Is it safe to do isometrics during pregnancy?

I got a great new question from one of my Pregger Fit program users. She wondered about safety of useing isometric exercises during pregnancy.

Isometrics are exercises where you contract muscles without movement. For example a wall squat, carrying grocery bags, the plank abdominal exercise, etc. Imagine making force with your muscles without moving a particular joint.

Yes, isometric contractions increase blood pressure and this is where the original "ban" came from. However, ANY exercise increases blood pressure and it needs to! Otherwise the body can't function to pump more blood to the heart and the working muscles. :)

This only becomes a problem for women with preeclampsia (pregnancy induced hypertension) because their blood pressure is already too high. Also, it would be a problem if the blood pressure didn't come back down to normal after exercise. (In that case any exercise would be problematic, including sex!) The studies done on pregnant women and isometrics demonstrated that blood pressure returned to normal after the exercises.

There was another study done on women in advanced pregnancy that demonstrated that yes, blood pressure and heart rate go up during isometric exercise, yet there was no change in placental circulation.

One action that can cause problems is the valsalva maneuver. This is when you hold your breath during exercise. This is contra indicated for everyone, not just preggers, as it increases blood pressure on top of the normal exercise induced increase that is needed. Often isometrics get accidentally done while holding your breath. That would be a no-no.

In our daily life we do isometrics every day at varying intensities. With babies our poor biceps do marathons of isometrics as the little one decides to finally fall asleep in our arms and will ONLY sleep there and in one position and we are stuck holding our biceps tight for hours. :) Another example of a beneficial isometric is a constant activation of the core and pelvic floor. This is one of the best ways to prevent problems in that area. Our postural muscles also work isometrically all day long keeping us upright and elegant.

The question was more specific to a wallsit with an arm slide. This exercise is safe to do assuming you stay within the general pregnancy exercise intensity guidelines. Exercise when pregnant should be done at a "comfortable" level. For example in this exercise, you should feel challenged yet when you finish a set, you should feel like you could have done it a bit longer. So whether an isometric squat or a "regular, moving" squat, you should at most be in a "somewhat hard" category on the intensity chart. And just like during any exercise, keep breathing to avoid an exaggerated increase in blood pressure.

Here are links to a couple of studies about pregnancy and isometrics:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8238141

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/102520398/abstract

Invitation

I would like to invite you to a brand new perinatal fitness community! It's a great supportive site to share experiences while learning about health and fitness during pregnancy and postpartum.

I started this community because I was getting lots of questions on facebook or by email and I thought I could be more helpful putting all the info in one place and by making an interactive site. I hope you like it!

Come and join us at http://www.perinatalfitness.ning.com

I will be uploading content each week so keep checking back for new stuff!

Diet during Pregnancy

Often we hear that pregnancy is not the time to diet.

Well, I disagree. Pregnancy is one of the most important times for a woman to diet.

Now, before you get your panties in a wad, let's define dieting.

Is it considered dieting if you make an effort to change your current undesirable eating habits?

Is it dieting if you restrict calories to a healthy amount?

Is it dieting if you avoid certain foods?

Is it dieting to choose the best possible foods to allow your body to grow a healthy baby?

If the above is dieting, then I think all preggers should be on a diet.

Here's how I think pregnant women should eat:

1. Organic foods as much as possible
2. No processed food, no junk
3. Lots of nutrient dense foods
4. Lots of water
5. Eat often, every 2-4 hours
6. No coffee or alcohol

Some women take pregnancy as a "free pass" to go ape on their diets. Don't do it! You will gain excess weight, the baby will not be getting the best possible nutrition to grow and develop, and you will feel much worse. We truly are what we eat and when pregnant that extends to your baby being what you eat. Think about that and choose well for you AND for the little one.

The basic question is: "Will this food choice facilitate my body to grow a healthy baby?"

That chocolate donut fried in transfats and loaded with empty sugar calories that will spike up your insulin levels. Good for your baby? I think NOT!

That delicious home-made pumpkin soup with a side of grilled salmon and a dessert of berries with natural yogurt. Help your body grow a healthy baby? Definitely!

It REALLY makes a difference. Eat well. It's worth it. You are worth it. Your baby is worth it.

Transversus Abdominus Exercise

Check out Heidi give some serious hugs to her baby boy. This is a fantastic exercise to keep your deep abdominals strong and responsive during pregnancy. Heidi will have a much easier post partum recovery because she has stayed active and trained her body for pregnancy and birth. A trained body recovers much much faster! Do this exercise and your chances for a flat belly post-baby are fantastic!