Customer Reviews

Exercising Through Your Pregnancy

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This book is excellent!

With my first pregnancy, I got so frustrated following the ACOG recommendations for exercise that I stopped working out. It was just too boring to go for a "brisk" walk.

This book helped me to realize that its o.k. to continue running throughout my pregnancy (which I'm still doing at 26 weeks). Dr. Clapp has references to many women who are very active throughout their pregnancies, with *postive* effects on their pregnancy: less weight gain (but still a healthy amount) and giving birth earlier but still full term (37 to 42 weeks is considered term - exercisers tend to be closer to the 37/38 week mark in his studies).

Enough motivation in this book to keep you sweating right up until the day you deliever!

I have ordered several books on exercising during pregnancy and most are a dissappointment if you are already active at all. This book explains in detail (and with scientific, medical studies) exactly what you are feeling and why. It explains what effect exercise has on your growing baby and on you,the Mother. The book also includes exercise prescriptions for different types of women, from sedentary to competitive athlete. I highly recommend this book for anyone wishing to exercise safely during pregnancy -- but particularly recommend it to those who already are exercising and need much more than the typical beginning books about walking and leg lifts.

I have read a lot of books on exercising while pregnant, but most of them are kind of weak. They tell you to be very, very cautious... and they don't tell you much about how it is really affecting you and the fetus/baby.

This book is awesome and I'm a hard critic. It doesn't show you pictures of women doing all the exercises in these modified ways that you never look at again. It focuses on studies of what other women did and the outcomes (babies birth weights, preterm labor, etc). The part I liked best was that the subjects in the studies exercised fairly intensely, not just walking twice a week. It told you how, for example, 25-30 miles of running per week will benefit you and the baby DURING pregnancy.

I just loved it (and I don't know the author!).

And don't be put off by the brightly colored pregnant woman on the front that appears to be walking--this covers intense exercise.

This book contains good science and good sense besides. I liked the information about the physiological effects of pregnancy and exercise, as well as the practical tips on staying comfortable while performing aerobics, etc. The findings of Dr. Clapp and his team were both reassuring and inspiring. Strong evidence that my aerobics routine would not harm me or my pregnancy made this book worthwhile by itself, but it was great to read about the many health benefits they discovered for pregnant women that exercise and for their babies.

I cannot say enough positive things about this book! Dr. Clapp is a leading expert in the field of exercise and pregnancy, and in this book, he painstakingly explains what happens in your body when you exercise during pregnancy. He also makes very detailed recommendations for different types of women (beginners, recreational, competitive), and he has studied the whole thing for about 20 years. And last but not least, it's really obvious from the book that Dr. Clapp is incredibly enthusiastic about women, exercise, and pregnancy.

I had heard good things of this book, and when I discovered I was pregnant at 8 weeks and had a 10 mile race scheduled the next weekend, I wanted to be knowledgeable about running and it's effect on the baby.

I appreciated the scientific approach the author took. And while it was full of detailed information, it was an easy read (like 2-3 evenings). For atheletes, this book really fills the gaps that exists in the gammit of other pregnancy books in regards to exercise.

I did the race (at an easy pace), it went fine. And I felt good with the peace of mind that I knew what was going on in my body and that the baby was okay (and I think, enjoying the running!).

That being said, this book includes various types of exercise, so it's not just for runners. And the study follows the women and their children in the first year+. Very interesting stuff.

This book goes into great detail about the importance of exercise and proving that it is safe. However, it did not go into exercises that they do or do not recommend for pregnant woman. I feel that I still need another book to give me information on exercises to better prepare me for labor, for example.

I work out 5-6 days a week, 1 to 2 hours a day. I weight train, do cardio of all sorts, and do power yoga. After I got pregnant I looked everywhere for a book on exercising while pregnant that spoke to my situation. All I could find was extremely conservative advice(such as walking 5 days a week for 20 minutes...) and in some places a vague hint that if one had been exercising before the pregnancy it was perhaps o.k. to continue with a similar routine. None of this advice came with any real data to back it up. Frustrating.
Then I read this book. I cannot recommend it enough. Every female athlete who is pregnant or considering pregnancy needs to read this book. Dr. Clapp actually did a real study with real women and was able show that all the myths out there about exercising while pregnant have no foundation whatsoever. Most of the book is about the study, and he then gives advice on what to do and what not to do in the different stages of pregnancy.
This is not an exercise program. There are no description of exercises or exercise plans. He assumes a certain level of exercise "IQ" in his readers. This book has some value to women new to exercise as it really goes into detail on all the benefits of exercise on the mother and the baby, but it is really geared toward the more seasoned athlete.
It feels great to know for sure what is o.k. to do and to know how I am benefiting the baby and myself. If you want peace of mind, this is your book.
This book is awesome!

This is an excellent, informative book that has answered all of my questions and more. With my first child, I worried all the time about how my exercise would affect my baby. I followed the ACOG recommendations but it just didn't feel right. I always felt like I could be working harder and now with this book, I have the research to back up my feelings. I would recommend this book to any woman who is trying to conceive or is already pregnant, and who wants to maintain her fitness level.

I think what some of the reviewers below fail to grasp is that the research Dr. Clapp is presenting is GROUNDBREAKING. It is NOT a no-duh statement to say that vigorous sustained exercise is beneficial to both mother and baby. Through well reasoned thorough controlled trials with many women, he has shown that most women should be encouraged to exercise at a moderately hard to hard level all through their pregnancies and beyond. I am a scientist and this makes sense to me, but without the studies, the person who guessed that a woman shouldn't do so was just as correct. Scientific proof is the difference and it is powerful.

I have been reading a lot of online chats of women trying to conceive and women in their 1st trimester. You would be surprised how many of them, mostly in their 20's believe that it is dangerous to exercise and how many of their doctors are backing up this misconception.

I believe that Dr. Clapp has done women a great service with this book. It should not be approached as a step-by-step guide to exercises you can do while pregnant. There are plenty of books like that if that is what you are looking for. What this book says is, "Find any exercise (with a few exceptions) that you will do regularly and enjoy." For those of us who are already fit, he says, "Keep it up and you will do just fine, maybe even better." I can't tell you how happy this has made me here at the beginning of my first pregnancy. I will run and enjoy myself and know that not only am I doing no harm, I am doing myself and my baby a lot of good.