Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, and this is especially true during pregnancy. Regular exercise during pregnancy can provide numerous benefits for both the mother and the fetus. In this blog post, we will explore the benefits of exercise during pregnancy and provide tips for exercising safely.
Benefits of Exercise During Pregnancy
Improved overall health: Exercise can help to maintain a healthy weight, reduce the risk of gestational diabetes and hypertension, and improve cardiovascular health.
Reduced risk of cesarean delivery: Women who exercise during pregnancy may be less likely to require a cesarean delivery.
Reduced risk of preterm birth: Regular exercise during pregnancy has been associated with a lower risk of preterm birth.
Reduced risk of pregnancy complications: Exercise can help to reduce the risk of pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and preterm labor.
Improved mood and reduced stress: Exercise has been shown to improve mood and reduce stress, promoting a healthier pregnancy and potentially easier labor and delivery.
Reduced pregnancy-related discomfort: Exercise can help to alleviate common pregnancy-related discomforts such as back pain, constipation, and fatigue.
Healthier fetal growth: Exercise during pregnancy has been associated with healthier fetal growth and development.
How to Exercise Safely During Pregnancy
Before starting or continuing an exercise program during pregnancy, it is important to consult with your healthcare provider. Your provider can help you determine which exercises are safe and appropriate for you based on your health status and the stage of your pregnancy. Here are some general guidelines for safe and effective exercise during pregnancy:
Start slow and gradually increase the intensity of your workout: If you were not active before pregnancy, start with low-impact activities such as walking or swimming and gradually increase the duration and intensity of your workouts.
Choose low-impact exercises: Low-impact exercises such as walking, swimming, cycling, or prenatal yoga are generally safe for most pregnant women.
Stay hydrated and avoid getting overheated: Exercise in a cool, well-ventilated environment, and wear breathable clothing to avoid getting overheated. Drink plenty of water before, during, and after exercise to stay hydrated.
Some doctors suggest avoiding exercises that require you to lie flat on your back after the first trimester, because it can compress the vena cava, cause nausea, dizziness and reduce blood flow to the fetus and the mother’s brain. Others say that for short periods of time its not an issue. So check with your doc.
Listen to your body and adjust your exercise routine as needed: If you experience dizziness, shortness of breath, increased discharge or vaginal bleeding, stop exercising immediately and contact your healthcare provider.
Benefits to the Fetus
Regular exercise during pregnancy can promote healthier fetal growth and development. Studies have shown that exercise during pregnancy can lead to improved fetal oxygenation, increased placental weight, and reduced risk of fetal distress during labor. Additionally, babies born to mothers who exercised during pregnancy may have better cardiovascular health and improved cognitive function later in life.
In conclusion, regular exercise during pregnancy can bring numerous benefits for both the mother and the fetus. However, it’s essential to exercise safely and appropriately during this time to ensure the health and well-being of both. Talk to your healthcare provider about which exercises are safe for you, and listen to your body to make adjustments as needed. By staying active during pregnancy, you can help to promote a healthier pregnancy and potentially easier labor and delivery.
I just LOVE new sneakers. It tumbled out of my mouth today while in session with a client. I just realized I’m probably a bit more enthusiastic about this than your average person– and typically when our reactions are out of proportion there’s a historical aspect for us in that area, perhaps something traumatic. I almost held back but decided if I show up authentically without shame and shared my story, maybe it will help me or someone else to shed some needless shame.
When I was a little girl, my feet were so narrow I had to shop at a specialty shoe store where kids with wide feet and narrow feet and old people needing orthotics shopped. Some had feet so swollen they looked like bricks. I wanted so bad to wear Nikes like everyone else with medium feet and shop in a regular store. Shoes didn’t fit me right and it was hard to be comfortable. Still is; but one summer in an effort to try and get my feet to spread I wore moccasins. The front of my feet did spread but the heel didn’t, so I have narrow heels and need a shoe with a wider forefoot to make me comfortable but learned how to tie shoes in a runner’s loop so the heels don’t slip and now I can wear sneakers from lots of brands.
The pleasure I get from the comfort of new sneakers is enormous probably because of all I have had to go through. Well, it turns out my client then shared that her kids suffer with narrow feet and her boys have difficulty with heel slippage. I was able to share the special way I tie my shoes with her and save her kids from those heel blisters.
So basically because I was willing to be a little vulnerable, someone else didn’t have to suffer. The message: Be courageous. Healed? Pay it forward!
When your heel isn’t held firmly, your foot can slip forward and bump your toes against the front of your shoes.
Your fix is the Runner’s Loop:
Lace your shoes normally, crisscrossing them until you reach the second eyelet below the top on each side.
Instead of crossing over again, pull each lace end up on the same side, inserting it into the top eyelet on that side; you’ll form a loop.
Pull each lace end across and through the loop formed on the opposite side of the shoe.
Pull the lace ends up and out a few times in order to shrink down the loops so that they hold the lace securely on each side.
Finish by tying your shoelaces in the usual way.
Many shoe designs are built specifically to allow for the runner’s loop: They provide extra length in the laces and specific alignment of the last eyelets to give you the option of tying it.
Sneaker sales are historically on in January and April and you should replace your sneakers every 4-6 months depending on usage. Running shoes should be replaced every 300–500 miles. That’s because it’s around this point that the midsole cushioning on most shoes will lose resiliency and stop absorbing shock as well as when newer, which can cause more impact on your muscles and joints. This means that if you average 15 miles of running per week, then you’ll need to replace your shoes approximately every five to eight months. (If you track your runs with a GPS watch or your smartphone, it’s simple to figure out when you’re in the 300–500-mile range; otherwise you can estimate based on roughly how much you run each week.)
Here are additional factors that affect when to replace your running shoes:
Minimalist shoes have less cushioning, so expect them to be done around 300 miles.
Traditional running shoes and maximum cushioning shoes tend to last until around the 500-mile mark.
Heavier people will get fewer miles than lighter people, regardless of shoe type.
If you wear your running shoes casually, those miles also count toward the total.
Dirt on your shoes is no big deal, but if you see significant wear and tear, it may be time to retire your shoes. Keep an eye out for heel damage, worn soles and rips and tears.
If you notice new discomfort in your feet, legs, knees, hips or back after running, it may be time for a new pair of shoes. The same is true if you’re getting blisters or feeling hot spots where you never used to.
Q: Do I need Cross-Trainers?
Cross Trainers offer more lateral (side-to side) support than running shoes. Cross trainers allow for quick pivots, stops and starts whereas running shoes are often slightly elevated in the heel. An elevated heel in a running shoe helps propel a runner forward but doesn’t allow for the same side to side support in the forefoot needed in many HIIT workouts. It also shortens the calf muscle similar to a formal dress shoe or pump. This prohibits the athlete from achieving a full range in the squat or the lunge or the dead lift. I do suggest wearing cross-trainers for most personal training sessions and group fitness classes. There are a number of companies that make cross trainers and I don’t have a particular preference on brand. Find what fits well.
I have recently tested a few. If you have never tried a cross trainer or want to feel for yourself what qualities I have in mind for a good cross trainer in general for any of the workout classes or trainings I teach I have listed below, some good ones to try. When you try sneakers for cross training or any sport, practice the ways you will use those sneakers in the store! Yes, you may look a little funny, but its an athletic store and it only takes a few seconds to jump, do lateral lunges and pivot.
Nike Zoom Super Rep Go 3 Flyknit Nike FreeMetcon4 (11 different colors for women)or Metcon 5 (comes in 5 colors for women). I love this one for Metcon workouts, HIIT etc if it fits your foot and you like a sock type feel with a lot of flexibilty in the forefoot. Be prepared to try different sizes. Nike Air Zoom Super Rep 3 Nike Renew- good for NARROW feet (I prefer the older model without the stretch strap across the top [seriously, what were they thinking?] which can still be found at Citadel outlets in White only) Nike Air Max Bella Tr 5 Premium- only recommended for WIDE feet
I generally find Nike to run a little shorter heel to toe/smaller than some other brands. Keep this in mind and know that different models have variations as well. I like to order a couple sizes and select which is the better fit- which is typically a half size larger than your dress shoes. These are fairly easy to find around SoCal. Footlocker, Nike at the Grove, most malls will have one or more models.
ASICS only makes one shoe line that is suitable for training and is able to adequately support lateral motion. The Gel-Quantum series (360, 180, 90) are cross-training shoes that can be used for gym workouts such as lifting, cross fit, HIIT, P90X, Zumba, aerobics, or general sports activity. These shoes are not available in wide widths. I personally prefer the cushion and bounce of the 360 which has gel throughout the bottom for an extremely springy and resilient feel. Sizing is pretty true. I take the same size in Asics as Nike however the Asics generally offer more toe room. Since the Asics store in Century City closed, they are difficult to find in SoCal. Try the Asics site, Amazon or Zappos. The version 6 and the 7 are recommended in the Quantum 360. Color choices are somewhat more limited but something should suit as they’re not too crazy.
Reebok recently released the Nano3. It has a slightly different sole than the Nano2 which I found had an excellent fit for many types of feet and plenty of lateral support. It was a more grounded feel shoe overall and recommend if you prefer a firmer stiffer ride. The Nano 2 or 3 would be great for heavy lifts due to the flat rise on the sole. I also like these for boxing/kickboxing since I can pivot easily on some surfaces and yet allow for lateral support for quick stops and starts and lunges. In the x2 I took my regular size (which is a half size up from my dress shoes) whereas in the x3 I took the same size as my dress shoes (so they do run a little large IMO) The nano 3 also has an extra hole for a runner’s loop if you like to lock your ankles down a bit more. Both nano 2 and 3 feature a wider toe box and the shape of that toe box is slightly narrower on the side of the 3 than the 2 but both are the wider and roomier than many cross trainers on the market now. They also come in 10 colors for women and 14 colors for men!!!! Can you resist a lilac sneaker? They can be a little difficult to find in SoCal. I recommend the Citadel Outlets since they sometimes have them on sale or you can find the Nano2 if you are more budget conscious. DSW sometimes has as well.
Ryka makes good cross trainers. They design shoes specifically for women. Difficult to find this brand outside of Nordstrom Rack or Marshalls locally. Worth a try. They really “get it” when it comes to shoes for specific sports like dance fitness or kickbox or lifting.
Women’s regular is a B width whereas men’s shoes regular are a D width. Keep that in mind should you think your feet run wide or they’re out of your size in another brand.
I love cross trainers for cross training, weight lifting, HIIT, and kickbox. My preferred wear all day everyday or stand and wash dishes or go for a long walk shoe is still going to be a running shoe or at least a walking shoe with good stability.
“THE JEWS”…and WHAT’S Really GOING ON WITH ANOTHER PERSON.
This week was super-duper busy. November, (pre-pandemic) used to be one of my busiest months. This week even exceeded my busiest pre-pandmic months. It amazes and pleases me that people are back to valuing themselves, experiences, and their health. I’m grateful to all of you who took a class or booked a session for keeping my schedule full and keeping me growing professionally and able to be of service.
Being a trainer means the people I meet often confide in me about their health. Meeting many people means many more stories come out. This past week, one such story came full circle. I lost an acquaintance who never became my client but did become a friend and it taught me an important lesson about judging others favorably.
Nazi, my neighbor, was 52; just two years older than me, so it hit me harder than expected to learn of her sudden passing. She was Persian, and a Mom of 3. She’s probably still on this email list. To be honest, I really didn’t like Nazi all that much when I first met her. She parked in my driveway, and sometimes also parked her car in the middle of the whole darned street. (We had a chat about that and fortunately she did change and find a proper parking spot). I didn’t understand how someone could be so rude and inconsiderate. She also talked to me about wanting to start training etc. but never actually booked a session.
One day, she recognized me in the locker room at Equinox. She told me she meant to start training with me, but in the meantime at Equinox signed up with one of my colleagues- and didn’t know I worked there too [I left in Aug]. Her trainer (a tall Black man who resembled a super-hero) I assured her, was a fabulous professional and she was in good hands. I wasn’t hurt and I was happy for her that if she found he was a good match to stick it out and she would get good results. We talked about other things- her love for her children etc and I started to feel compassion and warmth for her.
Many weeks later she confided that she was battling lung Cancer and her weight had gone up and down and she was feeling hopeless. I tried to assure her that I knew many people who had beaten different forms of Cancer and that we know exercise has an affect on the body even if we don’t always see a result on the scale and that there are many studies which show exercise during treatment -if done at a proper intensity even if its a low intensity can be beneficial both for mood and metabolically. In fact, an ultrasound technician explained to me once that when you exercise, your body makes extra capillaries in the legs and these extra pathways for blood can help sustain a person in the event of a cardiac event because it offers alternative pathways.. so she should be assured that good changes are happening even if the clothes fit the same. I offered to pray for her.
Moments later, one of my own clients approached me and made disparaging comments about how Nazi’s weight fluctuated. Meanwhile, this client wasn’t consistent in her own workout routine. Though her own weight may have been consistent, it wasn’t clear if that was due to healthy or unhealthy eating choices or whether her response to stress (which she also had her fair share of) was loss of appetite. I tried to explain that you don’t always know from the outside what’s going on with someone on the inside. There can be many reasons someone gains or loses weight aside from a lack of discipline.
What I didn’t know was that Nazi was battling cancer for 4 years already and the doctors had given her 1 year. This past week, Nazi passed away. I called her trainer to let him know the sad news and encourage him to attend the shiva or memorial. He was heartbroken and as incredulous as I that she was here one moment and she’s not here anymore and it just doesn’t seem real. He asked me, “Kayla, since you are Jewish, what do I wear or what should I expect at the memorial service”. Um, I explained that even though I’m an Orthodox Jew, I have actually never been to a Persian memorial service. In fact, this isn’t an Ashkenazi custom and although we’re both Jewish, this is a custom with which I’m unfamiliar but I would ask a few friends.
So during the week where sports stars and comedians were all saying things about what you are and aren’t allowed to say about “The Jews” (as if we’re all the same), I found out about a Jewish custom for the first time after living my whole life as a Jew. I learned that sometimes following a Persian memorial they serve a lavish dinner, whereas communal eating wasn’t allowed during the week I sat shiva for my Father…THAT different. Attending her memorial helped me find closure and gave me perspective about my own perceptions of right practice in Judaism. [I think her trainer and I were simultaneously the lightest and darkest skinned folks in the room too and despite my own insecurity about that, nobody seemed particularly bothered by it.]
Reflecting back, I had assumed years ago that Nazi was rude and self-centered by parking in my driveway or in the middle of the street. Now I wonder if she was just exhausted from Cancer or its treatment, and needed to park there but didn’t want to tell me all about her woes. I hope my client understands Nazi maybe wasn’t lacking self-discipline in her weight loss. Maybe she was also battling stresses and fears like of dying, or years of a slower metabolism from yoyo dieting? What if the client who was being so disparaging of Nazi really was projecting outside to someone else, her own self-criticism and insecurities?
This was sort of the theme of the week… assumptions and learning to be kind. One of my new clients trains in her own home. She apologized to me for what she saw as her messy home. She assumed my home was neater. In fact, I had two sink loads of dishes piled way higher than hers when I left to go train her. Another client complained about how difficult it was for her to follow left hand from right hand. Yet another looked pregnant and was not, and another did not look pregnant and was. One woman talked of how her sister recently divorced and as close as they were, she never knew the problems she was having. Another friend told of how she could live with a certain thing and someone else said they could not. One woman appeared to have it all- kids, wealth etc.. and she confided that her husband may not be as religiously committed as it appears.
Bottom line is – be kind. People are more than they appear. Many times they are doing inner battles we know nothing about. We all have insecurities. The creator didn’t make any of us perfect. If we saw the things truly someone else is dealing with, with the skills and flaws they have with which to cope with those things, we might not be able to do it any better. Do the things..the best things you know how, in the best way you can. Even if it seems like it may not be making a big difference on the outside, you may be still making micro changes inside which will ultimately be worthwhile. Its normal to judge- ourselves and others. ..and I’m trying to take this weeks’ experiences as a reminder to try and judge favorably.
The end of summer/beginning of the school year brings such mixed emotions.
This time happens to be the Jewish month of Ellul/the pre-High Holiday preparation time. We start to reflect on all of the things we have done and all we wish to accomplish in the coming year. We sometimes create grand goals like this year I will be able to fit into my (spectacularly smaller) outfit. This year I will become more fit (amorphous goal). Or this year I’ll eat healthy (whatever that’s supposed to mean..and often its overly restrictive and not sustainable long-term and will later boomerang back on your body and diminish your self-worth).
There’s a reason we’re not already there in that best bod ever right now. There are habits and skills that need to be established that maybe never have been or the pandemic blew to pieces as we simply coped. I am writing to caution you that as tempting as it is to do an accounting and draft big expectations with the thought maybe you will fall short of those huge goals but still progress will be achieved, you’re likely to be more successful with a different approach.
Let me challenge you to think first about which habits and skills need to be up to snuff in order to accomplish those grand goals and instead of focusing on the outcome, focus on the process- on becoming that version of you who does and thinks and eats like the person who has the outcome you desire.
Consider what baby step could be taken this week that is so small that its barely noticeable but takes you in the direction you want to go. Can you do that just for this month to show the universe this is who you are so the universe (insert your higher power here) can then assist? Would incorporating one vegetable into lunch or drinking a glass of water or simply slowing down to notice the taste of your food (but not all 3) be that thing? Would walking for 5 minutes be that thing? What 1 thing could you do right now and stick with forever? Think small and start..now! Need help? Go to the tab above that says contact me and we’ll make a workable plan.
Even if right now you are living with pain, obesity, gut disorders, sleep issues, low energy, or simply not feeling strong confident and energized much of the time, that doesn’t have to be how you feel forever. Everyone deserves to feel good in their body.
However, sometimes its FEAR that is holding us back. That F.E.A.R. serves a purpose …that is, until it no longer serves us. F.E.A.R. is an acronym which stands for false evidence appearing real. I’ve also seen it listed as F.A.T. False info Appearing True… What are some of these false beliefs?
Aches and pains are a normal part of aging.
I can’t afford the time or money to work out regularly
I’ve tried EVERYTHING when it comes to exercise but nothing works for me
I don’t have good genes for working out so I’ll never be good at it
I’m likely to get hurt if I work out and I don’t like feeling pain
Just look at some of these… are they real or have other DECISIONS been made which makes these appear like facts when in reality they are temporary.
For instance, can you really not afford the time or money it takes for an enjoyable workout? Or do you plan and save for other things and not prioritize your health? Could you reframe and exercise in 5-10 minute segments while baby is sleeping if you can’t get in a whole hour at once? Is midlife spread inevitable or a result of unwitting choices made from a lack of information about metabolism in midlife? Have you tried everything? Do you think that genes are destiny or that you can make choices which influence the expression of those genes-choices which can be mirrored by the next generation and become their inheritance?
In what way do beliefs such as these actually serve you? What are your F.E.A.R.S protecting you from? How do they constrain your potential? Do they do both?
I don’t think all limitations or limiting beliefs are necessarily detrimental! Sometimes they protect us from having to face deeper emotions we don’t necessarily want to feel or they allow for comfort. They serve us until they don’t serve us.
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