Phew, the job of growing
another small Wilcox is a tiring one! However, with much to celebrate
as we enter the 13th week of carrying an extra training buddy on
board, I sit and reflect on how very different life is from 4 months ago and
what is to come…..
Starting with the good news! The
fog of the first trimester is lifting and I’m feeling a little more human again.
Time to get back to training – ahem, I mean ‘exercising’.... Whilst pregnant with
Toby, life was extremely hectic. I was working full time, completing my Sport
& Remedial Massage Certification and of course getting ready to move over
the other side of the world which we did when I was 8 months pregnant. This
time around my job needs me to keep fit! Yay! I know which option I much prefer!
(however staving off the need to vomit whilst trying to teach a spin class has
been an ‘interesting challenge’ some days!). Swimming, biking and running
continue to be a big part of my life albeit not 18+ hours a week like it was last
year. So, ponderings on exercise with a passenger……
Get Moving! ‘Where have you gone?’ A question that I constantly ask
to my mutinous abdominals who got the first whiff of pregnancy and scarpered.
My butt has felt sorry for me though and expanded to take the extra weight that
will be sitting on it for the next 6 months. How very kind of it. I can completely sympathize with women for not always
being able to exercise during their pregnancy, but to never workout?
That would drive me bonkers. Now, I wouldn’t suggest starting anything ‘new’
such as training for a marathon if you have never run more than a few miles or taking up Crossfit if your version of an 'Olympic bar' is a giant size Snickers treat; but, unless
your Doctor or Midwife advises you against working out, you go for it Mama!
Sure, slow down, but don’t just stop exercising completely! Go ahead and
stop the intense interval training workouts or at least reduce the intensity of
sprints or efforts during classes or go on the elliptical, adopt a saddle on
the indoor bike for a few months, walk, swim, take the stairs instead of the
elevator. Just keep moving! Unless you are high risk or advised not to, your
body needs you to move before, during, and after pregnancy (once your Doctor or
Midwife gives you the go ahead, of course). It’s healthy for both mum and the
baby, and finding the time to exercise is more important than ever.
Weight Gain: I admit, I felt like a whale with my
first pregnancy, extremely self-conscious about the added weight over what seemed like a short period of time. Not a huge difference this time, apart from the tiny detail that I’m going from perhaps the fittest I have ever been (completing IronMan Florida in Nov 14) to gaining 10lb within the space of 2-3 months
and reducing training to a couple of runs and teaching my spin classes. It's something that, I have to be honest, I’m finding a bit harder to accept! With my abs notably ‘now on vacation’; my belly has ‘popped’ earlier than the first
time but I'm not looking 'pregnant', rather decidedly ‘chubby in the middle’.
Oh well. I’m pregnant, and a baby bump/expansion is part of the deal! I
know in my head, however, that this is a temporary thing, and I will get my
body back after the next Wilcox Team member installment. Keeping a goal in mind
is super important for me. Something that is just for me. That’s why I have decided to
complete Ironman 70.3 Oceanside in CA on 28 March 2016. 6 months to train after
baby’s appearance. That’s my goal, I’m putting it out there now and I plan to
stick to it! No time goal in mind, but watch this space.....
Food, foooooooooood! Anyone who has been or is
pregnant can completely relate to need to eat (or rather, devour) something very specific even when not hungry in an attempt to get rid of that sickness feeling. What you do
about those cravings is very important though; of course I gave in and have
given in a few times but not on a regular basis. My first pregnancy I craved a
McDonalds - WTH?? I hadn’t touched a MaccyD’s burger in over 12 years! I had
one, on my 30th birthday and it wasn’t worth it so never bothered
again. With this bubba it’s all about the protein. You name it: milk, cottage
cheese, peanut butter, meat: I’m a vegan’s nightmare meal companion. If it’s an
animal product, I’m eating it! (Well, ok with the exception of tripe or
internal organs – yuk!) Pasteurised feta cheese and peanut butter – together,
is a current firm favourite. Yup! That is feta and peanut butter!??
Helpful Comments/Advice with Training: ‘Don’t run too much, the baby might become dislodged’. Yep, I had
that gem bestowed upon me with my first pregnancy; another cracker being ‘You should absolutely never ever run when
pregnant’ (and that was from a midwife who had no idea of my exercise
background). Gee thanks, that helps, just pass me that donut and give me an
armchair and I’ll be on my way! Mmm, perhaps not. Throughout my first pregnancy
I was told repeatedly that having a baby would change me and my training &
exercising lifestyle; I’d have less time, I wouldn’t be to leave my little one
to go and train and that I would be so intensely tired that I couldn’t possibly
exercise to the same level as before. Toby didn’t so much change me but rather ‘how’ I approached training. Sure, I did
have less time – much less! Man, I had to be organized and every single session
had an increased intensity of focus; different to anything I had felt before.
That hour of training was so precious and I have never been so determined in
getting the most out each session. More so than ‘BT” (Before Toby)! It took me
8 weeks to be able to leave Toby with a babysitter even for an hour (living in America whilst
family were in the UK meant I was tied to training during the few hours my
husband was home and baby didn’t need feeding). When Toby was 2 months, Hubby and
I went swimming, just for 45 minutes. Toby was in the same building as we were, in
fact just through 2 sets of doors but I still cried as I left him and it was
possibly the most distracted inefficient swim set I have ever completed! Upon
returning to my baby who, I had convinced myself, must be distraught at the
fact his mother abandoned him, was in fact sleeping soundly, perfectly content
in the warm fuzzy infant world of milk and poop.
Your Birth – Your Way: I learnt with Toby that if I wanted a
natural birth, I needed to prepare for it mentally and
physically. I was well aware of the lack of a gold star for giving birth
‘naturally’, but that wasn’t my reason anyway. After some research both my
husband and I decided that a birth with minimal interference was our preference
for both baby and me. Now, first time round I remember being very aware of
people reaction when they asked what my plans were (what is it with people
asking those kind of questions anyway??!) The normal response was ‘yeah, just you wait until the time comes, you’ll soon change your mind’
which was fairly deflating, but I knew I had to give it a try and used swimming
really quite effectively to practice methods to help perform my breathing
exercises, something that I’ll bring into play again this time. Taking a good lungful of air during the breathe phase of the swim stroke, keeping arm turn over steady for a 3,5,7 count whilst letting my breath out in a slow controlled manner. It really helped with breathing control during birth. Please don’t let
others discourage you from having a natural birth if that’s something you want
– and seriously plan and prepare for it if you do!
 |
| Olympic Marathoner Paula Radcliffe ran throughout her pregnancy and was back running 12 day after giving birth! |
Forget the Numbers: One thing that is noticeably absent from my
training gear, is a GPS or heart rate monitor. I monitor my training by effort,
with an emphasis on listening to my body’s needs. At the end of the day, my body won’t let me do
what it doesn’t want to do or can’t do. You just need to remember to control yourself
and not put yourself or your baby at risk. Be smart and ignore the ego
(something that’s hard to do when you’re running behind someone!). I recommend using your Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)
and the talk test to guide you. If you’re feeling great, being appropriately
challenged, breathing harder but not out of breath, and allowing ample recovery
during and between your workouts – bonza!
One Strong Mama: So you need to be strong to support
your changing body. To maintain your strength as you carry the extra weight. To
help your postpartum recovery process. To prepare yourself and your baby for
intense moments of labour and delivery. Your body will be a little unstable and there is a huge amount of hormonal
changes taking place, one of which is the major increase of the hormone Relaxin.
As the name might suggest, Relaxin promotes the soft tissues (ligaments and
tendons) to become more flexible, which is necessary to allow the body to carry
baby full term and go through the rigours of labour & delivery. Another
reason which was kindly given to me to not lift weights during my first
pregnancy. (all this ‘non-exercise’ advice from all quarters and I was starting
think that people like to see us pregnant chicks piling on the pounds!)
Anyway,
strength training will help to increase stability and a well thought-out,
properly planned strength training program will help decrease aches and pain that are common in pregnancy, such
as lower and upper back pain, by keeping your posture in more optimal
alignment. If you are new to strength training you can totally start in
pregnancy; however it is super important to focus on the basics: learn to push,
pull, set your shoulders correctly, squat correctly, hinge, and lunge
efficiently. Working with a trainer who can teach you solid movement patterns
and progress you appropriately is a great way to start. They can help you train
in a way, which can help avoid excessive arching through the lower back. A
‘C-curve’ through the lumbar spine is required to position your baby into an
optimal alignment for labour and delivery, however, if it becomes too
pronounced it can become incredibly uncomfortable during pregnancy and actually
thwart the movement of the baby moving down during labour. So I include
movements like squatting, glute bridges, swiss ball core exercise and hip
thrusts which are excellent for encouraging movement through the pelvis, while
helping to increase the stability through the lower back.
 |
| The swiss ball was one of the best buys during my first pregnancy! |
So there we
have it: in a straight-forward uncomplicated
pregnancy, the outcomes for both mums and babies are almost always better with
exercise. The research shows that fitter
mums have shorter labours, less chance of preterm labor, fewer complications,
and shorter hospital stays. The book “Exercising Through Your Pregnancy,” by
James Clapp demonstrates study after study proving the case for more strenuous
exercise in pregnancy.
Just
as my body experienced a plethora of changes as I progressed through my first pregnancy
and my training had to be adapted, I’m finding myself on the same journey again.
What I have done in the first 12 weeks will be completely different to the second
trimester and may not even work in the third. I may have to lower the intensity further, or
decrease the weight, I may have to change to walking (waddling) from my much
loved running. That is totally necessary and normal. My focus now is on enjoying my growing self and being a
fit, bump-laden triathlete/trainer/mum which will also help ease the transition back into proper
training when the time comes!
Hurrah
for training for two!
Happy
Training
TF
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