BCtriguy1 wrote:
Hi everyone, My wife is expecting our first this summer. She usually runs 4-5 times a week, and goes to the gym around 3 times a week. She has done this religiously for as long as I have known her.
Obviously there are going to be some changes to her lifestyle coming up, and I'm looking for some advice, or even just to hear others experiences, on exercising while pregnant in terms of how far along in your pregnancy do you stop, things to watch out for, how on earth you are supposed to consume enough food to feed your active lifestyle in addition to growing a freaking human, alternatives to running that might be easier on the body, etc. Exercising is her meditation, it keeps her sane and grounded, and I worry that as she gets further along, more tired, etc it will be very hard for her, mentally and emotionally, to put the running and everything on hold.
Please share with me your stories of how you managed your physical fitness during your pregnancy!
My wife ran all through her pregnancy. Her Dr's advice was more or less "Do what feels comfortable", and didn't put any limitations on what and when. I wasn't a fan of cycling outdoors, mainly due to the risk of crashing or a hard impact from falling over for whatever reason.
Either way, my wife did a 50K and about five half marathons, a 15K road race, lots and lots of swimming, strength training classes (sometimes altered due to restricted movement) and lots of trainer rides. We changed the stem out to make it more of an upright fit, since leaning way down wasn't comfortable for her. There came a point when we had to accept the fact that the paces would slow, it might not feel as good/fun, and recovery may take longer.. but she killed it. Pregnancy was definitely NOT a reason to sit on the couch and give in.
After our son arrived, she took 4-6 weeks of doing nothing, or walking. After that it wasn't long until she was training much harder than ever before and within six months, set new PRs at the olympic, half and ironman distances by a big margin. I think maintaining as much fitness as possible during the pregnancy, really helped her during birth and getting back into peak form after our son arrived.
I think it's safe to say that your wife will know when to stop, or when to slow down. If it doesn't feel right, then back off.. just do what you can and be smart, but there's no reason to give in and stop working.. assuming she wants to keep at it.
Last edited by:
phoenixR34: Jan 24, 17 9:37