Just found out today !

[lynn]

Hi there-
I just found out this afternoon that I am pregnant!! My husband and I started trying at the beginning of the month, and "wham" it happened!
I wanted to get some advice on what has worked from you all out there on what Cathe Tapes you have been doing throughout your pregnancy. I am an extremely avid exerciser, I have all of Cathe's tapes, both strength and cardio, and would like some suggestions on what has worked for you all and what hasn't.
Also, I know the importance of keeping the heartrate in the comfortable zone. Yet I don't see much on weight training. Any advice/guidelines for the area would sure be appreciated.
Thanks!
Lynn

 

[ErinF]

Congratulations!

What exciting news!!! A great book to help you out with guidelines for your fitness program is called Expecting Fitness by Birgitta Gallo. She gives lots of info on what you can expect from your body and specifics on how you'll need to alter various fitnes activities as your pregnancy progresses. It's wonderful!

Good luck! Keep us posted on how you're doing!!!

Erin

 

[Sheila]

Hi Lynn,

Congratulations to you and your husband. Wow, that was fast! I am sure that you will get lots of posts from our forum family regarding which Cathe tapes and rotations were comfortable for them during their pregnancies.

I have one bit of advice...... Forget about heartrate. You want to work on a "perceived exertion" of fairly light to somewhat hard, depending on how you feel that day, stage of pregnancy, etc. Another simple way of measuring intensity is the "talk test." If you can say 2 - 5 word sentences while working out, you and the baby are fine. Taking your heart rate is not a valid indicator of intensity during pregnancy so put that monitor away if you have one and just "listen to your own body." We're rooting for you and the "little one."

Good luck and welcome to our forum.

Sheila Watkins

 

[DebbieH]

Hi Lynn!

I just wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS!! Is this your 1st.? You must be feeling very well to want to continue your workouts. Good Luck and thanks for sharing! Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH

 

[lwseymour]

Congratulations Lynn!!!! I hope you have an easy, smooth pregnancy. Babies are so wonderful and words cannot express what a precious moment it is when they hand you the baby for the first time. And it only gets more fun as they grow up. Hope you're feeling well.

Lisa

 

[KJT]

Congrads, Lynn!! What exciting news!!! I am about to move out of my first trimester and wanted to share with you how I have used Cathe tapes to continue working out. When I first found out I was pregnant, I was completely hooked on the CTX series but just simply could not do those tapes due to the intensity and high impact moves. I had a VERY hard time letting go of the CTX series and just couldn't seem to modify the moves. I am still doing Cardiokicks with modifications and MIS, but have lowered my weights especially for the lower body section. Most of Cathe step tapes can be modified. It took me awhile to get the hang of "modifying" moves and toning down the high impact, but after some trial and error I got the hang of it.

Maintaining my exercise program has really helped me feel good about myself and my changing body, and it has helped me deal with fatigue and those crazy emotions. I hope that you are feeling well and remember to listen to your body. I have learned that our pregnant bodies do tell us exactly what we need to do in regards to exercise, so if you have a day where you just don't want to workout or are just tired, take a break. If you have a day where you feel like working out but just quite don't have the energy or motivation to do a Cathe tape, go for a walk. Good luck and enjoy all this excitement!!

 

[lynn]

Gosh, Thanks for all of the kind words!!

Thanks everybody for all of the congratulations! It was so nice to hear from you all! This is my first baby so it is nice to get all of the good words of advice! I have a feeling that I will be calling upon you all for words of advice and encouragement during the next 9 months!

Thanks again!
Lynn M.

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

RE: Gosh, Thanks for all of the kind words!!

Hi Lynn! I'm getting over here a little late but I just wanted to be sure to extend my congratulations to you too. There is nothing like the feeling of being pregnant for the first time. I'm soooo happy for you!

 

[lynn]

Thanks, Cathe

I sure appreciate the personal congrats from you!! You have definitely been a fitness role model to me before getting pregnant, and will look forward to having you be one to me during pregnancy, and after as well!
Thanks again,
Lynn

 

[arogerson]

Sheila was right on when she told you to follow the perceived exertion rule as opposed to the heart rate rule. My dr. told me a study was recently concluded involving 8000 pregnant women and the women that did the best during pregnancy used the perceived exertion rule. It is amazing what your body will tell you. I just had my baby. I did Cathe's step videos up until the day the baby was born; however, I had to modify many of the moves to low impact in my later months. I also ran until I was at 36 weeks. My body then told me it was time to start walking (of course my "running" was at a 5 mph pace at 36 weeks!) If you know your body, you will know what you can and can't do with the exception of abs, stop them at 4 months!! Best of luck to you!