Running For Two: Fighting Nausea

Running For Two
Running For Two is a new series on LV Running Scene specifically for women who are pregnant and still running. Christina is currently running through her pregnancy and encourages women to continue running during and after their pregnancy. In this series she will cover issues such as fighting nausea during the first trimester, active wear, racing while pregnant, hydration during runs, braving the cold weather, cross training and stretching.

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I own books galore about running, but only two of them contain small chapters, or maybe even a page, on running while pregnant. Both books, however, proclaim that staying active, especially in the first trimester, will ward off nausea. I’ll buy that for a dollar.

With my last pregnancy, I was frequently overcome by nausea, forcing me (twist my arm) to find relief in high carbohydrate foods such as mashed potatoes and macaroni & cheese. Those foods, both low in overall nutrients and high in fat didn’t do much to help my weight gain or my mood. This time around I was going to be smarter. Live and learn.

I kept my running schedule fairly regular, even lacing up during a bout of nausea. I found that the run boost my spirits and increased my cravings for good foods: fruit, yogurt, chicken, greens. As I continued to run through the first trimester, I noticed that the nausea didn’t force me to put my face in a bag of potato chips, nor did it leave me slumped on the couch.

Since I was running for two, I made it a point to grab a handful of cereal prior to heading out and eating a little something after returning. The scoopful of my fiber rich cereal calmed my stomach and gave me an extra boost on the road. As a yoga instructor, I value the importance of stretching, which followed every run. Not only did the static and dynamic poses relax my body, but the emphasis on breathing eliminated virtually all my nausea.

My advice – as long as you have the clearance of a health care professional, keep on running. If you can’t possibly fathom ‘bouncing’ around while nauseated try walking instead. The warm up will be great for you and might coerce you into running. Don’t forget to stretch gently.

Happy running!

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Christina “Muffin” Roberts, wife and mother, is running through her second pregnancy. Disappointed with the lack of information on pregnancy and running available today, she wanted to write about her experiences in hopes of sharing what she’s learned and to encourage fellow pregnant runners to keep on running.
Christina blogs at http://muffinmadness35.blogspot.com/.