Pump up the bump: Working out while pregnant

Pump up the bump: Working out while pregnant

Pump up the Bump!

You don’t need to exercise while pregnant! Stay on the couch, put those feet up and eat all the Cheetos, Doritos, and burritos you want. In fact, here are a few good reasons NOT to exercise while pregnant:

1) You like being an emotional wreck. Exercise is known for canceling out those wonderful stress hormones (hormones that are especially heightened during pregnancy). Why exercise when you can cry?

2) You are embracing pregnancies feel good side effects of backaches, water-retention, weight gain and difficulty sleeping. If you work out, you will not only calm your brain down but calm down those side effects.

3) You aren’t training for a marathon or trying to lose weight. Also, isn’t it dangerous to work out while pregnant? Were you planning on pulling a fire truck while pregnant? If not, most exercises don’t pose a risk to pregnancy. Many expectant moms are cleared by their doctors to try a new form of exercise (as long as that exercise isn’t fire dancing, flying trapeze, and our favorite, fire truck hauling). And no one expects or wants you to lose weight while pregnant. You need to keep that little person with the nine month lease on your uterus well nourished and happy. However, many women tend to gain too much weight (sometimes reaching to obesity levels). Exercise helps keep your weight gain to a healthy amount.

4) You love those cankles, the sexy body part that results from when your calf and ankle become one. Okay, no one really loves a cankle. Exercise is known for keeping those pesky varicose veins and bloated feet and ankles from taking over.

5) You are okay holding onto that baby weight post-pregnancy. Up till now, my mom loves to point out that she was in no rush to lose the baby weight. In fact, she had a personal timeline of not shedding the weight until the baby was in school. We didn’t know that by “school”, she was actually referring to when my brother left for college. Studies show that new mamas who worked out consistently during pregnancy fit into their pre-pregnancy jeans quicker than moms who stayed away from exercise. Also, new moms who worked out pregnant had a much easier time sticking to a consistent workout routine after the baby was born.

If you are reading this part of the article, you have caught on to us. We lied. Unless you are ordered by your doctor to stay on bed rest (but bed rest does not mean a Cheetos, Doritos, and burritos buffet), we at CalFit encourage you to exercise and get moving. Exercise not only sets apart the hot mamas from the mamas but will make you feel good on the inside. An active mom-to-be usually has an easier time in labor, and who wouldn’t want that for herself and her baby?

Come down to CalFit Martinez and make working out part of your pregnancy experience. If you are too intimidated to work out on your own, sign up for personal training with Ben or Stacey today. Stacey loves new moms because she is one herself. Unfortunately, you can’t shortcut any of your workouts with the excuse, “You don’t know what it’s like to work out while pregnant!” Stacey knows exactly what that’s like because she worked out all throughout her pregnancy. Obviously, Ben doesn’t know what it’s like to be pregnant but he’s trained plenty of expectant moms, including Stacey, Ben will adjust your workout to your specific needs and his workouts are proven to decrease your stress (for example, why yell at your husband when you can yell at Ben during your training session?).

For membership inquiries and personal training appointments, contact Ben at CalFit Martinez today at (415) 246-5191.