QuestionQUESTION: I am 29 years old and healthy, but not physically fit. I would rate myself as slightly overweight. I am expecting and would like to start exercising on a regular basis. Is it safe for me to start walking 30 mins a day on a treadmill? And at what pace? Also, can I lift weights? (3-5lbs) And is there any truth to the statement that a pregnant woman isn't supposed to lift her arms over her head during pregnancy (apparently the cord may wrap around the babies neck)??? Just curious if this applies or not as many of the weight routines I have on DVD have overhead extensions.
Thank you,
-Lexi-
ANSWER: How many weeks along are you?
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QUESTION: I am only 4-5 weeks along.
AnswerCongratulations on having the motivation to start exercising! Both you and your developing baby will gain tremendous health benefits through your participation in regular prenatal exercise.
Fitness walking on a treadmill will be a good place for you to start. You want to want at a brisk pace, one that gets your heart rate up to a level that your perceive as "somewhat difficult." If you can maintain this intensity for 30 minutes, great. But if you find yourself having difficulty, lower the intensity by either walking slower, or lowering the incline.
After three weeks of working out on most days of the week, or when you can easily do 30 minutes at a moderate pace, you can slowly increase the intensity of your workouts. Start by walking either a little bit faster, or at a steeper incline for one minute, then go back down to to a more moderate level for the next three minutes. After a few weeks of this, you can increase the time spent at the higher level.
Always stay in a zone where you can maintain a normal speaking voice, no panting. You can continue to slowly build up your cardiovascular strength until you are at 20 weeks.
After twenty weeks, slowly begin to taper down the intensity of your workouts. At this point consider starting a prenatal yoga class, or swimming. You can continue to fitness walk until delivery, or the few weeks before.
As to weights, 3 to 5 pounds is very light and will not have a great effect on your body either way. But weights do augment postural problems, poor body usage, and structural issues, so I recommend that you hire a great personal trainer who is experienced in prenatal who can teach you how to use weights correctly.
It is NOT true that lifting weight over the head causes the umbilical cord to wrap around the baby's neck! Over head lifting of heavy weights can stress the spine in the latter stages of pregnancy, when the abdominal wall does not provide adequate core control and ligaments and other connective tissues are more lax.
Since you are slightly over your ideal weight, consider consulting with a nutritionist who can determine the ideal number of calories that you should consume on a daily basis. This will prevent you from over-gaining as your pregnancy continues.
