet is one of the best things you can do for your developing baby. There is no other time in your life where your daily eating habits will directly affect another person, so choose wisely. Incorporating vegetables, whole grains, legumes, lean protein, and other sensible food choices establish the essential building blocks of growth and overall health for your child and will give your baby a strong start in life.

Having a healthy eating plan before pregnancy is ideal, but no matter how many weeks are left until your due date, it’s never too late to start. Eating a healthy, balanced diet will help your baby get the nutrients he or she needs to grow at a healthy rate. It will also help you maintain your energy level, boost your immune system, and help prevent excessive weight gain during the pregnancy.

To give you a better idea of the types and amounts of food you may need during pregnancy, here is a list of the most essential nutritional items:

• Protein: Experts recommend 75 to 100 grams of protein per day. Protein positively affects the growth of fetal tissue, including the brain. It also helps your breast and uterine tissue to grow during pregnancy, and it plays a role in your increasing blood supply.
• Calcium: The daily requirement of calcium is around 1000 milligrams during pregnancy. Calcium helps your body regulate fluids, and it helps build your baby’s bones and tooth buds.
• Iron: In combination with sodium, potassium, and water, iron helps increase your blood volume and prevents anemia. A daily intake of 27 milligrams is considered ideal during pregnancy.
• Folate/Folic Acid: Folic acid plays a key role in reducing the risk of neural tube defects, including spina bifida. Experts recommend 600 to 800 micrograms (.6 to .8 milligrams) daily.
• Vitamin C: Fruits and vegetables rich in Vitamin C will promote wound healing, tooth and bone development, and metabolic processes. Experts recommend at least 85 milligrams per day.

Set Your Future Athlete Up for Success

The evidence is overwhelming that a healthy and balanced lifestyle will lead to a healthy mom and baby. The enormity of the youth sports industry is just a small testament to how far a parent will go to help their child achieve their dreams. If your goal is to have a healthy child, one who could later pursue their dream of becoming a professional athlete, then it doesn’t start with handing them a baseball bat at age 2. It starts in the womb.

Pregnancy doesn’t have to be a setback for your fitness:

Super Mom: How Pregnancy Can Make You More Fit

The post Turning Pro Starts in the Womb appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Personally, I cringe when I see people cringing at pregnant women doing CrossFit or any other kind of workout. I’ve been that woman out for a run at 28 weeks pregnant and getting stares from the neighbors. So I’m also biased, like any other person writing about a hot-topic issue.

Before I begin, let me say I don’t think in order to understand pregnancy and childbirth, you have to be a mom.

The best prenatal advice and support I’ve ever received has come from my husband, and I’m pretty sure he’s never had a bun in the oven. However, I do want to discuss my personal experience with weightlifting and pregnancy, because in the end, like many earth-shattering health decisions like whether or not I should eat eggs or do kegels, this is a personal matter, and there’s more to it than studies.

So here’s my own perspective. It struck me while reading some of the articles that surfaced after Lea Ann Ellison’s photo drama that while both sides of the debate are onto something, both sides are also wrong in many ways. Overall, there’s one big fact people seem to miss when it comes to pregnancy and pumping iron:

There is no one-size-fits-all prenatal fitness paradigm.

Some pregnant women stay fit by keeping up with CrossFit and weightlifting. Others find yoga and lower intensity exercise to be more beneficial.

And a lot of women around the world don’t engage in any workout routine at all because they’re too busy doing heavy manual labor required by daily life. Staying fit during pregnancy never looks the same for each woman.

You might even find you change your own paradigm as your pregnancy progresses.

That’s a good thing. If you start having a contraction mid-deadlift, take a break for goodness sake. Then again, if you wake up one morning after struggling with morning sickness for weeks and you finally feel ready to get back into gear, don’t stay in your bed because “experts” tell you you can’t lift weights while pregnant.

I guarantee if you’ve had a normal and healthy pregnancy up to that point and are used to lifting weights, you will not birth your baby on the gym floor.

I just had my third baby three weeks ago, and it was my first time doing any serious weightlifting during a pregnancy.

I’ve been active throughout all my pregnancies, but during the last one there was a lot more strength training throughout, with the exception of the first trimester due to morning sickness.

During that time, I focused on my alignment in an effort to encourage my baby to assume a good position for birth and also practiced yoga. The second and third trimesters, however, were the most active of my three pregnancies.

I ran and hiked until the third trimester, did CrossFit WODs, kettlebell workouts (that’s me on the right at 34 weeks), and lifted heavier weights than I did during my previous pregnancies. I did scale my workouts quite a bit. I had also been doing all of these things before my pregnancy.

My little boy was born via unmedicated VBA2C (vaginal birth after two cesareans), and although he was three weeks early, he was almost six pounds and perfectly healthy.

I experienced no tearing during his delivery and active labor only lasted 1.5 hours. He’s also a pro at breastfeeding and has been since about five minutes after he was born. The recovery has been effortless compared to my previous c-sections. In short, it was pretty much the perfect birth experience.

Is this story an anecdotal and personal example? Yes. Pregnancy is a personal and anecdotal sort of thing, though. And because it is an anecdotal, personal story, can I say with absolute objective certainty that I had an easy pregnancy and delivery because I lifted weights throughout my pregnancy? Well, I didn’t have a scientist with lab materials to monitor my pregnancy and analyze it from an objective perspective.

But I can pretty confidently chalk the following three benefits up to my continued weightlifting habits:

1. Mental Toughness

Having a baby is hard work. While I agree that pregnancy is a time to slow down, go inward, and meditate, there is also a certain amount of mental toughness you need to have a baby, regardless of the way you deliver. During labor your body is going to do things you didn’t know it could do and feel stuff you didn’t know you could feel.

Your body is going to tell you it’s not fragile and it’s going to push this baby out whether you like it or not. If you have a c-section, your body needs to be strong and conditioned because let’s face it, the recovery sucks.

Keeping up with a strength training routine helped me build confidence in my body and its abilities.

If you spend your whole pregnancy thinking there’s something wrong with your body, you’re going to freak out when you start having hard contractions, just like if you go into a workout thinking it’s too hard, you’re going to struggle to get through it during the toughest parts.

2. Decreased Pain and Pregnancy Discomfort

While I completely agree that strength training done wrong may exacerbate low back pain and other common pregnancy aches and pains, in my experience lifting weights with good form on a regular basis helped prevent both back pain and sciatica.

I also experienced significant upper back pain after my first two pregnancies, but haven’t had the same issue with my third. While I think a lot of this is due to better alignment habits, yoga, and mobility work, I know that kettlebell swings, one-legged deadlifts, and goblet squats also had something to do with it.

Just make sure you scale the weight and focus on form. This is where having a personal trainer or coach can make a huge difference.

3. Benefits During Labor

Not only will weightlifting help you maintain mental stamina and toughness for labor, but it will also maintain and improve physical stamina.

It takes a lot of strength to get up and start walking around in the late stages of labor, particularly if you had a long early labor. I recommend strengthening the legs and lower body in particular by regular walking combined with strength training workouts that include squats, lunges, and single limb exercises.

I could list many more benefits, but these are the three that come to mind first. However, I would emphasize that weightlifting should be part of a bigger picture.

Pregnant women also need to focus on natural movement, good alignment habits, mobility work, and labor preparation exercises. Please, please, please, pregnant women – do not neglect these areas, particularly if you want to continue weightlifting during pregnancy.

For example, during my last pregnancy I also focused on releasing the psoas and practicing abdominal and pelvic floor release to help during labor and delivery. I did a lot of natural movement workouts that integrated crawling and squatting, like a Primal Move workout.

I highly recommend looking into Spinning Babies and the work of Katy Bowman and the Restorative Exercise Institute for further information about alignment, optimal fetal positioning, and labor preparation.

Together with these practices, I can confidently say that weightlifting made this pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum period my easiest so far.

However, I’m not going to say because I experienced all these things every woman should lift weights during pregnancy. I’m also not going to say that because the Mayo Clinic says you should avoid lifting weights, every woman should heed their advice.

What I can assert with absolute confidence is that I have witnessed the benefits of continuing with resistance training in myself and in clients.

There was a moment during the pushing stage of labor when I screamed “I can’t get the baby out!” (I laugh now, but it felt quite serious then.)

The nurse forced me to look at her and said, “Your body is doing exactly what it needs to do. Just let it do it.” It was exactly what I needed to hear, and a few pushes later I was holding my son.

One thing is certain: every fitness endeavor you undertake during pregnancy should heed that nurse’s advice.

How that looks will vary, but if you have a weightlifting habit that you’d like to continue during pregnancy, don’t think you have to put your barbell in storage for the next nine months.

What is your experience with weightlifting during pregnancy? Do you know of any relevant studies on the topic? Please post stories or links in the comments!

Further Reading

1. Ahlborg Jr, G et al., “Heavy Lifting During Pregnancy – A Hazard to the Fetus? A Prospective Study,” International Journal of Epidemiology, 1990.

2. Bankstrom G et al., “Resistance exercise decreases the need for insulin in overweight women with gestational diabetes mellitus,” American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2004.

3. Barakat R, et al., “Type of delivery is not affected by light resistance and toning exercise during pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial,” American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, December 2009.

4. Barakat R, et al., “Does exercise during pregnancy affect gestational age?” British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2008.

5. Barakat R, et al., “Resistance exercise training during pregnancy and newborn’s birth size: a randomised controlled trial,” International Journal of Obesity, April 2009.

6. Hall DC, et al., “Effects of aerobic and strength conditioning on pregnancy outcomes,” American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1987.

7. Hopkins S, et al., “Exercise Training in Pregnancy Reduces Offspring Size without Changes in Maternal Insulin Sensitivity,” The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, May 2010.

8. Lokey EA, et al., “Effects of physical exercise on pregnancy outcomes: a meta-analytic review,” Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 1991.

9. Penney, Debra S. “The Effect of Vigorous Exercise During Pregnancy,” Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health, March-April 2008.

10. Runge SB, et. al., “Occupational lifting of heavy loads and preterm birth: A study within the Danish National Birth Cohort.” Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2013.

11. Salvesen K, et al., “Fetal wellbeing may be compromised during strenuous exercise among elite pregnant athletes,” British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2012.

12. Vladutio C.J., et al, “Physical activity and injuries during pregnancy,” Journal of Physical Activity and Health, November 2010.

Photos courtesy of Nicole Crawford.

The post 3 Reasons to Lift Weights During Pregnancy appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

This article isn’t about my biased opinion of how a woman should treat pregnancy, though. I was recently pointed to an article on Yahoo!, Should Pregnant Women be Weightlifting?, that I felt only scratched the surface of the issue. I want to take a second to address some considerations other than simply “resting when you’re tired” during pregnancy.

Your Body Is Unstable

First and most importantly, you are at a far greater risk of injury to your own body when you are pregnant. Your center of balance is thrown off thanks to the increased weight on your front-side, and your body is pulsing with hormones that will additionally affect your stability. Most notably, relaxin is a hormone your body secrets to soften your muscles, joints and ligaments to allow for greater ease of labor.¹ Your bones literally grow and space out during pregnancy, and you will feel more flexible and pliable during this period.

In a prenatal yoga class, we address this by encouraging the body to expand, but we surround the body with props to keep it from over-stretching. We encourage pregnant women to move very slowly into any athletic movement, as there is an increased risk of tearing a ligament. If you do lift, go slow. Be particularly mindful of any sensation of over-stretching in the pelvis and hips, as this is the area most affected by relaxin for obvious reasons.

You Risk of Separating Your Abdominal Wall

There is a fairly common condition known as diastasis recti whereby the abdomen actually tears or separates during pregnancy. The result is a little pouch in the belly, one that may never go away even after delivery. Roger W. Harms, M.D., explains, “During pregnancy, aggressive abdominal exercises after the first trimester also might contribute to the development of diastasis recti.”²

In yoga, as soon as a woman finds out she is pregnant, a teacher will guide her to stop all abdominal exercises, including plank pose. If the belly can expand naturally during pregnancy, there is a lower risk of the separation, as incredibly strong abs can be a factor. In fact, many yoga teachers advise students to stop abdominal exercise as much as six months before pregnancy. You may think, “The stronger my abs before, the easier it will be to get them back after.” Rather, it is easier to simply let that belly get nice and relaxed before and during pregnancy. You can always get stronger after!

For those of you thinking, “Well, I’ll still lift but just not do core work,” ask yourself – which lifts am I supposed to do without engaging my core? Most weightlifting requires a strong abdominal wall to prevent back injury, so even something like squats could potentially injure the abdominal wall.

You May Exacerbate Pregnancy Pains with Lifting

I’ve never been there myself, but from everything I hear, pregnancy is sort of a pain. The ladies who attend my prenatal yoga classes deal with flat feet, sciatica, low back pain, upper back pain (more notably after delivery), heart burn, and, of course, nausea. Each woman’s experience is unique, but many of the symptoms are shared. Exercise can be a great way to ease these symptoms, but it is best to use exercises targeted to alleviate them.

Prenatal yoga classes specifically address the complaints women have about discomfort during pregnancy. As an added benefit, these classes will also address techniques for labor and delivery, bonding with baby and handling the emotional ups and downs of the experience. Another form of exercise most doctors recommend is simply walking. Weight lifting, though, is not designed to serve a pregnant woman’s needs. As a result, some of the postures may actually make pregnancy discomfort worse.

Here are a few tips for exercising while pregnant:

• Never perform a deep twist during a lifting (or yoga) session when pregnant. As your baby grows, twisting will compress the belly, which can harm the baby. Even in early pregnancy, though, relaxin makes the sacroiliac joint (SI joint) less stable, which can injure the low back. Light twisting may be okay, but it is hard to control this if you are lifting.
• Avoid deep forward bends such as those required for deadlifts and cleans. Deep forward bends make sciatica worse, and because the body is so open, you risk tearing ligaments.
• Be mindful of repeated overhead arm movements as delivery gets closer. There isn’t a lot of research out on this yet, but just Google “lifting and mastitis” to hear what moms have to say!
• Flat feet can become achy feet if not taken care of. In yoga, we place a rolled up blanket under the arches to keep the flat feet from aching later. If you’re going to lift, consider getting some insoles to support your feet.

All things considered, I will not personally be lifting while I am pregnant. I will be exercising, enjoying lots of prenatal yoga, walking and hiking as I see fit. I will listen to my body and rest when I need to. One a very personal note, I have an autoimmune disorder that has prevented me from conceiving a child. Hopefully, it will go into remission at some point. My husband and I pray for the day we can finally start a family. This has made my desire to conceive, carry, and deliver a healthy baby even stronger. If this means I put certain things on hold for nine (or ten) short months, I will happily make that sacrifice. Pregnancy is an incredible time when a huge demand is placed on the body. There is no need for me to make that demand any greater.

References:
1. What to Expect, “HPL, Relaxin, and Oxytocin.”
2. Roger W. Harms, M.D., “Diastasis recti: How does pregnancy affect stomach muscles?,” Mayo Clinic.
3. “Working during pregnancy: Do’s and don’ts,” Mayo Clinic.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Pregnant and Weight Lifting? You May Want to Reconsider appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

We bombarded our tech with questions:

“How big is it?”

“About 2.5 inches.”

“Can it hear us yet?”
“No, brain development isn’t ready for that yet.”

“Can you see if it’s a boy or a girl?”

“Actually, at this stage, the genitals are forming and it has both, but it’s too small to tell.”

After showing us a few more angles and pointing out body parts, she said, “Let’s see if we can get a 3D image…” Check this out!

Seriously, amazing. She printed out a bunch of pictures for us and then we waited for the big kahuna doctor to come in to perform the CVS. When he finally showed up, he reminded me of a very confident and relaxed Mr. Huxtable. I liked this guy. He had the ultrasound tech resume her post so they knew where to put in a super tiny catheter, which Dr. Huxtable said will be too tiny to feel. I relaxed immediately.

(I had been so stressed about this procedure. My sister said “it was tolerable” when she had it done a few months before but I figured that my sister was just trying to reassure me and it would definitely hurt.)

The speculum wasn’t terribly comfortable, but I am used to that delightful feeling from my annual exams. Dr. Huxtable informed me that he would swab the area with iodine before inserting the catheter, which would be a little scratchy but no big deal. We focused on the image on the screen and he told me that my uterus is tilted forward and showed me the area where he would take the sample. I felt a little shifting of the speculum, a little cramp, and then he was over by the counter checking the sample to see if it’s okay.

“Everything cool?”

“Yep, you’re all done.”

Whew. He took out the little wall-stretcher and pointed out that the iodine is kind of reddish brown and not to freak out if I see something of that color later. “Only call us if you notice lots of clear fluid or tons of blood. A little spotting is okay.”

Then he told my husband that I can’t do any housework for at least a month and winked at me. “Make sure you rest for the next five days. No lifting, yoga, jumping, or whatever else you guys do during sex.”

He said we’ll find out the results in the next ten to fourteen days, but I was already feeling pretty good about this whole thing. (I mean, no housework for a month!)

Prior to my exam day, I substitute taught some additional classes this week on top of my own since I knew I had some downtime coming. Thought I’d get in some extra squats (no hard labor for me in six months, thank you very much), and burn off some extra calories before my lounging began.

But speaking of technology, I think my heart rate monitor, which I use to make sure I’m not over-working myself during cardio, was picking up both my heart beat and the baby’s! I was kind of fascinated by it registering 227 beats per minute during my warm up. It’s possible there was some other explanation (bad battery?), but that had never happened before. Guess I’ll have to go back to checking my wrist and counting the beats next week.

The post Pregnant Athlete Journal, Week 12: 3-D Baby and a CVS Test appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

My big concern now is if I should do chorionic villus sampling (CVS) to check for any abnormalities since I’m over 35 and more likely to have chromosomal issues with my eggs. It can be performed between the tenth and twelfth weeks of pregnancy so we can get definitive information much sooner than waiting for the amniocentesis, which is typically performed in the second trimester. It also gives the sex of the baby with one hundred percent accuracy. Sounds great, right? Well, the only problem is that it’s an invasive procedure. I get to choose from a hollow needle through the abdomen or a catheter through the cervix. Awesome. Oh, and it can cost up to $1,800. Yippie.

Because they actually have to take a tiny piece of the placenta, there could be bleeding, cramping, and depending upon the doctor’s level of expertise, a small chance of miscarriage. Perhaps I’m being paranoid but I feel like if I had a miscarriage at this point, it would be my last shot at having a baby. So, this is a big deal.

And assuming all goes well during the procedure, I’m supposed to put my feet up for a week to make sure the placenta heals up nicely. A week? I can’t remember the last time I went an entire week without exercising. Even when I hurt my back, I was walking around daily (albeit very slowly).

Later today, I have another ultrasound to check that everything is going well and I’ll be able to get more information from my doctor about CVS as well as referrals for doctors who have performed numerous CVS procedures since risk goes down considerably based on the doctor’s experience.

I have to admit, being a proactive woman used to planning, controlling and enjoying increases in my strength and endurance, I’m feeling a bit disempowered. I’d like to get to a place where I’m not being bombarded by worst-case scenarios all the time. Perhaps CVS will give me some peace of mind.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Pregnant Athlete Journal, Week 9: To CVS or Not to CVS appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

I’m being bombarded by suggestions as to what prenatal vitamin to take (totally helpful), where to go for birthing classes (LOVE this!) and what genetic tests I should be taking since I’m SOOOO old at 41 that my eggs could have mutated quite a bit at this point (kind of scary).

I waited until my first doctor’s appointment to tell everyone I’m pregnant. My friends were still adjusting to the fact that their crazy single girlfriend had gotten married last year and now I throw this shocking news into the mix. I also decided to tell everyone about my pregnancy right away because of several reasons:

?

1. I am excited and I can never keep anything that good to myself.
2. Clearly, now my body will NOT be ready for a fitness competition in December and my friends and family were always asking about the progress I was making toward that goal.
3. I recognize that women often miscarry in their first trimester but I decide that I’m not going to let that dampen my enthusiasm and share my life-hanging event despite that fact.

My impression was that most of the pregnancy concerns really don’t start until after my belly pops out a little. All I can do now is eat right (especially folic acid), keep exercising and rest. Boy, was I wrong.

I’m finishing up a 45-minute indoor cycling class where I’ve managed to drench myself in sweat, as usual. I’m always careful to continually hydrate myself and stretch afterwards so I don’t think anything of it when I go to stretch my hamstrings. You know that twinge you get when you pull a back muscle that kind of convulses your entire body for a moment? Yeah, I got that.

As I slowly lower my leg back down to the floor, I realize that my spine is now crooked and I have to shuffle my way through the gym and out to my car. I keep going over what I could have done differently and I really didn’t feel like I pushed a stretch farther than I normally do. And then I wonder, “Is this a pregnancy thing?”

I vaguely recall a hormone called “relaxin” that helps get the body ready for labor by relaxing the ligaments around the placenta and pubic bone, but I thought that didn’t kick in until WAYYYYYY later. Turns out, that very hormone peaks at fourteen weeks into pregnancy so I definitely have that possibility provoking this injury.

Have I tweaked my back before? Sure. And I know from prior experience that a couple of stretches, heat, muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatory meds help me get back upright again in a few days. However I can’t take meds right now. All I can do is use ice and heat on my back since I can’t take something that will harm the baby and it’s still too painful to try to stretch my back at this point.

Five days later using constant heat on my back, a neoprene wrap around my waist, and a VERY slow daily walking routine, I’m finally standing up straight again. Guess I’ll be more careful not to overstretch now.

Why is it that I need to learn my lessons the hard way?

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Pregnant Athlete Journal, Week 8: How Relaxin Kicked My Butt appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Then I think, “Hmmm… I’m a little late but fluctuation in my menstrual cycle has happened before when I’ve changed my diet. Oh, that’s gotta be what it is. Yes, come to think of it, my boobs are a little sore.” I assume that my PMS is causing said bloating and breast tenderness and that I’ll be getting Aunt Flo any day now. My sister, who is visiting from Chicago for one last vacation before her next baby is due, suggests that I take a pregnancy test and I laugh it off.

After a few more days of getting the “yes, you are!” look from my sister, I finally take a pregnancy test.

It’s positive. OMG.

The first thing I think is, “No wonder my body has been resistant to this diet!” and I’m happy that my unprecedented phenomenon has been explained. The second thing I think is, “Wow.”

My husband, David, and I thought that life could be great if we had kids or if we didn’t have kids. Honestly, I could see a great future either way since both my siblings have kids and I love being an aunt. I’m 41 and never been pregnant so we both just thought, “Hey, if it happens great. If not, that’s okay, too.” We didn’t want to have ovulation charts on the wall or take any fertility drugs. But we had been married for a year and nothing was happening so I just kind of figured, “Okay, guess that’s not going to happen.”

So looking at those little blue lines on a stick, I was happily in shock. Isn’t life funny?

Then I think back and realize that I did a 10K Gladiator Race while pregnant and I’m really proud of myself. Then I get freaked out that I’ve done SOMETHING over the last few weeks that I’m sure has caused this baby to have three heads. Uh oh, I had seafood. Isn’t that bad? I had a few sips of red wine on the boat the other day. What does alcohol do to a fetus? Is there anything bad in that protein powder? What about those ice baths? SH*T!!!! Sorry, baby! I’m already the worst mother in the world.

Then I think, “Well, unless they have a pregnant lady division, I guess that’s it for the fitness competition. Where can I get some cake?”

When David got home that night from work, I was watching What to Expect While You’re Expecting. I told him I had a gift for him in the bathroom. He came out holding the little stick with the blue lines, looked at the TV, looked back at me and smiled while he screamed, “What did you do?!?”

I laughed, “Hi, Daddy!”

We laughed and hugged, both of us in shock. According to a little online due-date calculator, I am due in June. My plan had been to do my first fitness competition before getting into a PhD program in the spring. Now, I’d have to change up my plans. Perhaps doing a fitness competition AFTER the baby is due would be a great way to get back in shape. And really, if the baby is due in June, then I could get at least one semester under my belt, deliver the baby, take the summer to coo to it before starting up school again in the fall at which time we could find some help. It could be done, right?

My first doctor’s appointment shows everything to be normal so far and the baby has a strong heart beat – and only one head. I know there’s a long way to go still, but I’m feeling great.

I’m not sure how everything is going to work out. All I know is that I’m committed to giving this baby the best nutrition possible while I keep myself strong and healthy during this amazing process. I’ve got lots of reading to do. In fact, I would welcome any suggestions any parents have out there! Please post your book suggestions to the comments below.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock and Zen Gray.

The post Pregnancy Test = Positive = Time To Change My Goals appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

While many forms of exercise are commonly considered too aggressive and therefore not recommended during pregnancy, swimming on the other hand presents a very unique profile compared to most other regimens. Often considered a very low impact sport, swimming offers expecting mothers a safe means of exercising as the water partially supports weight, decreasing burden on spine and limbs. When asked about swimming during pregnancy Dr. Steve Lebder of Premier Gynecology and Obstetrics in Louisville, Kentucky vehemently stated, “It’s good to do. Bottom line. Exercise is good for pregnancy.”

As swimming is concerned, no big adaptations need to be made to accommodate the growing belly or increased safety. Swimmers can retain the normal activity level, as they get accustomed to their new body. The precautions to swimming are no different to exercise in general. Staying well-hydrated and exercising care to stay within a heart rate of 120 to 140 (to avoid overexertion) are the main recommendations. No one particular stroke is safer than the other, but while swimmers may continue to perform turns in their workouts, diving is out of the question during pregnancy. You often hear that you should avoid swimming in chlorinated pools during pregnancy. According to Dr. Lebder, however, “Chlorine is a very good disinfectant. There is nothing wrong for a pregnant woman to swim in a pool treated in chlorine.” Ultimately swimming during pregnancy increases maternal aerobic capacity and provides expecting mothers with a sense of well-being as well as relieving morning sickness.

Kristi Lee, a 36-year-old from Idaho, gave birth to her daughter, Nadège, nineteen months ago. Kristi is a very avid swimmer and a member of USMS (United States Masters Swimming). Kristi swam during her whole pregnancy, and remarkably competed at USMS Nationals in Atlanta in 2011 while pregnant, swimming the 50, 100, 200, 500, and 1650 yards freestyle and the 100 butterfly. She also swam the 5k, 10k, 3000, 6000, and 1 hour postal swims while pregnant. Kristi even won a silver medal in the 1650 yards freestyle in Atlanta in the 30-34 year old age group.

Kristi’s routine didn’t change significantly after finding out she was pregnant. She swam six days a week, though towards the later part of the pregnancy her usual interval times became more challenging. At that point she relaxed on the times expected for herself. Her lung capacity also decreased, which she adjusted by ignoring breathing patterns and hypoxic sets. As a true athlete, Kristi didn’t miss a workout, including the day she eventually gave birth to her daughter. Nadège was born one week late at a very healthy 8lbs 9oz and 21.5 inches long. Kristi received the go ahead to get back in the water three weeks post partum. She went on to swim at USMS nationals nine weeks after giving birth. Swimming helped Kristi remain sane. She shared with me, “I hated being pregnant, and being in the water was the only time I felt like myself.”

Natasha Bertschi and Jane Dwyer from Australia recently competed in a triathlon at thirty-four and twenty-nine weeks gestation respectively. This is not the first pregnancy for both women, and for Natasha, at the age of 33, the drive to exercise comes from a desire to attempt natural delivery after having previously undergone an emergency Cesarean section. Regular exercise has helped Natasha with pregnancy tremendously especially by keeping her weight down. During her first trimester swimming was a chore and often she couldn’t handle more than thirty minutes of activity. “As soon as I entered the water, the nausea was instantly relieved and I felt human again. Even if for only the thirty minutes I could manage.” Past sixteen weeks Natasha felt remarkably better, noticed an increase in energy, and now swims five days a week. In addition she also rides her bike 5-8km three to five days per week.

Débora Diegas of São Paulo, Brazil was pregnant with her first child at age 35. With a past in beauty pageants and having competed in Miss Brasil, Debora used swimming and CrossFit during pregnancy to stay in shape and feel sane. While never a swimmer before, Debora used the water as a means to exercise because it felt safe and comfortable. Like the previously mentioned women she felt the amazing power of the water. She felt comfortable, strong, and without morning sickness was gone. Swimming created calm moments for the developing fetus. Débora gave birth to a healthy boy, Cauá, who is now a year old and quite active. While swimming no longer takes a prominent stage in Débora’s life, she has started to CrossFit competitively post partum.

The consensus from the real stories of these women is that the people who surround them consider them inspirational role models and responsible mothers. Their pregnancies resulted in extremely healthy children and helped the mothers not only remain healthy themselves but avoid some of the most dreaded “side effects” of pregnancy – the uncontrollable weight gain, lethargy and morning sickness.

So the take home message is:

• DO exercise during pregnancy, especially swimming.
• DO stay hydrated during exercise.
• DO swim any stroke you want, including turns.
• DO NOT dive into the pool.
• DO NOT exceed a heart rate of 140bpm during exercise.
• Most importantly DO enjoy the experience!

The post Why Swimming Is the Best Exercise For Pregnant Women appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Fitness is crucial. You need to have the stamina and the strength to endure birth. Likewise, game-time decision making skills are crucial tools to develop so you can respond with different positions, as your body is responding to the actual birth process. And not only is a healthy fitness level optimal for the mother, but also the infant. These babies often display a healthier birth weight and score higher on tests of general intelligence and coordination skills.

There is a lot of debate about exercise during pregnancy. Much of the questioning surrounds the physiological changes that occur within the woman’s body. Yes, as women, our bodies do undergo physiological changes. However, women are designed for this task. A woman’s cardiovascular system adapts to the increased metabolic needs. The musculoskeletal system changes in response to certain hormones, and mechanical alterations occur due to an altered centered of gravity. Women’s bodies innately know what to do and how to handle pregnancy.

In the past, the medical world has advised that a pregnant woman not increase her heart rate above 140bpm and participate in no vigorous amounts of exercise. I could find no research to support the claim of 140bpm. In fact, amongst the research, I found the underlying consensus is that the topic of pregnancy and fitness needs more studies conducted.

As a healthcare practitioner, I encourage an all around functional fitness routine. Maintaining balance, not only in your life but also in your fitness training, is desired. Endurance training, as in running, rowing, or swimming, is great preparation for the mental capacity and endurance required during labor and delivery. Strength training that utilizes functional movements and Olympic weightlifting is preferred so that a woman knows how to pick up her child properly. Gymnastics-type bodyweight movements are beneficial so that a woman can actually play with her child and orient herself well in space. And yoga poses are ideal to quickly rejuvenate the body, alleviate minor discomfort, and provide a comfortable meditation position.

Numerous studies do show that a healthy, fit mom produces a healthy, fit baby. A study conducted in February 2011 found that mothers who exercised before and during pregnancy significantly decreased their chances of gestational diabetes. In 2002 at the annual meeting for the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Dr. Tanya K. Sorensen stated that vigorous exercise during pregnancy appears to reduce the risk of preeclampsia. Lastly, Dr. James Clapp found that not only does exercise decrease the time of labor but also decreases the need for interventions.

Whether you have been running marathons, surfing competitively, or training CrossFit-style, I do not see any problem with you continuing the exercise you love to do throughout your pregnancy. Yes, you will have to adapt your training and make nutritional changes. By maintaining your fitness and continuing to move, however, you are offering your baby an optimal environment in which to thrive.

Tips to Remember:

• Hydration before, during, and after workouts is important.
• Be able to carry on a conversation during your workout.
• There’s no need to PR or set world record times.
• Treat each day as its own.
• If you don’t feel like working out, go for a walk.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Exercising While Pregnant: Strong Moms Build Strong Babies appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

When I arrived for my first orientation at CrossFit Los Angeles a couple years ago, a midday workout was in progress and a man with many, many ab-packs was doing solo sprints outside in the street. I was immediately intimidated to the say the least, but what distracted me most as I was being asked questions about my then state of unfitness was a woman doing wall ball shots with beautiful form. She was fit and strong, shining with sweat. She wore a tight tank top and capri leggings. She was also eight months pregnant. My feelings of intimidation sky rocketed then settled back down to a healthy self examination starting with the question: what’s my excuse?

I often tell Norma she was one of my first inspirations as a CrossFitter. Her son, Nicolas, is now two years old and Norma is CrossFitting like normal. Norma is also twenty-six weeks pregnant with her second child.

And she’s not the only one. Lately there has been a bit of a pregnancy boom at our gym. One woman very recently had a baby and three others are currently pregnant. They all continue or continued to CrossFit during their pregnancies. Norma was not an anomaly, it turns out, and I became more intrigued by each expectant mother’s experience. What I learned was that pregnant CrossFitters are not hardcore, crazed athletes determined to keep their personal lifting records intact at the expense of their and their baby’s health. They are conscientious mothers who believe CrossFit keeps them strong and prepares them for labor, delivery, recovery, and motherhood. And despite any paranoia and panic by some friends and family, CrossFit proves to be beneficial in many, if not different ways.

For as intense as CrossFit is, I got the universal feeling after speaking to each mother-to-be that they all share an ability to lay off when they felt they were pushing it too much. For some, it was instinctual. For others, pregnancy became a concerted practice in listening to the body supplemented with gentle reminders from supportive spouses. It also helps that one of our coaches, Jeremy Jones, has a pregnant and post natal certificate for personal trainers.

Most of their doctors were cautiously supportive though Courtney, who is just four months pregnant, received advice from her doctor to not take her heart rate over 140bpm. Considering that Courtney has a persistent pre-pregnancy knee injury and has struggled with nonstop morning-day-and-night sickness, she gladly yields this advice, even if it’s not easy. “Right now, getting out of bed and brushing my teeth gets my heart rate up to about 110. No kidding!” Courtney said. She also says the only time she does not feel nauseous is while she’s working out. Courtney has started to modify the weights she uses to also keep her heart rate down during workouts. The other women I spoke to began scaling workouts such as more assistance during pull ups and push ups from their knees at around five to six months into their pregnancies.

Alisa, who gave birth to a healthy daughter Fiona three months ago, is the only woman I spoke to whose spouse also CrossFits. And while a few of Alisa’s non CrossFit friends expressed their concerns about how much Alisa was working out, her husband Eric was very supportive. “It was a little embarrassing, actually. He kept telling people about my workouts and how ‘hardcore’ I was,” Alisa said. “He still does. He did it the other day at the dog food store.” This seemed to cause even more concern with some of Alisa’s friends about her doing too much. “Which is funny,” she said, “because they had no idea how hard I trained at CrossFit before I was pregnant.”

Dr. Lindsey Mathews of BirthFit, whose program encompasses and believes in a good prenatal balance of chiropractic care, nutrition, and fitness said, “I love pregnant CrossFitters! In general, the pregnant CrossFitting woman knows that fitness is a vital component of health.” Dr. Mathews is most concerned when pregnant athletes let go of the reins nutritionally. “Some women think this a free pass to eat whatever they want or that they just need the extra calories.” But this is far from true, she says. Eating real, clean food will only help the baby and mommy alike.

The women I spoke to have had mixed experiences in regards to nutrition. While all of them still believe and try to adhere to clean eating, some have had difficulty overcoming cravings for processed carbs and food they strictly avoided as non-pregnant CrossFitters. Letting go of the idea that they have to eat perfectly a hundred percent of the time during their pregnancy has relieved some pressure, actually, just like succumbing to the idea that workouts would need to be more and more modified as pregnancy went on.

Jane, a long time CrossFitter who is about to have a baby any day, has become increasingly relaxed about everything as her due date draws near. “I can see how some women may feel compelled to prove to everyone that they can CrossFit the same way pregnant as non-pregnant. I’ve never felt like I had anything to prove,” she said. “I’ve been CrossFitting for over five years and I do it for my health, and exercise is a life-long journey. It wasn’t difficult for me to take it easy.” She stopped CrossFitting a couple weeks ago, but she continues to swim and walk. She said she misses the community most, however. “Going for swims by myself is just not the same. I really miss the companionship!”

I was most interested to hear about the effects CrossFit had during labor and post-partum recovery. Norma and Alisa had very similar experiences during labor. Both cite they were certainly able to handle the pain with more focus and without panic. As CrossFitters they are acutely aware that pain is temporary. During contractions, Alisa reminded herself, “I can do anything for five minutes.” Norma ended up having a Cesarean section because her pelvic bones were too slight, but she said her recovery was super fast considering. She got back to her pre-pregnancy weight quickly and she even was able to do unassisted pull ups for the first time because she had been working on them while she was pregnant! Alisa said that her recovery has gone really well. In fact, she said, “All my CrossFit training was a little bit of a double-edged sword. I was able to walk and move easily pretty much right away, but I wanted to do a little too much. My muscles were cool with lifting and walking, but my uterus disagreed. I had to dial it back.”

I am so inspired by these amazing women and their different approaches to CrossFit while they are or were pregnant. I’ve had the pleasure to work out with them, and it has been fun, relaxed and in many ways, particularly joy-filled. I feel their stories not only encourage future moms-to-be, but all athletic women. Just like it did me that first day I stepped foot into a CrossFit gym.

The post Something’s In the Coconut Water – Pregnant CrossFitters appeared first on Breaking Muscle.