On December 20, 2013, freelance writer, Megan Senger, interviewed CEO and Founder of Fit For Birth, Inc., James Goodlatte, for an article that would be published in the May issue of IDEA Fitness Journal, Volume 11, Number 5. James was one of several industry experts interviewed for the article titled “Functional Fitness for Pregnancy.” His progressive and unique views helped shape the article, particularly concerning exercise selection and objectives. His views also gave a unique perspective on what it means to select exercises based upon Trimesters. What follows are the transcripts of the complete interview…
Background by Megan Senger:
This article will discuss functional fitness as it relates to the different stages/trimesters of pregnancy. Note that this article is NOT a review of exercise guidelines during pregnancy, cardiovascular or nutrition concerns, or general tips about working with pregnant clients. Instead, it will focus exclusively on functional fitness for activities of daily living during pregnancy, i.e. what exercises should a pregnant client perform during her 1st, 2nd, and 3rd trimester so she can comfortably perform ADLs during her pregnancy, prepare for the birth experience (“fit for birth”), and her immediately post-partum ADLs (e.g. sitting in a chair nursing/feeding her baby for hours, etc).
4. Any special considerations to functionally train about a pregnant client who has a fairly physical job, e.g. she is on her feet much of the day. How would you adapt her fitness program, to account for a physical job versus a desk job, if at all?
If a client has a physical job, it is that much more important for her to train regularly. If you consider that the purpose of an exercise session is to prepare us for our life & job, it is reasonable to consider that these women would actually need more challenge in their exercise program in order to survive their job. Take a pregnant UPS driver, for example. She may be lifting boxes all day at a moderate exertion. That moderate exertion every day is liable to exhaust her unless her standard level of exercise training is high. High intensity exercise would make her job feel easy whereas a light exercise routine would likely be experienced as further drain on the body.
As far as being on her feet all day, I give the same recommendation that I give all my pregnant chair-born clients: stop and put your feet up very often. Many of my clients will lie on the floor with their feet up the wall. This can help avoid the blood pooling varicose veins and edema.
Read more from the interview here:
Question 1 of 7: Pregnant versus Non-Pregnant Functional Exercises
Question 2 of 7: Top Functional Exercises During Each Trimester
Question 3 of 7: Pregnancy Myths
Question 5 of 7: Labor Training
Question 6 of 7: Physiological Aspect to Training Pregnant Clients
Question 7 of 7: Additional Advice
James Goodlatte is a Pre & Post Natal Holistic Health Coach whose passion is to heal families by inspiring the use of natural methods and by building a global team of fitness & health professionals to reduce infertility, avoid mechanized childbirth, and lower chronic disease in our infants. As the founder of Fit For Birth, Inc., he is a driving force for providing Continuing Education Credits for the Pre and Post Natal World. As a writer, his articles have been published in a dozen languages and have inspired contact from Pre & Post Natal women as well as health professionals in over 150 countries.