Prenatal Fitness: An Important Component to Mom and Baby’s Health

When you think of pregnancy, exercise is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. Or the second. Or the third.

But maybe it should be. I believe having a healthy baby starts before birth. And exercise is a key piece to the puzzle. I am 33 weeks pregnant (due July 28!) with my first child, a son. And don’t get me wrong. It hasn’t always been the easiest to drag myself out of bed to exercise, when it’s hard enough to just roll over!

But fitness is in my blood. I’ve taught turbokick once a week since 2009. I taught a bosu class before that. I am also an avid runner, having completed multiple half marathons, and cyclist. I especially look forward to Bike MS, the 150 mile bike ride every August to raise money for the National MS Society. I also ride horses and have competed in hunter and jumper classes since 2010. Needless to say, staying active is one of my top priorities.

When I first found out I was pregnant, my doctor recommended I walk as my only form of exercise, due to the difficulty we had in getting pregnant. It was a big pill to swallow. I was told to keep my heart rate around 140 bpm, which I quickly realized was a medium paced walk at best. But when your top priority is a healthy baby, you’ll do anything, right?! Those first 10 weeks were hard. But then, the news I had been hoping for: exercise was okay. In fact, I didn’t have to monitor my heart rate and could use the “talk test” instead. Dr. Julie Schurr, of Physicians for Women, explained to me that the talk test means you are able to carry on a conversation or sing a song while you’re exercising. So I started teaching turbokick again, and was ecstatic to learn that I could talk while my heart rate was up around 160-170! Now of course, that has changed as my pregnancy has progressed, but it has still allowed me to pick back up some of the workouts that I love.

I recently interviewed a woman who has had 9.. yes 9 kids! And she just happens to be the group fitness director at Princeton Club West. Priscilla Peterson is my hero. She’s not only super mom, driving her 9 kids to all of their individual sporting events and activities in a 15 passenger van, but she’s also super fit. I mean, you look at her and think how in the heck does that woman have 9 kids and look that good? Her secret: exercise. She worked out until the week, sometimes day before she gave birth. Priscilla says her labors were relatively short, and she attributes a lot of that to staying active during pregnancy.

Priscilla says there are 7 major benefits of exercise during pregnancy:

• it boosts your energy
• helps you sleep better
• reduces pregnancy discomfort
• reduces stress
• improves your self image
• prepares your body for childbirth
• helps you get your body back faster after childbirth

And Dr. Schurr says it’s good for baby, too, because it helps keeps your baby’s size and development in a more normal range and leads to a healthier progression of labor on your own. She recommends 45 minutes to an hour of aerobic exercise three times a week.

So go for that run or swim. Take your favorite boot camp class. Jump on your water skis. Your baby and your body will thank you.

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Priscilla shared her favorite mid to late pregnancy workout! Give it a try:

Low Impact: Stair Climber 20 minutes
Change the angle of your climb using forward motion.
Switch off between right and left leg leading at a lateral climb.

WORKOUT
Upper Body Strength with free weights or a cable & core:
1. Inclined Chest press – 2 sets of 15 reps w/ free weights
2. Incline Push-ups – off a raised platform 4-6 inches/modify on knees if needed. 3 sets of 12 reps
3. Modified Planks – full extension planks using one knee down modification if needed. Hold for 30 seconds 2-3 times.
4. Single Arm Row – 3 sets of 12 per arm w/ a cable or resistance band
5. Double Arm Row – 2 sets of 15 reps w/ free weights
6. Repeat Modified Planks
7. Bicep Curls – 3 sets of 12 reps per side w/ a cable
8. Single Arm Tricep Kick Back – 2 sets of 15 reps w/ a free weight
9. Repeat Modified Planks

STRETCH
use rhythmic Yoga poses and stretches

SWIM
20-30 minutes

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Leigh Mills is a news anchor for NBC15. She graduated from the Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University with a major in Broadcast-Journalism and a minor in French. Leigh is married to her best friend and has two stepchildren and a dog and is expecting a baby boy this July! Much of her spare time is spent with her family. She also enjoy outdoor activities, including running, biking and riding horses. Leigh is an active volunteer with the Wisconsin Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and emcees the MS Walk and MS Luncheon in Madison and ride Bike MS, a two day 150 mile bike ride from Waukesha to Whitewater to Madison.