Fit Pregnancy For Dummies

Are you intrigued by the idea of working out during pregnancy, but
think it can't be safe? Are you unsure how the words
fit and pregnancy actually make sense in the same
sentence? If so, you've come to the right place. This
easy-to-follow guide shows you how you can be fit and
pregnant, whether you're new to exercise or have been working
out for years, and whether you're in your second week of
pregnancy or your 32nd.

Fit Pregnancy For Dummies is for you if you're
pregnant, if you're thinking about becoming pregnant, and You
want to be as fit and healthy as you can be -- whatever your
current fitness level -- without in any way jeopardizing your
health or the health of your baby. This guide gives you the
straight facts on:

• Staying safe when you exercise

• Developing a plan with your health provider

• Choosing the right equipment

• Modifying your routine for each trimester

• Eating well for nine months and beyond

From yoga and swimming to weight training, aerobics, and much
more, you'll see how to get started with a fun, step-by-step
fitness routine that will make your entire pregnancy easier to
manage. Postpartum expert and prenatal fitness class instructor
Catherine Cram and fitness expert Tere Stouffer Drenth give you the
scoop on the activities that work best for pregnant women and how
to set up a routine that works best for you. You'll
understand how a fit pregnancy helps you with delivery and
postpartum shape-up. Plus, you get expert advice on activities to
avoid, eating well, and staying motivated during and after your
pregnancy, as well as:

• Dressing comfortably for your workout

• Warming up and stretching to increase flexibility and avoid
  injury

• Modifying your exercise routine

• Staying fit after giving birth

• Finding the time for exercise and motherhood

Complete with special tips on exercising indoors, staying
motivated, getting your family hooked on fitness, and helping your
child grow up healthy and fit, Fit Pregnancy For Dummies is
the key to exercising safely and staying fit throughout your
pregnancy and beyond!

Auteur

Catherine Cram is an exercise physiologist who specializes
in prenatal and postpartum fitness. Her consulting company,
Comprehensive Fitness Consulting, LLC, provides maternal fitness
certificate training courses for health and fitness professionals.
She's an expert advisor to and writes for Baby Years,
Pregnancy, Women's Health and Fitness, and
iparenting.com. Catherine has been featured in prenatal fitness
articles for Fit Pregnancy, Parenting, Glamour, Babytalk,
and The American Journal of Medicine and Sports, and is a
contributing author of Women's Health Care in Physical
Therapy: Principles and Practices for Rehabilitation
Specialists (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins). You can
contact her at compfc@aol.com.

Tere Stouffer Drenth is both a full-time writer and a
semiprofessional runner who works, trains, hikes, and lives in
northern Michigan. A former crosscountry All-American, Tere (which
rhymes with Mary) writes about fitness and the outdoors in the hope
that people of all ages and backgrounds will challenge themselves
physically and reap the many rewards of exercise. She is the author
of Marathon Training For Dummies (Wiley) and several other
books. You can reach her at tdrenth@earthlink.net.

Résumé
Are you intrigued by the idea of working out during pregnancy, but think it can't be safe? Are you unsure how the words fit and pregnancy actually make sense in the same sentence? If so, you've come to the right place. This easy-to-follow guide shows you how you can be fit and pregnant, whether you're new to exercise or have been working out for years, and whether you're in your second week of pregnancy or your 32nd. Fit Pregnancy For Dummies is for you if you're pregnant, if you're thinking about becoming pregnant, and You want to be as fit and healthy as you can be whatever your current fitness level without in any way jeopardizing your health or the health of your baby. This guide gives you the straight facts on:

• Staying safe when you exercise
• Developing a plan with your health provider
• Choosing the right equipment
• Modifying your routine for each trimester

• Eating well for nine months and beyond
  From yoga and swimming to weight training, aerobics, and much more, you'll see how to get started with a fun, step-by-step fitness routine that will make your entire pregnancy easier to manage. Postpartum expert and prenatal fitness class instructor Catherine Cram and fitness expert Tere Stouffer Drenth give you the scoop on the activities that work best for pregnant women and how to set up a routine that works best for you. You'll understand how a fit pregnancy helps you with delivery and postpartum shape-up. Plus, you get expert advice on activities to avoid, eating well, and staying motivated during and after your pregnancy, as well as:

• Dressing comfortably for your workout
• Warming up and stretching to increase flexibility and avoid injury
• Modifying your exercise routine
• Staying fit after giving birth
• Finding the time for exercise and motherhood
  Complete with special tips on exercising indoors, staying motivated, getting your family hooked on fitness, and helping your child grow up healthy and fit, Fit Pregnancy For Dummies is the key to exercising safely and staying fit throughout your pregnancy and beyond!

Contenu

Introduction 1

Part I: Fit Pregnancy: Isn't That an Oxymoron? 7

Chapter 1: Making Your Pregnancy a Fit Pregnancy 9

Chapter 2: Recognizing the Benefits of a Fit Pregnancy 15

Chapter 3: Designing a Safe Prenatal Fitness Program 23

Chapter 4: Knowing Which Activities Are Best (And Which to Avoid) 39

Part II: Getting Up and Moving: Fit Pregnancy Basics 51

Chapter 5: Never Exercised Before? No Problem! 53

Chapter 6: Exercise for Fitness Buffs and Competitive Athletes 73

Chapter 7: Dressing for Success: Finding Workout Gear 81

Chapter 8: Stretching the Truth: An Honest Look at Stretching 107

Part III: Eating Well for Nine Months -- and for Life 119

Chapter 9: Fueling Your Body with the Right Foods 121

Chapter 10: Healthy Weight Gain during Pregnancy 139

Part IV: Fun and Healthy Activities for Pregnancy and Beyond 149

Chapter 11: Balls, Bands, Bars, and Mats: Simple, Inexpensive Workouts 151

Chapter 12: Fitness Walking and Running 179

Chapter 13: Swimming and Water Aerobics 191

Chapter 14: Yoga, Pilates, and Low-Impact Aerobics 207

Chapter 15: A Bicycle Built for Two 219

Chapter 16: Weightlifting and Indoor Machines 231

Chapter 17: Mixing It Up: Combining Different Exercise Routines 247

Part V: The Tenth Month and Later: Staying Fit for Life 259

Chapter 18: Recovering from the Labor Marathon and Getting Up and at 'Em 261

Chapter 19: Finding Time for Fitness and Motherhood 281

Chapter 20: Starting Your Kids Off on the Right Fitness Foot 291

Part VI: The Part of Tens 303

Chapter 21: Ten Ideas for Staying Fit without Leaving the House 305

Chapter 22: Ten or So Ways to Get Family and Friends Involved in Your Quest for Fitness 311

Chapter 23: Ten (Plus One) Resources for Pregnancy Workout Gear 315

Index 323