Jana Pit tman’s HEALTHY WORDS OF WISDOM
KEEPING FIT WHILE PREGNANT
Exercise in pregnancy and the post-partum period is a hot topic and one of my favourites! As an Olympic athlete-turneddoctor, mother of four and currently pregnant with twins, it is something I am very passionate about.
During my first pregnancy over 15 years ago, I vividly remember the frowns and concern when I was on the track, belly swaying as I ran. Even my own mother worried I was “overdoing it”. I returned to racing three months after birth and won the world title a few months later.
But was it the right thing to do? This was before tennis star Serena Williams, marathon runner Paula Radcliffe and I
publicly discussed our training during pregnancy and swift return to competition. A time when not even my sports doctor was comfortable giving me safe parameters and the internet was void of any information.
CHANGE IN ATTITUDES
Fast forward to 2022 and pregnant women are encouraged to exercise, highlighting the psychological benefits and prevention of excessive weight.
It’s important to consult your doctor (and keep checking in) as certain pregnancy conditions like placenta previa require a woman to be on a restricted program, but the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (RANZCOG) encourage women to remain physically active.
However, the amount and intensity of your workouts greatly depends on
what you did prior to conceiving. Even for those inactive before pregnancy, initiating exercise 3-4 days a week can have great benefits.
DO WHAT SUITS YOU
For me, all exercise should be individualised, and this is even more important during this special time. Every woman (and every pregnancy) is different. All five of mine have felt like entirely different journeys.
While I was fit as a fiddle in my first pregnancy, training intensely twice a day, in hindsight I was too preoccupied with my training and weight gain (not to mention the urinary incontinence from returning to sport too swiftly afterwards on an overworked pelvic floor!).
Pregnancy is a relatively short time to enjoy (or survive) the changes in your body and I missed some of those moments with my focus elsewhere. In my last pregnancy, I ran until about 15 weeks and then my hips felt horrible, so I just walked.
At around 30 weeks I felt tightening every time I walked too much, so I did light swimming. It was completely different from my first pregnancy, including after the birth where I slowly reintroduced running but still managed to be the only female to make it to the final day on SAS Australia six months after.
Pregnancy is time for you and your baby, to be healthy and listen closely to your body. Exercise is fabulous – the positive endorphins it releases can really help with how you feel overall. Be kind to yourself.