We always talk to you about the benefits of physical exercise during pregnancy for most women, since only for those with any medical contraindication they will not be able to do it at any stage. But when we talk about exercises and intense workouts, things change. Or at least doubts arise. Is intense physical exercise recommended during pregnancy?
I just saw several news about it, about a study with a pregnant woman who has undergone intense training during pregnancy. The headlines agree on the same thing: intense exercise is beneficial for the mother and the fetus. But attention, because it doesn't always have to be that way. Let's look at this topic a little more thoroughly.
The first thing to note is that, in the case of a study with only one person, called a "pilot project", the results are not as significant and of course they must be qualified. The research has been carried out by scientists from the University of Granada, members of the Functional Evaluation and Exercise Physiology research groups and advanced aspects in clinical care for women.
They followed the athlete María Luisa Baena for more than a year, who, both before pregnancy and throughout pregnancy, underwent high-intensity sports training that included athletics, swimming and weight training. The athlete underwent numerous medical tests that included tests of maximum effort, taking blood pressure, and oxyhemoglobin saturation ...
He even ran a half marathon (21,097 kilometers) and underwent high intensity tests, one of them 10 kilometers, even during the third trimester of pregnancy. The baby was born at term, in the 40th week of gestation, completely healthy, and until the last day Maria Luisa was training.
Ángel Gutiérrez Sainz, professor of the Department of Physiology at the University of Granada and lead author of this study, recalls that the human being
It is the only animal that reduces its physical activity during pregnancy, for fear of premature birth or problems for the fetus. Lionesses hunt until the last day. We have to put an end to the belief that a pregnant woman is sick.
Indeed, we are not sick but the conditions of our body change. And, as we said at the beginning, unless a doctor indicates otherwise, it is beneficial to perform physical exercise and harmful sedentary. But of course, the case of this athlete is very specific and not in all women intense exercise will be adequate during pregnancy, starting with those who did not perform this type of exercise before becoming pregnant.
Intense physical exercise in pregnancy: with caution
In the blog we have seen the case of "super-moms" who have run marathons or lifted weights until the end of pregnancy. People very accustomed to it and who had no problems. Getting pregnant does not mean we have to abandon our favorite sport. But, attention, "don't do it at home". Because they are very specific cases and we must attend to our own body, our own customs and the specific medical recommendations in our case.
In "Medicine of physical exercise and sports for health care" it is noted that in pregnant women who exercise intensely in the first part of pregnancy no adverse effects have been found for the fetus and in the "ACSM Manual for assessment and prescription of the exercise ", of the American College of Sports Medicine, states that
There are no data on potential negative effects that show that pregnant women should reduce the intensity of exercise and mimic the goals set for heart rate.
However, this work below includes ACOG recommendations (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) and in its first point we talk about the recommendation to continue with "mild or moderate exercise". The third point indicates that women should be encouraged to modify the intensity of aerobic exercise according to their symptoms, since at this stage the available oxygen for performing these exercises decreases.
As news opposite to the headlines of which I spoke at the beginning, a few years ago we talked about a large study that related intense exercise at the beginning of pregnancy with a higher risk of abortion.
In short, I believe that the key is in the individuality of each woman and in attending to her symptoms. If a person is not used to intense exercise, then pregnancy is not exactly the best time to do it. A woman who has been doing certain strenuous workouts for years will surely have no trouble following them during pregnancy, until her body endures or shows signs of fatigue.
Therefore, we always talk about moderate exercise on the blog, because it is what best fits most women, even those who have not exercised before and begin to do so, gradually, in pregnancy. And, of course, consult the doctor about the existence of risks.
Among our readers, Is there a mom or future mom who has exercised intense pregnancy exercise? How did you live that exercise? I imagine that, as in the case of the protagonist of this study, I would do it in the best way and also with the security provided by having a medical team behind that controls all the activity. But remember that it is normal to "go for free", so we own our own feelings when exercising.
