A-Z Essentials For Running During Pregnancy - X
X-training (Cross-training) is essential to all runners, including pregnant runners.
X-training is doing another form of exercise besides running. What? There's more to life than running? I know. But it's true.
Doing other forms of exercise like swimming, cycling, Zumba, Pilates or strength training use muscles that running doesn't. Supplementing running with different forms of working-out makes us stronger, more flexible and most importantly, better runners. It also helps to prevent injury from over-training, which is crucial.
My plan for x-training during pregnancy was to join a gym and take water aerobics classes. That never happened. I find that going to the gym is too much of an inconvenience. I like working out at home because I can more easily fit it into my schedule.
I supplement my running with yoga and workout videos. The two videos I've used during this pregnancy are Pregnancy Fitness by Lindsay Brin and What To Expect When You're Expecting: The Workout.
Pregnancy Fitness has 4 DVDs - one for each trimester and a bootcamp dvd for after baby is born. I've found the workouts to be moderately challenging. Before I was pregnant I did workouts by Jillian Michaels and these are much less strenuous, but that's probably a good thing. I still work up a sweat and feel the burn in my arms.
What To Expect has six mix and match 10-minute cardio, toning and stretching workouts. I love being able to pick and choose which workouts to do together and deciding how long or how short a workout is going to be. Some days I just have time for 20 minutes and other days I feel like 40 to 60 minutes.
Without the strengthening and stretching of these workouts and yoga, I doubt I would still be running this far into my pregnancy. My lower back probably would have given out on me a long time ago.
X-training is doing another form of exercise besides running. What? There's more to life than running? I know. But it's true.
Doing other forms of exercise like swimming, cycling, Zumba, Pilates or strength training use muscles that running doesn't. Supplementing running with different forms of working-out makes us stronger, more flexible and most importantly, better runners. It also helps to prevent injury from over-training, which is crucial.
My plan for x-training during pregnancy was to join a gym and take water aerobics classes. That never happened. I find that going to the gym is too much of an inconvenience. I like working out at home because I can more easily fit it into my schedule.
I supplement my running with yoga and workout videos. The two videos I've used during this pregnancy are Pregnancy Fitness by Lindsay Brin and What To Expect When You're Expecting: The Workout.
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Pregnancy Fitness has 4 DVDs - one for each trimester and a bootcamp dvd for after baby is born. I've found the workouts to be moderately challenging. Before I was pregnant I did workouts by Jillian Michaels and these are much less strenuous, but that's probably a good thing. I still work up a sweat and feel the burn in my arms.
What To Expect has six mix and match 10-minute cardio, toning and stretching workouts. I love being able to pick and choose which workouts to do together and deciding how long or how short a workout is going to be. Some days I just have time for 20 minutes and other days I feel like 40 to 60 minutes.
Without the strengthening and stretching of these workouts and yoga, I doubt I would still be running this far into my pregnancy. My lower back probably would have given out on me a long time ago.
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I'm learning a lot about exercise do's and don'ts for any stage of life from your posts, Bri! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThat is wonderful information, and while those days are certainly long a gone for me, I still benefited from the valuable information. Thank you!! Sandy
ReplyDeleteI am so impressed by the variety of X choices. What an imaginative and creative group!
ReplyDelete