MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII -- Tina Lui works hard without doing heavy lifting at the Semper Fit Gym here.
Lui, who is four months into her first pregnancy, teaches modified positions for strength training and cardio workouts during the Mommy-To-Be classes. She’s one of two exercise class instructors here for women who are pregnant or who have recently given birth. The Mommy-To-Be and Fit Mamas classes began at the gym in May.
“It’s a great environment,” said Lui, personal trainer, Marine Corps Community Services. “It’s nice to be able to talk to other women who are going through it with you or the ones who’ve already been through it. It’s a good support group, and at the same time you’re exercising.”
Women in both classes use light free weights, resistance bands and stability balls in place of heavy gym equipment. In her strength training classes, Lui uses less strenuous exercise positions to work each of the body’s muscle groups. During her cardio workouts, the expectant instructor will do light aerobics or simple activities, such as walking, with
her students.
Theresa Owens, who takes the morning Fit Mamas session, started classes three weeks ago. She said joining the class was great because she didn’t know what exercises were safe for her during her seventh month of pregnancy.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Owens said. “I was worried about using exercise machines, and I wondered how safe it would be for me. The classes are great for keeping my muscles fit.”
Lui said it’s easy for women to forget to adjust their workouts, and the instructor continually reminds herself to modify her workout habits for her own pregnancy. She said women who are in similar pregnancy stages have different exercise capabilities.
“Exercise advice in general varies a lot,” said Cmdr. Wendell Mew, family practice doctor, Navy Medical Clinic. “I tell women if they’ve exercised regularly before, they should be fine exercising while they’re pregnant. The main thing is pregnant women shouldn’t exert themselves, and they need to exercise within their limits.”
Leslie Pokorski, who teaches the morning Fit Mamas session, said her classes are focused on conditioning muscles to ensure a less difficult labor. She said both classes instruct their students to pick the positions most comfortable for them.
Both Lui and Pokorski offer alternative positions to women who have already given birth, such as lying down for leg stretches. Women in their fourth or fifth month of pregnancy should not exercise on their backs because circulation to the fetus may be cut off.
“The body goes through a lot of changes during pregnancy,” Mew said. “Weight increases, and a woman’s center of gravity shifts. The uterus expands, and joints are relaxed because of hormonal changes.”
The family practice doctor said pregnant women are at an increased risk of exercise injury because their joints are loose from hormonal changes. He said women should monitor their body’s reactions to different types of exercise.
In the future, Lui said she hopes to have exercise classes at the base pool so her students have another comfortable workout with less stress to their joints. Pool sessions are scheduled to start in September when a regular lifeguard becomes available for the class.
The Mommy-To-Be instructor said not overeating and staying active have helped her feel better during her pregnancy. The exercise classes aren’t meant to be difficult or painful, she said.
“I tell my class, make sure they’re comfortable and having fun,” Lui said. “We’re all in different stages of pregnancy, and we all go through pregnancy differently.”