Surviving the baby making process

Pregnancy isn’t for the weak. Just as athletes have to prepare themselves for their impending physical endeavors, so do soon to be mothers. Make no mistake - babies are physiological wrecking balls. Pregnancy attacks joints, lean mass (muscle) levels, energy levels, body fat levels and muscle tone - and these are just SOME of the potential victims of baby making.

 Not only is it wise for hopeful mothers to begin preparing themselves for mommy-hood by training for increased strength, endurance, balance and injury prevention (all components of fitness and performance that are compromised by pregnancy) but it is strongly suggested that the mother begin this process PRIOR to conception and not during the pregnancy.

 The American College of Sports Medicine (and many other reputable health/fitness organizations) suggests that “exercise intensity should not exceed pre-pregnancy levels” meaning that if you were exercising prior to pregnancy, it should be safe to continue to do so at similar levels of intensity after conception assuming all reasonable precautions are being taken - whereas, on the other hand, if you were doing nothing prior to pregnancy, it is advised that you refrain from initiating any vigorous exercise regimens once you are with child.

 Trying to get pregnant but not having much luck? WebMD tells us “moderate physical activity was found to benefit women of all body types in a new study examining the impact of exercise on fertility.”

 It’s like the old adage says, proper prior planning prevents piss poor performance (the 7 Ps). Pregnancy is nothing short of war - and one of the battles you’ll encounter during this war will be against atrophy (muscle loss). The trick is to take advantage of the healthy state you are in prior to pregnancy to prepare for the compromised state you will be in during pregnancy or as Sun Tzu put it, “In peace prepare for war, in war prepare for peace.”

 So what can you do? Simple, you can plan ahead and be prepared by training your body for strength, strength endurance, joint stability, injury prevention and lean mass gains to combat all the negative effects of pregnancy. The potential benefits of being a fit mom are, but are not limited to, less weight/fat gain and joint pain, higher energy levels, better mobility, better circulation, better mood, easier labor, better recovery after birth of child, etc.

 Don’t know where to start and/or worried about hurting yourself or your soon-to-be new family member? Call or email Fast Twitch today to set up your free fitness consultation and trial training session so that we can explain to and show you what training with a competent and experienced professional can do to improve your child bearing (and birthing) experience.