Pregnant women often are reminded that they need to eat for two. But some recommend sweating for two as well.
Moderate exercise during pregnancy can have a number of health benefits, said Dr. Jeffrey Marcus, an OB/GYN at Northside Hospital.
“Data show women who exercise have a much better feeling of well-being, have easier labor and tend to recover quicker,” Marcus said. “All those things can contribute to an easier and less complicated pregnancy and also an easier postpartum situation.”
Marcus said patients commonly ask if it’s safe to exercise while pregnant.
“They don’t have to stop exercising when they get pregnant,” Marcus said. “I talk to them about modifying their exercise routine to accommodate for changes of pregnancy.”
Women sometimes underestimate how tired they will be after physical activity, and often run out of breath much quicker than they think, he said.
As a result, pregnancy is not the time to test strength or endurance.
“If you can hold a conversation with someone running next to you that’s fine, but if you can’t talk because you’re working so hard, it’s too much,” Marcus said. “The baby needs a way to dissipate heat. If you’re working so hard you can’t dissipate heat, the baby can’t get rid of its heat.”
He suggests starting with a light workout, about half of a normal routine, and working up depending on how the body responds.
Clare Schexnyder, owner of Oh Baby! Fitness, created a company that offers exercise classes for expectant and new mothers.
Schexnyder, formerly a producer for celebrity doctor Sanjay Gupta, started the company after the birth of her daughter. She said she suffered from “awful postpartum depression,” and started going to a support group. The women she met in the group would call her and invite her to go on walks.
For information on classes at Northside Hospital, call 404-845-5555.
To reach Oh Baby! Fitness, call 678-528-1390.
“It was through that exercise and new friends I made that saved my life,” she said.
Now, her company is partnering with Northside to offer the classes at the hospital.
Schexnyder said almost any exercise, such as yoga or pilates, can be modified for pregnant women.
“We do a lot of sideline work, work on the wall, we just work around the growing belly,” Schexnyder said.
For example, pregnant women should not lie on their backs for an extended period of time, but everyone is different.
“Each woman has to listen to her own body,” Schexnyder said.
Jocelyn Burleson, of Buckhead, is 25 weeks pregnant and takes classes from Oh Baby! Fitness every week.
Burleson said she was a little hesitant about exercising at first.
“I’ve always been active, exercise has always been part of my routine,” Burleson said. “I knew I wanted to continue staying active and healthy, but I wasn’t sure exactly what I could do that was safe for me and the baby.”
The instructors in her classes are knowledgeable and make her feel comfortable that her workouts are safe, Burleson said. And taking weekly fitness classes has helped her keep up her energy and stay in shape.
“I feel so good. I try to tell as many of my pregnant friends as I can that they need to do this,” Burleson said.
Staying active, even just going for short walks during the day, can help women have an easier pregnancy.
“I think that hospitals and healthcare companies and doctors are recognizing that prevention and good health practices are really going to make a difference as far as women having pregnancies that require less medication and fewer C-sections,” Schexnyder said.
Marcus said exercise should continue after the baby is born, too.
“I encourage people to get active as quickly as they can, from a physical point of you and an emotional point of you,” he said. “There are a bunch of very positive things about getting out and doing stuff. And it’s a good way to socialize your baby.”