Exercising ergonomically {while pregnant!}
I’m taking a break from my usual ergonomic posts to talk about something a little more personal. As much as I love ergonomic products and the comfort and relief from pain they often bring, I thought I would share a little about pregnancy. Wrought with plenty of discomfort itself, pregnancy is an ergonomic nightmare sometimes!
Pregnancy is a wonderful blessing, especially when that precious bundle is all wrapped up in a snug blanket. However, on the other side, when the growing baby is all wrapped up on the inside, there’s bound to be growing pains and times of discomfort. I’m on my third pregnancy and am just on the other side of morning sickness {knock on wood}. Thus, I am just now working exercise back in to my daily routine. I know with my first two deliveries, the labor ward staff commented that my being in shape certainly helped me deliver quickly and easily. I plan on doing it again!
However, exercising with 2 little ones at home and one tiny one frequently making its presence known is challenging! I have found that working out from home is my cheapest, quickest option. I don’t have to pay for a gym membership or child care. That said, I have 2 choices- we purchased an inexpensive used elliptical machine and I also got Gillian Michaels’ Shred DVD.
As for actually exercising, the most important thing to remember is that you’re pregnant!! You simply can’t work out to the degree that you were when you were in peak shape. The goal now is to keep moving, stay limber, and not push it too hard. Avoiding injury is essential- thus, never skip warm-ups or cool-downs. As with office ergonomics, never strain your neck, back, shoudlers, hands, or wrists- warming up and cooling down will help, as will fewer high impact routines. Give your growing, changing body a chance at health with a good warm up and cool down.
Next, modify the moves! You may need to slow down, choose a lower impact version, or add some more static moves. I know the Shred offers a modified version, which I take advantage of. I also eliminated the third, hardest, highest impact level because it was too bouncy for my body for many, many reasons {fellow moms will understand}.
You can still exercise while pregnant, but it’s important to apply the same ergonomic principles as when you’re at work, such as avoiding strain and injury.