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Monday, July 28, 2008
Exercise and pregnancy
Sometimes, when women find out they’re pregnant, they quit exercising. They’re worried that too much exertion might harm their growing baby.
I’ve written before about prenatal fitness, and the importance of maintaining a reasonable exercise program during pregnancy. It’s always smart to consult your physician, but there’s a way to exercise safely. And it may benefit your baby in the long run.
Now Austin moms-to-be have a new resource in Total Mommy Fitness.
Tatum Rebelle recently unveiled the new company, which works with pregnant women and new mothers in their own homes, helping them work exercise into their busy daily routines and evaluating their nutrition plans. She also is helping to dispel myths about moms and working out.
Rebelle, 26, an ex-drill sergeant for the U.S. Army, used to work as a trainer at gyms in Scottsdale, Dallas and Fort Worth. She decided to start the company after noticing that many women stop going to the gym when they get pregnant, and many never return after they give birth. “I saw a huge need for this. I was looking for a resource as a trainer and couldn’t find one,” Rebelle says.
Now she is certified in personal training and prenatal and postnatal fitness by the American Council on Exercise. She’s also a member of the Mayor’s Fitness Council.
She and her team of trainers work one-on-one with clients, making sure they develop routines they can do between feeding babies, getting kids to school and heading to work. Total Mommy Fitness offers programs for women before they get pregnant, during and even after pregnancy, and when they have toddlers and young children.
“If a woman is pregnant, we work hand in hand with her doctor to make sure we’re not doing anything that goes against his or her recommendations,” Rebelle says. “We’re experts in pregnancy exercise, we know what they can do and can’t do and how to modify it accordingly.”
The program is individualized, focusing on each family and its specific needs. “One mom may have a problem with nutrition, another with getting motivated to exercise. We really sit down with them and go into their home and learn about their life and adapt accordingly,” Rebelle says. “We make it realistic and feasible for them.”
A package of 10 sessions starts at $850. Trainers meet clients at their home, so their child can nap or play during the session, or at a park, where the child can play.
“We start by assessing needs. If nutrition is their biggest problem, we start at the grocery store. We walk through the aisles, not telling them specific things to buy but showing them how to shop so they don’t leave with a basket full of junk food,” Rebelle says. “We get to know the person.”
Nutritional counseling is part of every session, and most clients keep a food log. “I never build a plan that says eat this or eat that for breakfast or lunch, but I’ll look at the log and we’ll talk about it,” Rebelle says.
Total Mommy Fitness also offers on-line training. If kids or dad want to get involved, Rebelle encourages a family session. For more information, go to www.totalmommyfitness.com, call 512-428-5673 or email info@totalmommyfitness.com.
Here are Rebelle’s Top 10 Myths about exercise and pregnancy::
- Myth: Exercise causes low birth weight. Total Mommy Fitness: Babies born to mothers who exercise are often born about 10 percent leaner, but with normal height and cranial circumference. They are more likely to remain leaner and fit throughout their lives.
- Myth: No weight training. Total Mommy Fitness: Resistance training is a vital part of any fitness program and can be maintained throughout pregnancy. Going slowly and using good form is important to prevent injury, but that is true whether pregnant or not.
- Myth: Exercise must be low-intensity. Total Mommy Fitness: The intensity of a pregnancy workout is a direct reflection of a woman’s pre-pregnancy fitness level. The same intensity can be maintained, and will naturally decrease as pregnancy progresses. Even if a woman has never exercised before, she can work out during pregnancy.
- Myth: Exercising in the first trimester will cause miscarriage. Total Mommy Fitness: A regular fitness regimen can be maintained from the beginning until delivery in a healthy pregnancy, with minimal modifications. There is no connection between exercise and miscarriage.
- Myth: Do not elevate heart rate over 140 beats per minute. Total Mommy Fitness: Women will often naturally have a higher heart rate at times during pregnancy. It is more important to listen to your own body, and use perceived exertion. Pregnant women should be able to speak comfortably while exercising.
- Myth: Do not elevate body temperature. Total Mommy Fitness: Pregnant women are better able to dissipate heat. Research has shown no abnormalities or fetal distress associated with increased body temperature caused by exercise.
- Myth: Entangled umbilical cord. Total Mommy Fitness: Exercise reduces the incidence of entanglement.
- Myth: Premature or prolonged labor. Total Mommy Fitness: There is no correlation found between premature labor and exercise, though it can reduce labor time by about 30 percent.
- Myth: Exercise can cause fetal distress and difficulties for baby after birth. Total Mommy Fitness: Remaining active during pregnancy actually reduces fetal distress and babies adapt faster to the outside and handle labor better, usually receiving better Apgar scores.
- Myth: Do no perform abdominal exercises during pregnancy. Total Mommy Fitness: Women can continue abdominal exercises, ensuring that they are doing so safely. They should not perform exercises lying on their back after the first trimester, and avoid twisting exercises if they have Diastasis Recti (separation of the abdominal muscles).
Here are some scenes from the opening party of Total Mommy Fitness last weekend:
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Skip the water cup on the hike-and-bike trail
I’m trying to break my paper cup habit.
For years, RunTex owner Paul Carrozza has provided free water stations to walkers and runners on the trail around Lady Bird Lake. Besides jugs of iced-down water, he stocks the stations with paper cup dispensers.
The cold water is crucial, but the cups are wasteful. That’s why RunTex is trying to wean us off the cups. The store promises to keep supplying the water.
I’ll miss the convenience, but I’m all for the change. It’s such a waste of resources, and I cringe when I see trash cans full of once-used cups. I’ve stood at the stations and watched one person use multiple cups. Then seen them at the next station, plucking another cup out of the dispenser.
On Saturday, my running buddies and I braved a 7-mile run. For the first time, I carried a bottle along the way. I worried it would bother me, but it really didn’t. After a few minutes, I hardly noticed it. It’ll be even easier when I get one of those detachable handles to allow me to carry a bottle in my hand without gripping it. Or I could buy a belt that lets me carry a bottle around my waist.
One nice consequence of carrying my own water? I drank more along the way. I didn’t have to wait until I reached a station to rehydrate. In this heat, that’s a good thing. (If you forget your bottle, don’t hesitate to use one of the cups — hydration is vital!)
I’m not alone. People are still using the cups that RunTex sets out, but I see more and more people carrying their own bottles. Hopefully, Carrozza will be able to cut back on the $3,000 a month he spends to pay for the cups.
Let’s make an effort to do our part. We don’t really need the cups. It’s environmentally friendly to refill a plastic bottle. You still get the water you need, but the planet saves the energy needed to make that cup.
If everyone skipped the cup, we could make a difference.
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