Women & Fitness
Women’s Health & Fitness Day is celebrated on the last Wednesday in September and is the nation’s largest annual health promotion event for women of all ages!
Exercising, having a well-balanced diet and getting medical check-ups regularly should be a part of every woman’s lifestyle. Women tend to brush their needs aside and take care of the needs of others. But the truth is, you must love and care for yourself first before you can truly love and care for others!
YOU and YOU ONLY have the power to make a change in your own journey! We all deserve to live a happy and healthy life!
Remember: We only get one body to live in, make it last a lifetime! [And have fun while doing so!]
Women's Running Safety
Unfortunately, running safety for women is a very real topic. Sydney Sutherland, Sarmistha Sen, Wendy Karina Martinez, Mollie Tibbets, Karina Vetrano, Vanessa Marcotte— These are women’s names you may have heard over the last several years that were attacked and killed during their runs.
A 2017 survey revealed that 43% of women experienced harassment while running [58% for women under 30.] With only 4% of men reporting harassment. The survey also found that 30% of women reported being followed by a harasser on foot, by car or bike.
Here are some ways to improve safety during your run...
Run with a personal safety device:
- Pepper spray
- An alert device: Look up Wearsafe or My Run Angel!
- Check out several different safety devices by Sabre!
Wear only one ear bud at a time or without music entirely
Always run in familiar areas but change up your routes and times that you go out for runs
Purchase a RoadID, which lists your name, important medical info and emergency contacts
Keep your cell phone on you to call for help if needed and trust your gut— report suspicious activity immediately!
Send someone your running route or share your location with someone you trust
- You can try this website: www.kitestring.io— It allows you to put in a time frame when you should be home from your run and if you don’t respond to the message they send for a check-in, it alerts your emergency contact!
- Running apps such as Strava have added in safety features as well, which allows your emergency contact to track you during your activity!
Run as much as you can with your dog, running buddy or local running group
Try your best to avoid running at night but if you do:
- Follow all the above points!
- Stay in very well-lit areas with more people around
- Wear reflective gear, headlamps or other LED lights on the body!
Always stay alert on your run and trust your instincts!!!
Running & Pregnancy
Regular physical activity is recommended and encouraged for healthy pregnant women! Studies demonstrate that moderate-intensity exercise for at least 20-30 minutes on most days or all days of the week can be beneficial for moms-to-be.
The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology: “Physical activity in pregnancy has minimal risks and has been shown to benefit most women, although some modification to exercise routines may be necessary because of normal anatomic and physiologic changes and fetal requirements. Women with uncomplicated pregnancies should be encouraged to engage in aerobic and strength-conditioning exercises before, during, and after pregnancy.”
What are some of those physiologic changes that happen during pregnancy?
- Cardiovascular: The volume of blood, cardiac output and heart rate all increase.
- Respiratory: Oxygen consumption and minute ventilation increase.
- Endocrine: Increase in hormone releases and alterations in metabolic processes.
- Musculoskeletal: Changes to the center of gravity and increase in joint laxity.
The benefits of pregnant women and exercise may include maintained or improved fitness, healthy weight gain, decreased risk of gestational hypertension and diabetes, shortened first stage labor and reduced risk of C-Section.
Let’s talk about Running!
- Use the rate of perceived exertion for self-monitoring instead of your heart rate and maintain conversational running pace.
- Be careful when running in heat and higher temperatures and be prepared to move exercise inside with proper ventilation.
- Sacroiliac pain and low back pain is a common complaint among pregnant runners, be sure to adjust your runs accordingly and reach out to a Women’s Health PT to help attenuate these changes and manage symptoms.
- Listen to your body and remember each trimester may be different! So many changes are happening and you may need to adjust each run on a day-to-day basis depending on how you feel.
Taking Baby Steps to get back to Running after Pregnancy!
The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology states that, “after having a baby, you should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week.”
Benefits of Exercise following Pregnancy: Helps to improve and maintain cardiovascular fitness, restore muscle strength, increase energy levels, reduce stress, helps with weight loss and improves psychological well-being.
Rules of Thumb during Recovery:
- Physical Therapy: Visit your local PT, specifically a women’s health PT, that can help address any limitations you may have in abdominal and pelvic floor recruitment and strength following pregnancy. The importance of regaining core strength as a base prior to starting to run again cannot be stressed enough!
- Patience: Begin slowly with walking for short bouts and build it up to brisker walking for longer distances and time. Don’t overdue your workouts and be kind to yourself as recovery has many ups and downs.
- Be Realistic: Set long term goals and plan your race calendar to allow room for your recovery and to allow dips in your training when you eventually return to running. Be flexible and understand that there may be deviations in your day to day schedule and short term goals.
And most important... enjoy the newborn snuggles as much as possible!!!