Biofeedback & lessons of pregnancy
I'm just shy of 6 months pregnant and trying to stay fit. Eating heartily at nearly every meal, feeling malaise more often and gaining visible and palpable weight is a combination that is sure to make any person feel unfit and unhealthy. I feel like a two legged cow.
My pre-pregnancy exercise regimen was good, even if I had to drag myself to keeping up with it. Twice I week I did an hour of intermediate step aerobics with weight lifting and ab work. I would follow this up with a short supplemental cardio period and more muscle toning. It would amount to effectively 2 to 2.5 hrs of workout twice a week, in addition to which I run for 45 mins to 1 hr on Saturday mornings with the Asha running group. Early in my first trimester I ran a half marathon in about 9.5 a mile.
My first trimester extreme nausea and depression led to irregular and reduced exercise. As my energy started picking up and my food started staying down, I was able to increase my exercise, but the intensity has been regularly unsatisfying. There have been two recent occasions when I must have over exerted myself because I felt particularly terrible afterwards and had cramping / contractions etc.
Although I like being fit, active and work hard to enjoy looking at myself in the mirror, it has never come naturally to me, or been easy. Every run is a fight and I have to push myself every time to the gym. So I have a dilemma. When I cut back on my exercise now, am I doing the right thing for my body and the baby, or am I just being lazy ?
The easiest pregnancy advice is for mom to listen to her biofeedback. If it doesn't feel good, don't do it. Simple, right...?
Well, not really.
Biofeedback has told me all my life not to get out of bed in the morning, not to workout, to eat fried foods or groan & stop after one crunch. Why should a strategy that has proved significantly flawed in the past suddenly work perfectly now that I'm pregnant ?
I'm no professional athlete, and I don't have any intentions of competing with the likes of Paula Radcliffe. But there are countless articles out there that busts the pregnancy myth of "as much rest as possible". The consistent message is, "If you're already active, you don't have to change a whole lot - just be cautious and understand your bodily changes". It is worth noting that Paula Radcliffe made several mistakes despite the close attention she was paying.
My perinatologist (high risk ob - he specializes in multiples) is a runner, very much in the loop to my athletic and aesthetic needs for my body. I appreciate that he doesn't judge me, although I do acknowledge women who say that their evaluation of themselves shift from body image to their far nobler role as mom. His advice and the articles out there focus on the Go-Go-Go women, who are naturally rearing to run about. There's a lot of rah-rah for these women with some cautions about keeping their heart rate below 140 for safety.
Although I'd love to, I don't fall into that category. I fall into the lazy-fat-ass category, working very hard to transcend it. I do feel more in touch with my body than some, however, it is still a significant challenge to balance the bogus biofeedback with the real, the book-learned knowledge and medical advice. Paula's technique was to continue running, but lower her intensity. I'm doing that, and although it is re-assuring, there are no absolute measures.
I suppose this struggle will continue, both within and outside of fitness. One among the many steps of adulthood, I am sure, is to battle through the challenges in seeking balance that is right for oneself.
My pre-pregnancy exercise regimen was good, even if I had to drag myself to keeping up with it. Twice I week I did an hour of intermediate step aerobics with weight lifting and ab work. I would follow this up with a short supplemental cardio period and more muscle toning. It would amount to effectively 2 to 2.5 hrs of workout twice a week, in addition to which I run for 45 mins to 1 hr on Saturday mornings with the Asha running group. Early in my first trimester I ran a half marathon in about 9.5 a mile.
My first trimester extreme nausea and depression led to irregular and reduced exercise. As my energy started picking up and my food started staying down, I was able to increase my exercise, but the intensity has been regularly unsatisfying. There have been two recent occasions when I must have over exerted myself because I felt particularly terrible afterwards and had cramping / contractions etc.
Although I like being fit, active and work hard to enjoy looking at myself in the mirror, it has never come naturally to me, or been easy. Every run is a fight and I have to push myself every time to the gym. So I have a dilemma. When I cut back on my exercise now, am I doing the right thing for my body and the baby, or am I just being lazy ?
The easiest pregnancy advice is for mom to listen to her biofeedback. If it doesn't feel good, don't do it. Simple, right...?
Well, not really.
Biofeedback has told me all my life not to get out of bed in the morning, not to workout, to eat fried foods or groan & stop after one crunch. Why should a strategy that has proved significantly flawed in the past suddenly work perfectly now that I'm pregnant ?
I'm no professional athlete, and I don't have any intentions of competing with the likes of Paula Radcliffe. But there are countless articles out there that busts the pregnancy myth of "as much rest as possible". The consistent message is, "If you're already active, you don't have to change a whole lot - just be cautious and understand your bodily changes". It is worth noting that Paula Radcliffe made several mistakes despite the close attention she was paying.
My perinatologist (high risk ob - he specializes in multiples) is a runner, very much in the loop to my athletic and aesthetic needs for my body. I appreciate that he doesn't judge me, although I do acknowledge women who say that their evaluation of themselves shift from body image to their far nobler role as mom. His advice and the articles out there focus on the Go-Go-Go women, who are naturally rearing to run about. There's a lot of rah-rah for these women with some cautions about keeping their heart rate below 140 for safety.
Although I'd love to, I don't fall into that category. I fall into the lazy-fat-ass category, working very hard to transcend it. I do feel more in touch with my body than some, however, it is still a significant challenge to balance the bogus biofeedback with the real, the book-learned knowledge and medical advice. Paula's technique was to continue running, but lower her intensity. I'm doing that, and although it is re-assuring, there are no absolute measures.
I suppose this struggle will continue, both within and outside of fitness. One among the many steps of adulthood, I am sure, is to battle through the challenges in seeking balance that is right for oneself.