Rowing and Pregnancy
by Judy Geer
NOTE: We are not medical professionals. Be sure to talk with your own medical practitioner about your plans for exercise during pregnancy. The following information comes from personal experience and published research, but should not be considered a medical recommendation.
When I was pregnant with my three kids, I had the opportunity to participate in a study of exercise during pregnancy. It was supervised by Dr. James Clapp III at the University of Vermont. Dr. Clapp began the study thinking he would be proving that exercise during pregnancy was a bad idea. However, over the course of the study, he found that exercise could have a positive effect on both the pregnancy and the mother. In summary, his findings were that, on average, Moms who exercised tended to have slightly smaller babies, tended to deliver slightly earlier, and tended to recover more quickly after delivery.
In a follow-up study, Dr. Clapp did intelligence and motor skills testing of the children born to participating Moms. He found that at birth they were more attentive and interested in their environment and they self-quieted better (i.e. did not need lots of consoling when they were upset). He believes this is due to lots of sensory stimulation in utero. At age 5 they did much better in all spheres of verbal performance and had higher IQ's as assessed by the Wexler tests of general intelligence.
Dr. Clapp is now working on a long-term follow-up of the health of both mothers and children, which is still in the data collection stage.
For details on all of Dr. Clapp's findings and recommendations, see his book "Exercising Through Your Pregnancy," published in 1998 by Human Kinetics, and reprinted in March 2002 by Addicus Books.
General advice for exercise during pregnancy:
Listen to your body - How hard should one exercise during pregnancy? Dr. Clapp recommends listening to your body. Listening to your body means going only as hard as feels comfortable. The problem with standard advice of not letting your heart rate go above 140 is that everyone's heart rates are different. 140 may be too low for one woman, yet too high for another.
Avoid going anaerobic - don't do intense interval workouts, which may put you into an anaerobic state.
Keep cool and hydrated.
Start your exercise program BEFORE you get pregnant so your body is accustomed to it.
Advantages of Rowing, as exercise during pregnancy
Rowing is generally cooler than some other forms of indoor exercise since your body moves back and forth on the sliding seat. This helps prevent overheating, which is especially bad during pregnancy.
Rowing takes the weight off your feet and legs. As the baby grows and you get heavier, it can be more comfortable to exercise in a seated position.
Rowing is smooth and impact-free.
On the Concept2 Indoor Rower, you are in complete control of how hard you are exercising. You can pull as hard or as easy as feels comfortable. You do not have to keep up a certain pace or fiddle with speed settings.
Remember: check with your doctor and listen to your body!
We wish you a healthy pregnancy and delivery, and all the best as you take on the challenges and joys of parenthood!
Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.
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