What do you do for workouts?

[lorihart]

Hi Everyone,
My husband and I are thinking about having a baby.Actually I am pretty sure that he wants one right now.All of his friends are having babies.
I had a baby when I was 17.Almmost 7 years ago.Before I got pregnate I was doing the Buns OF Steel tapes.But gave it up when I found out that I was pregnat b/c I didn't think that you were suppose to be bouncing around.(I know that sounds rediculious now).I just walked and only gained 32 pounds.
Now, I am wondering what you ladies do while your with child? Can I do my Cathe tapes but listen to my body? Or should I take it easier? Can I lift weights like I do now or should I take that easier to? How many calories do you eat in the run of a day?
If I feel the same way I did the last time I won't have to worry about eating anything b/c I will be to sick.
Anyway,I was just wondering.What do Cathe fans do while they are pregnat?
THanks,
Lori

 

[gina]

Lori! I just have to laugh because aren't you the Lori people are all clamoring to for info on the other discussion boards!

I am hardly an expert on this and am only 10 or 11 weeks pregnant myself. At first I became soooo short of breath and my heart rate rose very quickly. Both have gotten a little better with time. But, yes, I continue to do my Cathe tapes. No other tapes are made so well. I keep many moves low impact, somewhat out of fear of impact--although others here have helped to dispell this myth--but because the jumping seems like I am working too hard. I often pause the tape and let my heart rate come down. This is especially true of lifting. Heavy weights really do get your heart rate up. But I have continued to lift the same amounts. (Remarkable since my protein has gone from ~120 grams a day to, well, god only knows how little since meat isn't very appealing to me. My protein is almost all cheese and milk.) For the most part I work out every day to Cathe. Some days I quit early and/or really take it easy. But still, I have my hour and half days every now and again too.

As I approach my second trimester, I think some things may need to change. For instance, no laying on a flat bench (or bed for that matter!). To find out what they are, I have ordered a book others here recommended caled "Exercising through your pregnancy" by Dr. Clapp. "Fit to Deliver" by Dr. Nordahl has also been recommended. Sheila has offered to send people the AMCOG 2002 revised exercise guidelines if you e-mail her at

[email protected]


I am not sure how many calories I am eating. Easily way over 2000. I am amazed, absolutely amazed, I haven't gained weight yet because I feel like I am eating like a pig. And I am eating a lot of fat and sugar (fruit, yogurt, juice, bread). One day I'll wake up and be 10 pounds heavier!

Good luck with whatever decision you and your husband make. Gina

 

[tryin2bfit]

Hi Lori!

You'll find lots of expert advice on this forum regarding medical issues, etc, but I can tell you my experience.

I am almost 28 weeks pregnant with my fourth child - this is my first pregnancy where I have worked out fairly consistently. With my first 3 kids I gained 45 lbs each time, lost it easily the first 2 times and never did lose the last 10 lbs when my son was born almost 5 years ago.

I have kept up my Cathe workouts, and even continued my running in the first trimester. I just made sure I could talk without gasping for breath and slowed down when I felt my heart rate get too high. I stopped high impact cardio several months ago but continue to do Tae Bo tapes and Cathe step. Most of my workouts these days consist of Cathe's strength training - PS or MIS. I have actually been able to increase my weights in the past few weeks because I have been lifting more consistently now that I am pregnant and doing less cardio. I'm hoping this will help shed the "baby fat" post-partum. I do all chest work and ab work on my step at an incline.

As far as calorie intake goes, I honestly don't count them (although I really should - those chocolate cravings are fierce ). I've gained at least 15 lbs so far and am hoping to keep the total gain to around 30 lbs this time. At 38 I know it'll be harder to lose it than it was when my first was born 9.5 years ago.

Anyway, good luck with your decision and have fun trying for that baby ;-)!

Sandi

 

[willowe]

Hi Lori,

I am currently 28 weeks along with my first and have continued working out with mainly Cathe videos (both strength and cardio). I modified the impact fairly early on, simply because the baby has been sitting on my bladder practically from day one, and it just hasn't felt comfortable to do alot of jumping! I also experienced alot of breathlessness in the early stages, and would take regular breaks to catch my breath and rehydrate.
I think the key is to maintain your level of fitness during pregnancy, rather than trying anything you haven't done before or pushing yourself beyond what your body has been used to. Had I not been used to doing "Cathe style workouts" prior to becoming pregnant, I don't think I would have been able to do them, simply because they are so much more intense than other workouts out there!
If, however, you are used to Cathe's workouts and her style, it is quite easy to modify most of her workouts to your level during pregnancy.
I hope this is helpful - all the best with whatever decision you (and DH!) make.
Kaz.

Today Is The Tomorrow We Worried About Yesterday And All Is Well.

 

[Beets]

Hi Lori,
I used to be an exercise fiend until I got pregnant. I am also a personal trainer so it was essential that I stay in shape. Well, I am 26 weeks pregnant now and I am still exercising but certainly not as consistently as I used to. I am finding that I am very tired a lot of the time due to early morning clients, working on the nursery, taking care of the house, etc. In fact, I kicked myself in the butt today because i looked at my exercise log on the computer and I had not done a formal workout since Oct. 16th. Granted, I was not sitting on my butt eating bon bons--I was "active" throughout the day doing chores, training clients, etc. but I still feel guilty. I got on the treadmill today and did my 40 minutes of interval inclines and feel a little redeemed. I am going to have to do better at making sure I get some exercise at LEAST 3 times per week. Lately, life has just gotten in the way and again, the fatigue. I thought I would just share with you that even the best of us fall off the wagon once in a while and that is okay. The key is to get back on the wagon again as soon as possible. Listen to your body and don't overdo it with the exercise.

 

[LovingLife]

This is great that you are getting such a variety of replies at different points of pregnancy. Every pregnancy is different and you'll know what you can do and handle and what you should modify as you go (without guilt! -- that's the toughie -- to not feel bad for not working out when you're too fatigued or whatever).

I'm almost 36 weeks pregnant (with my 6th baby) and didn't get to work out a whole lot in the first trimester with all the fatigue and a bit of nausea that I had. But in the second trimester, I worked my way back up to Cathe's workouts and continually modified here and there as the months progressed. Right now I'm down to a 4 inch step and don't do her faster step tapes anymore because they sort of make me dizzy to move my feet that fast. But I'm still able to do some step work, the first 1/2 of Cardio Kicks, Power Hour, and MIS in chunks. My weights have lightened up a lot, especially for the lower body since it already has extra weight to lift in things like squats, lunges, etc. Those squats and lunges have really helped alleviate lower back pain though and have made my last trimester more pleasant than some in the past.

There was a lot of pregnancy recommendations for the 2nd trimester that I didn't need to really implement until the 3rd trimester. Every body is different -- so read as much as you can of the guidelines and see what your body can do within that range.