Prenatal Fitness with Blitz Conditioning in Edmonton

02/27/2013

A few months ago Jennifer Neilson (Edmonton West Director) and I were asked to participate in a Blitz Conditioning prental fitness workout since we were both expecting our second children.  I was only 4 weeks away from delivering my baby boy, so I will definitely confess it was a challenging workout for me, but really fun!  Here is the post below from the Blitz blog – if you are expecting, make sure to check with your doctor before attempting any of the exercises below.  Stay tuned for a postnatal workout post now that I have been cleared to work on shedding these pesky 20 extra pounds!

Posted January 26, 2013 on the Blitz Conditioning Blog

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Many people have asked if they can exercise while pregnant and the answer is absolutely without a doubt yes! You should do exercises that get your heart pumping and and keeps you sweating as long as it doesn’t cause you or your baby too much physical stress. Activities, like running and weight training, are ok in the first two trimesters, but may need modifying as you come closer to your birth date. We should generally avoid activities where there are dangers of slipping or falling, like cycling, rollerblading, horse back riding, and skiing.

Some of the benefits of exercising during pregnancy are;

• Ease or prevent back pain and other discomforts
• Boost your energy level
• Prevent excess weight gain
• Reduce the risk of gestational diabetes, pregnancy-related high blood pressure and postpartum depression
• Increase stamina and muscle strength, which helps you prepare for labor

Before starting any exercise program you should always check;

• With your doctor, midwife, and/or a physiotherapist before starting.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Avoid overheating.
• Stop if you have any of the following; Dizziness, Headache, Shortness of breath, Chest pain, Abdominal pain, Vaginal bleeding.

Here are a few exercises that we had a couple of our moms to be try for a workout. We would like to thank Carol McBee and Jennifer Neilson from WECAN and Mommy Connections for being our amazing models in this series.

They did 3 sets of 45 second of work and 15 seconds rest in between each set. Take more rest time if needed.

1. Standing Resistance Band Rows (Upper Back/Core/Legs)

• Start by standing with a band handle in each hand make sure they are secured to a solid object. Step back with your arms out straight and parallel to the floor and the bands are tight.

• Engage your core and pull the handles towards your lower ribcage.
• The end position you should be squeezing shoulder blades before returning to start position.

2. Bosu Step Ups (Legs/Glutes/Core/Stability)

• Start by standing with the Bosu in front of you flat side facing floor.
• Pick a leg and step up, then bring your other leg up so that you are in a standing position.

• Reverse, first leg up is first leg down with your other leg to follow. Repeat the steps until your time is up. Alternate starting leg with each set.

3. Incline Dumbbell Chest Press (Upper Chest/Anterior Delt/Tricep)

• The bench should be set at an appropriate incline, 30-45 degrees. Once set, sit on the bench and have someone pass you the dumbbells.
• With a dumbbell in each hand and just above your chest, push the dumbbells straight up until your arms are straight.

• Once your arms are straight you then lower them back down to the start position and repeat until time is up.