What are some exercises I can do around the house? I'm pregnant and can't get my heart rate up to high nor lift heavy objects. I live in a bad neighborhood, so I am not comfortable "walking around the block." I have a Y membership, and I do Yoga and swim there, but I would like to find some excersises I can do at home.

Thanks!

Cheryl Williams

I know lots about home workouts, I do most of my exercise at home, and for any healthy, sound and normal body I'd have a ton of tips. But I'm afraid I'm not qualified to give advice to pregnant women, I'd be worried about doing more harm than good.

Could you ask your doctor/ob-gyn/midwife or whoever exactly what you can and can't do? Or maybe Steph will have some good ideas :)

Otherwise, the site I use for fitness tips, SHAPE, has a Fit Pregnancy forum you could look at. There is a link to it at the bottom of this page http://www.shape.com/community/index.jsp.

Good luck, and look after yourself!

Unfortunatly, my ob-gyn is takes the modern approach to medicine: I have a long list of what I can't do, but not list of what I can do. I've been told that as long as it is not on the list of can't do's, I can do it. Argh!

--Cheryl

Can you give us the list, or is it too long to type out?

Its very short actually:
No heavy lifting (even small weights)
Keep heartbeat under 140
Nothing which could cause balance issues (yoga with pregnancy precautions is acceptable)
No bending (touch toes, etc)
No "jerky" motions (she means martial arts, etc. I know the motions are "fluid" but my gyn considers the quick motions "jerky".)

My problem is that I don't like to go to the gym by myself (I'm agorophobic) and I can't walk w/o my dog in my neighborhood; but he pulls too much for me right now (very hyper 70 lb german shepard/chow mix.)

I already do yoga twice a week at the gym, and I swim once a week. I'd like to do something different at least two other days a week at home. But, no aerobics, no martial arts or martial arts spin-off, no small weight lifting, no cardio, no situps or touch toes, etc. What is left?

I'm sure there is something I can do, but I just can't figure out what. I sit in a chair all day long, and I'm dying to do anything when I get off work. Lol--I can hear my baby griping at me "you need to get up and do something."

--c

Sorry, I forgot to thank you for the website.

Thank You!

Cheryl

Whoa, I see what you mean - what is left?

It sounds like you need gentle activity, but you can't walk. Do you live in a house with stairs? You could do sessions of stepping on and off the bottom step, which would gently elevate your heart rate slightly and work your lower body. You can't lift weights, but that doesn't stop you doing weight-lifting movements with your arms, just without the weights. If you move really slowly and pretend you are moving through water, you can at lleast keep the upper body muscles active, and you can even do it sitting in a chair to support your back if you need to. Does your gym offer water aerobics or similar? You could try a gentle water-based class instead of swimming once a week, or just do some exercises in the pool on your own after your swimming - the water will keep your movements slow and gentle and provide some support. I know this might sound odd, but if there is a class for the elderly or infirm, you might be able to do some of that - it should be nice and gentle with no jerking or bending. I've seen stability balls touted as good for pregnancy too, and some Pilates moves are safe - that might be a nice variation on your yoga.
If this isn't too personal a question, is your pregnancy normal and healthy, with no complications? If it is, then the people at your pool and yoga class should be able to come up with some better ideas, as they should be trained to work with different groups of people, including pregnant women. Maybe talking to people at these classes that you already know will be less scary than trying something new on your own? Try your local library to see if they have any books on the subject - either phone them up to check, or get a friend to visit for you if it is too far away for you to walk and feel safe.
And another article I came across http://www.lifetimefitness.com/health_info/index.cfm?strWebAction=fit_facts&intContentID=892 sorry the link ius so long! It is short, but it is quite clear that exercise during pregnancy is a good idea, so best of luck in finding something you can do.