My non-triathlete friends and family that is. The reason is, I'm planning on doing some races this summer. Which means I need to start training pretty soon after Little One's arrival. The non-triathletes think I'll be doing well if I manage to get out of my pjs in the first few weeks!
I'm ignoring them and have pulled together a tentative programme:
• 31 Jul, Quayside Sprint Triathlon
• 05 Aug, Phoenix Tri Aquathlon
• 11 Sep, Team Sprint Champs
• 02 Oct, Malta Championships Olympic Distance
Plus I need to get some 5 and 10km runs under my belt too as that was my weakest point last year (and I haven’t run now for months!)
Is it too much? Is it too soon? Will I even want to train once baby is here? Not sure I can answer any of these definitively but here’s my current thinking:
• I’ve had a lovely, easy pregnancy and have trained consistently pretty much throughout;
• I’m really curious to see what effects training and pregn...Read on..>
It’s been a hard couple of weeks. Much as I’d like to say I’ve been training consistently, the truth is pregnancy has finally gotten in the way.
My weight has ballooned to nearly 70kg – up from a race weight of about 55kgs, with consequent effects on energy levels and mobility. And a pregnancy-related skin rash has kept me out of the pool and away from anything that involves getting hot and sweaty. So bye bye turbo too… However I still walk, do yoga and weights about 5 times per week so it’s not all lost. And I’m hoping that the rash will clear up soon so that I can get back in the pool. I’m actually missing that loads…
It’s all OK though. When I look at my Training Peaks log I’m really very happy with what I’ve achieved during this pregnancy.
- I've averaged about 6-7 hours training per week, which compares well to my 8-9 hours when in full flow last year.
- I think I've made some major headway in the swim - my typical session now is 2km plus, where...Read on..>
I’ve got to say, back when I started getting a bump (seems like ages ago) I thought that turbo training on my road bike would have limited life cycle. Having always been slim, the emergence of a bump felt really peculiar and uncomfortable.
But I'm now well into the third trimester and the road bike is still on the turbo, and being used! There have been many a lesson learnt and adjustments along the way. Here’s some of the things I’ve discovered you need:
1. Cycle shorts that don’t strangle your bump.
Hmmm. Easier said than done. I’ve looked all over interweb for some suitable padded shorts but didn’t get very far. The only option seems to be very expensive ones from the states. So instead I decided to try an oversize pair of cheapos from Sports Direct. Bad move. The padding was nasty and totally in the wrong place. Plus my legs haven’t grown in size at all. So whilst a size 14 was OK around the bump, the legs were far too loose. The answer in the end was to ta...Read on..>
Or so I thought…
Back in 2010, coach Fi suggested that I should perhaps try a bit of yoga. Erm, not that keen... I mean, I’m a trainer, I know the benefits of stretching and I DO stretch. Sometimes. When I’ve got 5 minutes. Yoga is a bit soft… I thought…
Anyhow, flash forward to being pregnant and everyone I know is recommending pregnancy yoga! Apparently yoga can help with loads of stuff in pregnancy and labour:
- It helps prepare for labour by teaching you to find and release tension in the body.
- Specific postures can be practiced to improve flexibility of the hip joints.
- It can prevent and decrease pain in the lower back and sciatica - common complaints during pregnancy.
- Yoga emphasises breathing techniques and relaxation. The ability to focus on breathing and relaxing through labour contractions should help decrease pain and allow labour to progress better.
- Certain postures are thought to encourage the foetus to m...Read on..>
When I'm struggling to find the energy or motivation for training, here's my top 3 reasons to get moving.
3. Exercise has been shown to influence the outcome of labour. Just look at these numbers taken from “Exercising through your pregnancy” by James F Clapp. The study compared a group of women who exercised with a group who didn't. The differences are staggering.
Exercising Group / Non-exercising group
• Pain relief required i.e. epidural: 51% / 78%
• Labour stimulation: 29% / 58%
• Spontaneous delivery: 86% / 53%
• C- Section: 9% / 29%
33% less likely to need a C Section?
35% decrease in need for pain relief?
50% less likely to need an induction?
Oh and 65% of exercising women delivered in under 4 hours…
YES PLEASE!!!
2. Gestational age at delivery. It would appear that women who exercise are more likely to deliver earlier at term than those who don’t. Note: “At term” refers to post 37 w...Read on..>
It’s cold and wet and my motivation is a little on the low side. So I’ve compiled a list of reasons to get off the couch and onto the turbo…
- Exercise releases a bundle of endorphins which will make you feel happy and energised. These hormones will do well to balance out (at least for a while) all the pregnancy hormones that makes one feel cranky and fed up.
- Exercise will help improve your sleep patterns which will be useful as pregnancy progresses. A good night’s sleep may be hard to come by while pregnant. In the early stages it’ll be frequent visits to the loo, anxiety or weird dreams. As pregnancy progresses, it’ll be bump discomfort. Plus your own circadian rhythms will be altered as they start falling into step with your baby’s, who unhelpfully has no concept of day and night yet… A good workout will at least ensure you’re feeling physically tired when you head hits the pillow.
- Prepares for the physical demands of labour and motherhood. Apparently...Read on..>
I’ve slowly started getting back into a routine. I’m now through with my first trimester and to be honest, it’s been a doddle. I haven’t felt particularly tired. Not had any nausea. I’m gradually putting on weight, but so far I still feel pretty normal. I guess I'm pretty lucky. You hear some pretty horrible stories about first trimesters - I wonder whether my training background has anything to do with it. (That's perhaps a question for another entry...)
Training has been OK. I wouldn’t say great. I’m slightly lacking motivation as next year seems so far away. And what with Xmas and snow and ice – I’ve missed a few sessions. But I’m thinking it’s probably like that for everyone at this time of the year.
The regime is working well, I think. Working at lower intensities is different from anything I’m used to. It feels very different coming back from a session and feeling refreshed and energised rather than completely whacked. And I’m really sticking with it. Even thoug...Read on..>
I’ve not done very much since my last race, in early October, but it’s now time to catch up with Fiona about training and racing plans for next year.
Fiona was, of course, very supportive of my plan to do as much as possible while pregnant. In fact, her general reaction was: Good, that way you’ll have to do the sub-threshold workouts that you’ve avoided all your life!!!
Hahaha. She’s right of course: I’ve always tended to go too hard and too fast (and then blow up) and never really trained myself to be efficient at lower intensities. This would be a perfect opportunity to spend time at lower HR intensities and hopefully reap the rewards post-pregnancy.
Within a few days, we’d agreed on a set of parameters:
- HR (Heart Rate): I’d be focusing on the Aerobic Heart Rate Zone 2 (using a four zone structure). That’s 75-85% of HRMax. This would translate to a target HR of 162. To put this in perspective, my last 10km ‘easy’ run averaged at 182 and a typical tur...Read on..>
Before I start off, my caveat: I’m not a medical person so please don’t take anything in this or other entries as medical advice. I’ll strive to ensure the information here is correct and I hope to provide an alternative view of how someone could exercise while pregnant. But please do realise that each case is different and my path may not be suitable for all.
So back to the question: What’s really a risk when you’re pregnant. Here’s what I’ve found:
1) Foetal Hypoxemia – Low oxygen in Foetus
Put simply, when you exercise blood flow is diverted towards the working muscles and away from other organs. Other organs will include the uterus and foetus in a pregnant woman. As a result, there is the risk that not enough oxygen reaches the foetus especially if exercising at a high intensity and for a long duration. This is a real risk and this is where many of the warnings to not exceed a particular HR come from. My objection however, is that a blanket do not exceed XX...Read on..>
I want to continue training - that much is a given. But I also need to make sure that it's "safe" for me and my bundle of cells. So, surely it's just a question of deciding what these parameters where.
I’m a Personal Trainer and have trained a few pregnant ladies. However my experience has been in the “I'm pregnant and would like to start exercising” category rather than “I'm already fit and strong and want to maintain this” category, which is where I saw myself.
Not a problem. A bit of research into my old coursework / professional bodies / internet will surely provide some wisdom. No?
The problem very quickly became apparent:
1) Information available mostly assumes that the pregnant lady has little or no prior experience and fitness;
2) Professional bodies, whether NHS, ACOG (American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists), Personal Trainer networks or other literature, tend to be ultra cautious;
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