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DEL.ICIO.USCARDIO OPTIONS DURING PREGNANCY
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you’re new to exercise keep your intensity low and stick to walking or low impact step.
Here are some basic ideas for dedicated cardio exercises. Do a session of walk or step routines, if you’re already athletic and your doctor say it’s okay, you can run or even bike etc 3–6 times a week.
Warm-up
Stride for about 5 minutes at a mild rate before picking up the pace. Stop at a wall or fence and stretch your hamstrings, calves, quads and back. If you’re stepping, begin with 5 minutes of basic steps, switching lead legs every minute; then stretch.
Reebok Step Routines
After warming up, you can choose a basic stepping exercise, including V-steps and alternating knees to corners. Do 20 reps of each step during the first trimester, 15 during the second trimester and 10 during the third. You can also rent or buy a prenatal step video appropriate for your level, trimester and familiarity with stepping.
Step cautions.
In the second trimester, when your balance starts to feel compromised, use a step no higher than 6 inches. As your pregnancy progresses, you may want to lower the step to 4 inches. Make sure your feet are planted squarely in the center of the bench as you step.
Walking
After you warm-up, walk at a moderate pace for 1–1 1/2 miles (about 3.5–4 mph). Walk 15 minutes away from your starting place, then 15 minutes back (for a 30-minute walk). Include intervals (see below) during all 3 trimesters (an interval is simply walking faster than usual for a short time, then recovering by walking at a mild pace). On a scale of 1–10 (1 being very easy, 10 very hard), your usual walking pace would be rated 4, intervals 5–6 and recovery 3.
Walking caution.
Be sure to drink plenty of water and wear cool clothing in hot weather (and removable layers in cold weather). As your belly grows, change your speed, form and intervals as needed.
Interval Training schedule
1st Trimester Interval Length = 5 minutes Recovery Length = 2 minutes Number of Intervals = 3
2nd trimester Interval Length = 4 minutes Recovery Length = 2 minutes Number of Intervals = 5
3rd trimester Interval Length = 3 minutes Recovery Length = 1 minute Number of Intervals = 2–3
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