"Don't work out. If you already are, stop working out."
You read that sentence right. Don't work out pregnant ladies.
I first encountered this advice when reading a horrible book passed on to me by a massage therapist called, "The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy" by Vicki Lovine. The premise of the book is that the author has complied a list of everything your girlfriends should tell you about pregnancy and labor. I should have stopped reading at the chapter where the author suggested your husband should reward you with a push present for having the baby. I went on to read how the author suggested you not be a hero and "Just take the drugs." Great so the author is basically telling women to lie on their backs drugged up an await their diamond tennis bracelet for having their baby cut out of them. Where I put down the book in disgust however, was when the author suggested that pregnant women should stop working out. The author lists 8 main reasons:
Why is this book in print and why did 78 out of 139 people give it five stars on Amazon? I thought this book was a joke but as I kept reading I could see the author was serious. You'll get fat anyways? First of all you aren't getting fat you are growing a baby. Working out while pregnant isn't about trying to have a six pack it's about maintaining a healthy lifestyle so you can be mentally and physically prepared for labor and the post partum period. Second of all wanting to exercise and be healthy doesn't mean you aren't letting nature run its course. This implies that being physically fit is somehow an anomaly and as humans we are supposed to sit on the couch and not move for nine months while we grow a baby. Do you think animals sit around while pregnant? If they did they would be vulnerable to predators and thus would be eaten pretty quickly.
As much as I'd like to believe other women aren't taking this advice, I see first hand that they do in fact believe this horrible advice. I have a third trimester pregnancy video (which you can watch here) which I filmed while about 37 weeks pregnant myself that focuses on toning and sculpting the butt and arms. In the video there is a five minute warm-up followed by 5 exercises intended to be done for 30seconds to 1 minute each. If you did the whole video at 1 minute per exercise you'd be looking at about a 20 minute at home work-out. While the video has almost 100,000 views and 500+ great reviews there are about 30 dislikes. A few women have commented on the video that they were looking for something more "mild" and the video was too hard for them. One woman went as far as to say I wasn't even really pregnant in the video to have maintained the pace I was. A few disliked the fact that I included bridge lifts at the end of the workout stating that one shouldn't be lying on their back that far along in the pregnancy. Let me clarify that the amount of time on your back (and you are doing bridge lifts so you are never fully on your back for an extended period of time) is approximately 30 seconds to 1 minute. The majority of women (myself included) end up giving birth on their backs (which I do not recommend because it's working against gravity to push the baby out as opposed to squatting) and pushing for up to three hours. Even when you get a check up during your pregnancy you are laying on your back to be measured. It seems many women are opposed to working out and will come up with any excuse to avoid doing so.
Why are we discouraging other women from working out while pregnant? Why are we talking ourselves out of working out and using pregnancy as an excuse? As a fitness instructor of yoga, spin, kettlebells and barre I am someone who enjoys working out. I am passionate about working out because I found exercises that I enjoy and thus it doesn't feel like a chore to me. I knew gaining weight was inevitable while pregnant but that didn't mean my arms couldn't be toned, my legs couldn't be in shape and my butt couldn't be perky. I was not going to "give up" just because I was pregnant; I saw it as training for two and me being strong meant a strong healthy baby.
As your best friend, someone who has been through pregnancy and labor I must implore you to work out while pregnant. It isn't called labor for nothing, having a baby is a lot of work both mentally and physically. After Charlotte was born every single muscle in my body ached from the contractions and pushing her out. My labor was eight hours long which, all things considered is relatively short. The reason my exercises in my video were timed at one minute is because that is how long a contraction lasts. Once in active labor they will last for one minute and be spaced out about four minutes apart. The contractions start coming closer together as you get ready to push and if you must be induced and have an artificial stimulant like Pitocin your contractions will be erratic. If you cannot breath through an exercise for one minute than you are in for a rude awakening my friend. Having been through it I can tell you there is no burpee, plank, jumping jack, leg lift, box jump, pull up, sprint or push up that compares to the pain of a labor contraction. None. You know those blood pressure cuffs they have at the doctors office they put around your arm? It's like having one of those around your abdomen squeezing you until your eyes water then releasing. Just like an intense work out, labor has an end in sight and the reward is a beautiful baby. But you will work for that baby, yes you will. Unless you have resigned yourself to laying on a table drugged up, having your abdomen cut open while your arms are pinned down by your side awaiting someone else to pull your baby out and your diamond tennis bracelet push present....I suggest you prepare your body. Ask any woman who has had an involuntary C-section...it's painful and it's not fun. More painful than a natural birth for sure and you can suffer years down the road because of it.
So ladies, best friends, can we make a promise? Can we please stop telling our friends not to work out while pregnant? That would be the equivalent to signing up for a Triathlon, not training and expecting to finish in one piece. Can we please stop recommending books to other women that tell them exercise won't help them in labor? With advice like this and such an aversion to working out it's no wonder the US has the highest unnecessary C-section and obesity rate.
I remember when I was pregnant I had so many women at the gym come up to me and tell me I inspired them. They saw me in class working hard and taking care of myself and they said it motived to work harder themselves. For all of you pregnant women out there taking classes, running, working out, please know you are not only doing the best thing you can for you and your baby you are inspiring those around you. Leading by example is powerful and when other women (and men!) see what you can do they will do the same for themselves.
Give others a reason to work out please...not an excuse.
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