Try these 2 shoulder exercises! Great during any trimester…
Keep Your Shoulders Looking Great!
March 6, 2012 Leave a Comment
Prenatal Tricep Extension Exercise Video
February 21, 2012 Leave a Comment
The Infamous Body Pillow
September 22, 2010 1 Comment
Ok so by now you’ve probably realized that I just couldn’t pass up using pictures from “The Back-Up Plan” to relate to real life pregnancy stuff. Maybe I thought it was funnier than most, I don’t know…
The infamous body pillow!
If your pregnant or soon to be, a very large body pillow that will take up more room than another person in your bed is a must! Your husband will not be thrilled as it will partly/mostly replace him in bed. But can you really blame a darn pillow? So if you haven’t gotten one yet you better!
It’s essential to great sleep, especially during your 3rd trimester
Sleep Tight
~E
Exercise During Pregnancy with Low Blood Pressure
August 9, 2010 2 Comments
Erica – Do you have any advice for mama’s with low-blood pressure who wish to keep exercising?
Low blood pressure (hypotension) is actually very common during pregnancy, due to an increase in pregnancy hormones which cause almost all cells of your body to relax, in this case your blood vessels. This may cause a problem for you, now you don’t have enough blood to pump through your circulatory system because it’s “underfilled”. This results in low blood pressure, which can come on fairly sudden, may even seem as if one morning you wake up & start to lose your balance, feel dizzy (especially when standing), lightheaded, nauseas, fatigued, have a racing pulse, & sweat easily.
If you are already very fit & active prior to pregnancy, you may find you are greatly affected by low blood pressure, making it hard for you to workout as you had prior to becoming pregnant. Your body is already very efficient, so this sudden change you will notice. You will probably need to decrease your intensity, & modify your exercise to prevent the above symptoms. Thus if you are an avid runner prior to becoming pregnant you may no longer be able to run during pregnancy if running makes your feel lightheaded, dizzy, nauseas, fatigued (more than normal), racing pulse, extreme sweating. It’s completely normal to sweat more than usual once your are pregnant, this is your body’s natural way of dissipating heat & keeping your core temperture healthy for your baby.
Why & what you can do to help with your low blood pressure symptoms:
- You may be dehydrated. Dehydration is a major cause of low blood pressure symptom, along with many other symptoms during pregnancy. So drink lots of water, all the time! I know you will have to pee more often but that’s what happens when your pregnant.
- Your body actually may need more salt, now not for everyone, but if you are one who tends to crave salt I would give it a try. I recommend trying Himalayan Sea Salt (the pink rock looking salt), you will mostly likely need a salt grinder but most you buy come in one already. Try Trader Joe’s, Mother’s Market, Whole Foods, just to name a few I know of here in Southern Cal. If you have none of those try looking at your regular grocery & if you find none go to a more specialty health food grocery or online.
- Don’t stand or sit in one position to long, this can cause your blood to pool in your legs (not allowing back to your brain) & cause any of the low blood pressure symptoms. So change positions often, try to limit standing/sitting to no longer than 30 minutes, then do the opposite. If you tend to sit all day, during breaks go for a short walk to get your blood moving more easily through your body. If you tend to stand all day, try sitting as often as you can during breaks. If you are having lots of swelling of your legs, your Doc may have you wear compression stocking to help prevent your blood from pooling in your legs.
- If you tend to feel low blood pressure symptoms even when sitting try lying on your left side to help your blood flow more easily through your body. You may just have to move, as your baby’s position can be the cause of symptoms.
- Be sure to eat healthy well balanced, carbs, protein, fiber, & fat, to keep your blood sugar stable. Now that’s another topic but the symptoms of low blood sugar are similar to low blood pressure. So be sure you are eating healthy snacks/meals every 2-3 hours. This will help if you are experiencing lightheaded, dizzy, etc. but it’s due to your sugar levels not your blood pressure. Try an Apple or banana w/ 1-2 tbsp all-natural peanut butter or almond butter before &/or after your workout.
- Exercise is a great way to help with your low blood pressure. Now I wouldn’t recommend running but walking instead, getting on an elliptical, bike, lifting light weights, try pilates, or yoga. Get your body moving & do what feels good for you. If your exercising, standing, walking, even driving or whatever if may be & you start to feel any of the symptoms, especially faint, it’s a smart idea for you, your baby (& those around you if driving) to stop what your doing & sit or lie on your left side.
Most of these symptoms should be gone by your 4th month of pregnancy as your body has adjusted to the hormonal changes. Now that’s not everyone, so for those of you who are already in your 3rd trimester & feel this way, just keeping listening to you body. Don’t try pushing your body to your limits (you can do that after baby, well 2-3 months after).
I found with both of my pregnancies, especially my 2nd, that I had to decrease my activity level & increase my salt intake.
~Erica
Resources:
Clapp III. James. F., Exercising Through Your Pregnancy. pg. 19-21. 2002.
Exercise During Your 3rd Trimester
July 28, 2010 5 Comments
ALWAYS…LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!
The home stretch! You are almost there.
By now as you enter your 3rd trimester you may be feeling more tired, exhausted, & just ready to have your baby (well not the labor part but after, right). As you exit out of your 2nd trimester you may be noticing that everything is just a little harder. Exercising may be getting more difficult especially since your lung capacity has greatly decreased. The solution, just decrease your intensity. There’s nothing wrong with taking it down a notch or two. Keep doing the exercises you have been doing, keep it simple & do what feels good for you & your body.
As you enter your 3rd trimester: In addition to modifications in Exercising During your 2nd Trimester…
- You may feel like you “just can’t get a big enough breath in”, completely normal. Your baby is getting bigger & taking up more space, thus causing less room for your diaphragm to expand & leaves you having a hard time breathing, especially when exerting energy. As you breathe, try to breathe out into your sides & into your back. Continue practicing good posture & engaging in cardio exercise as these will greatly help increase your ability to breathe deeper both during & after pregnancy.
- Having a hard time getting a breath in? Stretch your arms overhead & take in really deep & slow breaths. I recommend you sit down, but sit up straight with good posture, just in case you start to feel lightheaded due to the increase in oxygen.
- Some women begin to feel Sciatic nerve pain, a dull or sharp pain in your butt, which usually runs down your leg. Exercise may or may not help alleviate sciatic pain, what is more likely to relieve the pain in when your baby changes positions & gets off your sciatic nerve. If you have sciatic pains you should avoid any straight leg lifts or kicks as this can pull even more on your sciatic nerve & make it worse.
- Swelling of your legs, ankles, & feet is very common, especially the last month or two. Regular exercise during your 3rd trimester can help with swelling & varicose veins. Elevate your feet as often as you can & avoid standing for long periods of time. If you tend to stand a lot try setting an alarm to remind you to sit or modify your day so you can rest your feet.
- Stay Hydrated! Take breaks every 20 minutes or so during exercise to drink water & you will probably have to pee as well! Dehydrations is one cause of early labor. If you are thirsty you are already dehydrated!
- If you haven’t already you may begin to feel “Braxton-Hicks Contractions”, this is your bodies way of practicing for the real event! LABOR! They are completely normal so don’t worry. These contractions may come on stronger as you exercise (due to dehydration), so it’s even more important that you stay hydrated. If you start to feel them come on too strong it’s an indication to momentarily stop exercise, sit, drink some water, & once you feel better continue your exercise as long as your body is telling your it’s ok. If not, give yourself a break & see how you feel tomorrow. If they don’t stop or lessen in how tight you feel them, it’s probably a good idea to go see your Doc. Especially if you are within those last 4 weeks or so.
- Sometime towards the end, your baby will “drop” thus making it easier to breath! Relief! But now you have to pee ALL THE TIME! You may feel as though your baby is going to “fall out”! He/She/They won’t, but it’s a great reason to have a strong pelvic floor & transverse muscles. After your baby has dropped there may be exercises that don’t feel so good anymore, so just don’t do them, or modify them and go through a smaller range of motion & decrease the resistance.
Basically by now I’m sure you’ve figured out if its not one things it’s another, you just learn how to adjust.
Having gone through 2 pregnancies, both very different, my best advice during the 3rd trimester is get out & move everyday even if you don’t have the energy. It doesn’t have to be hard but just move (as long as it’s not painful). Painful & tired are two different things. If this is your first pregnancy take advantage of it & sleep as much as you can. During my first pregnancy I slept 12 hours every night during the last month (except to get up & pee of course!). With my 2nd pregnancy I couldn’t do that, but I did sneak in naps when my daughter slept. Remember some things can wait & your & your babies health is the most important right now. Even though you may have a list a mile long of things you want to get done before your baby arrives, they can wait. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from your hubby (of course), close friends & family.
*Check with your Doc to make sure you are cleared to exercise during your pregnancy* (You may go through a period where you need to take it easy but after a few days or weeks you can get moving again)
Tips:
- Aim for 30-60 minutes of cardio exercise everyday (yes, walking counts),
- Aim for at least 3 hours of cardio/week to maximize your benefits
- Aim for strength resistance exercise 2-4 times/week. (Lightweight exercises, pilates, & yoga, count)
- Stay hydrated. Always carry a bottle of water, preferably not plastic. (If you are thirsty you are dehydrated)
- Wear layers so you can easily remove outer ones when you get warm
- Don’t exercise outside in hot humid temperatures or indoors for that matter either if it hot inside
- Wear good supportive tennis shoes
- Remember, your body is changing so your balance may not be as good, just be aware.
