Baby, Lets Move!

Put your feet up, relax, don't move a muscle.  No, not you........ but rather, the one who is "eating for two."

"Eating for two" and not being physically active while pregnant is a thing of the past.  New research has shown that exercising is healthy and benefitical to both the mother and the child, especially when it come to cardiovascular health.

During pregnancy, exercise can:
     -Ease or prevent back pain and other discomforts
     -Boost your energy level
     -Prevent excess weight gain
     -Reduce the risk of gestational diabetes, pregnancy-related high blood pressure and postpartum
         depression
     -Increase stamina and muscle strength, which helps prepare for labor
     -Increase cardiovascular health in both baby and mother by having a lower heart rate


What exercises should and can be done: 
     -30 minutes of moderate exercise on most, if not all, days of the week
     -Walking (beginners)
     -Swimming
     -Rowing
     -Cycling
     -Jogging (if already a runner)
     -Weight training as along as heavy lifting is avoided

MYTHS ABOUT EXERCISING WHILE PREGNANT

Myth: Never Get your heart rate above 130 beats per minute. 
Fact: There is no target heart rate for women while pregnant. Best way to determine if you are working too hard or not hard enough is that you should be able to talk while exercising.  If you can't make a full sentence without catching your breath, its okay as long as you are not over exerting yourself.

Myth: It is not safe to do abdominal work while pregnant. 
Fact: Working your abdominals may actually help strengthen the pelvic floor but also help with the pregnancy, labor, delivery, and recovery. However, exercises on your back should be avoided after the first trimester.

Myth: Pregnancy can make you more prone to injury. 
Fact: During pregnancy the body produces a hormone called relaxin which is made to lubricate joints.  Therefore, it is best to avoid deep muscle or joint movements such as: heavy lunges and squats.

Myth: If you exercises too much during pregnancy, it will pull nutrients from the baby. 
Fact: The reality is that the baby is going to get what it needs.  When exercising hard you will dip into your own nutrients stores without hurting the babies growth. Rather, babies of mothers who exercise during pregnancy are born learner with a better cardiovascular system.

Myth: If you have never exercises before, now is not the time to start. 
Fact: It is better to start now than to never start at all.  Start exercising by doing something small, 10 minutes a day, such as going on a walk.  Once you build up your stamina you can start walking for longer durations at a higher intensity and frequency. By exercising it will not only help combat fatigue of pregnancy but it will also help you sleep better at time.

In the end, get moving and stay moving.....your body, baby and husband will thank you! 

Dedicated to my clients who are expecting their first child!  Congratulations L.O. and K.M.! 

References:

   MayoClinic

   WebMD

   The New York Times

Hard Work = Big Rewards

3.1, 6.2, 13.1....17? 

If you are a runner you already know what I am talking about when you see: 3.1 (5K), 6.2 (10K), and 13.1 (half marathon).  But 17?  How does 17 fit into the picture?  Well, 17 is my current milage for the Chicago Marathon training this October.  As anyone who has ever ran or trained for a marathon would say, why are you running 17 miles when the marathon is months away? My answer would be, I am listening to my body and training for me while still being able to enjoy the summer.  A couple years ago I was training for a marathon and I was over training by running 5 days a week. In addition,  I tended to increased my milage by over 10% a week which is NOT recommended.  Not only did this regiment make training difficult (personally, socially, mentally, and physically) but it also landed me in physical therapy by the end of it all.  Now that I am back at the training game I have learned to not only listen to my body but to maintain a balance between my training schedule and my social life.  I now increase my milage every other week for my long runs.  This way I can not only have a day or two off during the week but a weekend off where the pressure of having a "long run" subsides.

Sunday mornings = long run and mine began at 5am.  I made myself a peanut butter sandwich, stretched, and gathered my essentials...Water and GU!

On this particular run I searched high and low for my "runners high" and could not find it.  It was a struggle.  I knew physically I could run the 17 miles but on this particular day it just didn't click.  Even though it was not my best run I am proud that I didn't stop and finished what I set out to do.

The best part about running the 17 miles, no matter how horrible it went, was the aftermath of a well deserved BRUNCH at LuLuBells Pancake House on Southport.

Brunch began with:

Biscuits N' Gravy

Followed by Corned Beef Hash

French Toast

Nutella Banana Crepe

Fruity Fit Crepe

And finally, the Farmer Omelet.

All this food was not just for me!  I had a partner in crime.  That partner in crime knew the owner of LuLuBells who then just kept brining us food "just to try".  To say the least, I did not leave there hungry and was able to take plenty of the food home!