CrossFit during pregnancy! I mean really people, come on… You thought I was going to say skip it & wait until after pregnancy right? 🙂
Well.. that just depends on what your activity level was prior to pregnancy & how your pregnancy is going. In response to all this publicity Lea-Ann Ellison has gotten about her doing CrossFit while being very pregnant, or wait, is it more the fact that she posted this picture (see below)? Really who knows, but either way, it has definitely stirred up a lot of controversy!
(photo from CNN.com)
I love this headline from Huffington Post(which is a great article by the way), “Pregnant CrossFit Mom Infuriates Misguided Know-It-Alls On Facebook” – I mean really, let’s all come back to reality & use our common sense, because last time I checked we are all individual & different (key word “different”)…
CrossFit can have a negative connotation to it because, lets face it there are a lot of trainers out there who push-push-push their clients too far & there are a lot of people who don’t listen to their bodies & end up being injured. I myself like some components of CrossFit, but I don’t care for the extreme of it, so that said, don’t just jump to a conclusion without having all your facts straight!
Take a look at her picture. While it does look like she’s lifting a LOT of weight, the CrossFit composite weight plates can be misleading; all she is lifting is 65 pounds! I’m sure her 8 or 12 year old weigh that. So think about that for a minute. It’s not okay for a conditioned pregnant mom to engage in CrossFit weight training, but it’s okay for a very pregnant mom to lift her 65-pound kid? I mean really, you could do way more damage to your body lifting a child then properly lifting 65 pounds. I’m not saying she should lift her 8 year old or that you should– but I just wanted to put a little perspective on this.
Although it’s okay & safe for Lea-Ann Ellison to do CrossFit style weight lifting that doesn’t mean it’s okay for you. Her doctor gave her the ok to continue her CrossFit workouts while pregnant. Everyone’s pregnancies are different, so just talk with your doctor to be on the safe side.
During my 1st pregnancy I was doing advanced Pilates exercises way longer in my pregnancy then I would ever have a client do, but that’s because I knew my limits & knew what my body could handle, plus the signs for me to back off. That’s really the key to all this, knowing when it’s time to slow down & decrease your activity. Which Ellison absolutely has, going from CrossFit workouts 5 times per week to only 3 & I’ll bet she’s decreased her intensity & probably takes longer periods of time to rest/recover. Strength training (including knowing when & how to modify) can greatly benefit your body during pregnancy, prepare for labor, & you can bounce back much quicker after baby!
I love Ellison’s statement from the CNN article, “Haters will hate and it’s ok. My life is not their life thank goodness,” she posted on Facebook. “Be sensible & choose what works for you & your body, not what works for someone else.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.
You’ll notice on most all of my workouts & exercises I do my best to offer modifications to make them work for as many pregnant mamas as possible. That said, if something doesn’t feel good or right for your body, skip it & move on.
I’ll finish up with this statement from Ellison “I… strongly believe that pregnancy is not an illness, but a time to relish in your body’s capabilities to kick ass.” Who the hell ever said anything about pregnancy being an ‘illness’, really!!! Now let’s move on with our lives!!
Kick some ass mamas!!!!
~Erica
P.S. Just promise me you’ll choose what works & is appropriate for your body.
Check out these related articles:
- Why You Should Be Exercising During Pregnancy
- When Not To Exercise During Pregnancy
- Exercising Tips During Your 3rd Trimester
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