Getting Fit During your Pregnancy and After

I had the opportunity to interview Stacy Reilly a Personal Trainer.

Sherri B: Stacy-Please tell us about yourself.

Stacy: I am an Advantage trainer at Reebok Sports Club New York in Manhattan and I train clients in a semi-private gym on West 72nd street or in the privacy of their own home. I am trained in the special needs and requirements of pre and post-natal clients. I am also certified through ACE, NASM and I am a MAT (muscle activation techniques) jumpstart specialist. I know those are a lot of acronyms but basically I work on postural alignment, correcting muscles imbalances and helping people look and feel great! You can find more information about me at http://nycprivatetrainer.com.

Sherri B: Why exercise?

Stacy: First, you MUST check with your doctor to make sure it’s ok for you to workout. Unless you have a specific problem, your doctor should tell you exercise is the best thing you can do doing your pregnancy because it will improve your posture, decrease some common discomforts like backaches, fatigue and leg cramps. It will also relieve stress and help make labor much easier!

Sherri B: What exercises are safe during pregnancy?

Stacy: Most exercises are safe to perform as long as you exercise with caution and don’t overdo it. If you had been exercising before, you should be able to continue in moderation. If you haven’t been exercising but want to start, that’s okay too as long as you do light exercises. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) recommends 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise per day unless you have a medical complication. Walking is one of the best cardiovascular activities you can do. Also, swimming is wonderful and so is stationary cycling and low-impact aerobics. Weight lifting and core strengthening are also very important and safe when done correctly. It would be great to consult a trainer for at least one session to make sure you are doing the exercises in the proper form.

Sherri B: What exercises should a pregnant woman avoid?

Stacy: You should avoid vigorous exercise in hot, humid weather and make sure to drink plenty of water to avoid overheating and dehydration. You shouldn’t hold your breath during any activity. You should obviously avoid any contact sports (ie. softball and basketball) or any activity where falling is likely (ie. skiing and horseback riding). Also, pregnant women shouldn’t do any activity that requires extensive jumping, hopping, skipping, bouncing or running. You should not lie on your back for more than three minutes and not at all once you are in the second trimester. You should also avoid full sit-ups and any twisting exercises because your stomach muscles can separate during pregnancy and it’s hard to get them back together once they separate.

Sherri B: Can a pregnant woman jog during her pregnancy?

Stacy: Yes you can jog in moderation. Be aware of how you feel. If anything hurts, stop and if you feel like you are working too hard you probably are and should stop.

Sherri B: Does heart rate matter when you are pregnant?

Stacy: Some doctors say your heart rate should not exceed 140 beats per minute but most new studies show that as long as you use the RPE method you should be fine. That means Ratings of Perceived Exertion. In other words, if you feel like you are working too hard, you are and you should slow down. You can also use the talk test which determines if you can talk then you are working at a decent level. If you are very winded or out of breath, that means you are working too hard.

Sherri B: What exercises are important to do pre-natal and post natal?

Stacy: I would say the most important exercises are learning neutral spine, the draw in technique to keep your stomach muscles strong and flat, kegels, cats and dogs, pelvic tilts and pelvic lifts, wall sit with inner thigh squeezes, squats and opposite arm/leg exercise for the low back and shoulders. Also, flexibility exercises are very important especially ones for your calves. You should remember when doing these exercises that your joints may feel loser and you may have a greater range of motion because you are producing a hormone called relaxin. Therefore, range of motion should be conservative while strength training and stretching.

Sherri B: What is a kegel? Why are kegels so important to do?

Stacy: A kegel is an exercise that helps strengthen the pelvic floor. They are so important to do even when you are not pregnant because they strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor during pregnancy to help counter-act the extra weight and stress and they help with making delivery faster and easier. After pregnancy, they help restore the integrity of the pelvic floor and may help you from not wearing “Depends” diapers any time soon!

Sherri B: How would you do a kegel correctly?

Stacy: To do a kegel, think of when you are peeing and you want to stop. Also think about your pelvic floor as an elevator and when you stop the pee, you want to draw in and up. You may feel your lower abs tighten a bit. Practice holding this position for as long as you can.

Sherri B: What exercises can you do within the first 6 weeks of having a newborn?

Stacy: As I said earlier, you MUST check with your doctor first to make sure it’s okay to workout. Then, you can do whatever you were previously doing or you can start something new. The key is moderation and using RPE (Ratings of Perceived Exertion). That basically means do not workout until exhaustion. If you can’t talk normally you are probably working too hard.

Sherri B: What exercise would you recommend after the first 6 weeks?

Stacy: Again, just do as much as you can. You can do as much as you feel comfortable doing right up until you deliver! Obviously, you have to change the way you do the exercises because your body is constantly changing. For example, you will need to do a lot of your exercises in a wider stance with your toes pointed out.

Sherri B: How do you help reduce low back pain?

Stacy: I would do cats and dogs which is when you get on the ground on all fours and arch your back up and down. I would do 12-15 repetitions. Then I would do the draw-in technique, which is where you draw your belly button into your spine. Make sure to keep a neutral curve in your back. Do not flatten your back when you draw your belly in. These exercises may help but it is really best to let someone take a look at your alignment because something else may be off that is causing you to have this pain.

Sherri B: How soon can you exercise after delivery?

Stacy: It’s best to ask your doctor but most women can safely perform a low-impact activity one to two weeks after a vaginal birth or three to four weeks after a c-section. Although some women are told to wait 6 weeks. You should not run or participate in other high impact activities until after 6 weeks.


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