Newbie at 6weeks, fitness instructor self-employed, worried!

[RedRobin1]

I'm feeling worried about how much exercise I do! I teach dance based fitness classes (Zumba and Clubbercise) they are very aerobic, full of jumping, twisting, turning, squatting etc I do 13-14 1hr classes a week, my most intense day I do 3 in a row with one a couple of hours earlier. I went to see the dr on an unrelated issue and she expressed concern and asked that I think carefully about my health at this early stage and that it might be wise to reduce the classes or take it easy in them! I can't! I have to do the whole class with the class if I stop they stop! I can't tell them why I'm taking it easy! I thought I might fabricate an injury to give an excuse as to why I may not go 'full out'?! Anyone else a very active person and got any advice? Help!

[SilkeP]

The advice I was given when pregnant was always that of 'if you've done it before being pregnant, you're fine doing it whilst you're pregnant' in terms of fitness. I'd say if you usually find yourself close to burn out, yes, I'd reduce the hours. But if this is what you're used to doing, you're healthy, not exhausted, not suffering from morning sickness etc and actually enjoy doing the classes then personally I would continue. Jumping, turning, twisting will probably cause issues as the bump grows though, so once that is happening you will need to watch out so you don't cause injury... but at 6 weeks I'd personally not be worried if you've got the energy to do it. But I'm not a doctor just going by what I was advised!

[Shem008]

I'm 10 weeks now and went to a Zumba class earlier this week. The class instructor was 21 weeks herself! She's only just starting to show and considering taking it easy as the jumping and twisting is only just affecting her now. She is a gymnastics instructor full time and does two Zumba classes on top of that so she's an active person too. She was told to continue doing what she normally does unless she's getting pain or getting too hot or tired as otherwise her body won't cope well with the change in activity levels. It's good for you and baby to be active but be aware that you need to regulate your temperature in the first trimester to reduce the risk of miscarriage. Getting too hot isn't good.

I'm definitely not anywhere near as active as you but my midwife told me to carry on as normal, stay fit and just be sensible - so avoid anything where I might fall such as climbing, horse riding etc!

I do know someone who was still doing boxercise up until her last two weeks of pregnancy - not something I'd personally do but she was an extremely fit woman, no problems whatsoever and had ridiculously short labours with both her children (about 4hours). So I think it's just a case of being sensible and being aware of your own body and limits.

It might be worth discussing with your doctor again to work out the main problem areas to see if you can approach your classes differently (avoiding certain moves or maybe spreading out your classes on your most intense days?). As it's your livelihood she'll understand you need to work out something that is going to work for you whilst not putting your baby at risk. She might be able to refer you to someone else who has advice on this too.

Hope that helps.