Hey all

I'm a Group Fitness Instructor and have been for years, with my first I wasn't teaching alot and gave up exercsing almost stright away. With number two I was alot more educated on the whole exercise in pregnancy debate and I did exercise and carried on teaching but as soon as I got a belly and the tiredness kicked in I decided to pull back a little, looking back, god knows why as the weight started to stack on and also I missed the 'high' of exercising !! and although I slowed right down the labour and recovery was alot easier.

With this one, due to even more knowledge, a positive doctor and extra research, I made the decsion to carry on teaching all my classes and training, with the exception of 2 weeks (6-8 weeks) when nausea got the better of me and I couldn't do Bodyattack, my decision made due to all the benefits to me and baby both in pregnancy and in labour.

I am now teaching 3 Bodyvive (Low impact but mod intensity cardio and strength) and 3 Bodybalance (Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi ) the Les Mills classes, Walking both outdoors and on an incline on the treadmill about 4 times per week between 30- 45 mins and also participating / teaching occasionally Bodyattack (gave up full teaching of Bodyattack at 21 weeks due to not being able to do the full impact versions).

I am Pre and Post natal qualified which helps me understand and it is a personal thing that you need to weigh up but as long as your pregnancy is classed as 'normal' the benefits of light to moderate, regular (2-3 time week) exercise, for you, baby, labour and post natally far outweigh not exercising.

If you are interested I found a GREAT book written by a doctor that was unable to justify the mentality that surrounds some doctors......
'The traditional approach to an unknown risk is avoidance' , he wanted to know more but couldn't find any studies etc showing why you should only do low intensity etc.

He was contacted by remote doctor if a woman could carry on hiking at altitude, which opened up a whole can of worms cause he couldn't find a reason why she shouldn't from decades of medical records, so he conducted his own studies and basically the book covers those studies, gives summarys and very interesting (to me anyway ) results.

Covering how exercise helps -

Maternal Benefits of Exercsie in Pregnancy
- Mothers weight gain in pregnancy
- Post natal recovery
- Effects of exercise on the course of labour - i.e C Sec, Assisted delivery, Normal delivery
- Length of Labour

Effect on Baby of Exercsie in Pregnancy -
- Fetal growth - birth weight, length etc
- Timing of delivery - gestational age at delivery

Of course it then goes into post natally also, covering execisng and breastfeeding etc,
also suggests even if you haven't been exercsing to start a light regime as anything is better than nothing and can still benefit mum and bub.

Sorry this had become an epic post!! obviously I'm passionate about it.

Anyhoooo, the book is called -
EXERCISING THROUGH YOUR PREGNANCY
James F. Clapp III. M.D.

I got it off the web - www.fishpond.com.au

Thanks for listening!!!! Sorry again for getting carried away