The Integra Blog
Nov
Exercise During Pregnancy
One of my clients was interviewed in a national newspaper (link) recently. Shannon is 7.5 months pregnant and the focus of the article is how much she spends on her body.
It is generally regarded (apart from a few strange comments on this article!) that a healthy and happy mother = a healthy and happy child. What is interesting is that there is very little in the way of information on exercise and pregnancy, beyond the old general rules - even more interesting is that many trainers don’t want to go anywhere near a pregnant woman for fear of causing harm and it means that the mother-to-be often knows more about exercising during pregnancy than the professionals. I was asked by another client what I would do with a pregnant client.
My main focus with all of my clients that were working with me when they found out they were pregnant (or started once they found out) is to work on the muscular system. One of the biggest changes is obviously the extra mass and rapidly changing centre of gravity, coupled with changes in the hormonal system that affects the ligaments of the body. By ensuring the muscles supporting joints are working effectively, we can aim to reduce the pain often associated with pregnancy, that comes via the back / knee / hips etc…. As Shannon mentioned in the interview:
“I’m certain the balance and muscle activation techniques have helped me avoid a lot of the aches and pains associated with pregnancy”.
Early on we would run through a full Muscle Activation Techniques assessment and then implement exercises and key MAT Isometrics that would get the system working optimally. As we progress through the months, we would obviously have to modify the exercises and the MAT treatments to take into account factors such as not being able to lay on your back and of of course, the big bump!
Balancing the muscular system means that the nervous system is not under extra duress through the pregnancy, while it deals with the changes in other systems in the body, such as the hormonal system. Beyond the muscular system, we worked on all of the general fitness segments, focusing on strength. We wouldn’t do light fluffy personal training sessions, we would always work towards a threshold which although overall may be declining, on a day to day basis can fluctuate.
Meaning, sometimes when you have a restless and sleepless night, you won’t be firing on all cylinders - you would have to scale back your workload or intensity (or both). Sometimes, when everything has hit right on key, you can push it a little further.
On the nutrition side, I think the key bit of information is that you are not eating for 2, eating double portions just increases the bodyfat you put on in this period and subsequent length of time to get back to where you were pre-pregnancy. I don’t necessarily think you should have a hugely restrictive diet either, feeling good and enjoying good things is a… good thing! I will leave the nutrition side to someone else to fill in, I am not the expert in this area.
Overall, working with my client, educating about self-regulation and homework and working with their GPs or other health professionals is key. Opening up a feedback loop between all parties and monitoring the outcome of your work is the most important to ensuring consistent results and hopefully ensuring my client enjoys the whole process!
