IMPORTANT NOTE: All pregnant women should
consult with their doctor about their exercise program.
Always remember that the reviews on this page (and in the rest of the guide)
are usually not written by fitness experts, and should
*never* be used as a substitute for the advice of trained
medical personnel.
OK Mom, now don't get too excited--this review
should not be taken as an indication of your first
grandchild's impending arrival! Actually, Lisa Stone was
kind enough to send me a demo copy of her video so that I
could include a review. A few personal disclaimers:
- I am not and have never been pregnant, so bear
that in mind
- I am not intimately familiar with what
moves/choreography is considered safe for
pregnant women, though I am familiar with the
most recent ACOG (American College of Obstetrics
& Gynecology) guidelines for exercise in
pregnancy.
That said, here's my review.
Lisa Stone, an
ACE-certified pre- & post-natal fitness specialist,
has designed this video for active women who wish to
continue stepping through their pregnancies. Unlike most
pregnancy videos, which seem to be geared toward the
beginner level, "Fit for 2" is best suited to
experienced steppers. I would call it an
intermediate-level video.
All of Lisa's class members are pregnant, and one
woman does the entire workout without a step. The tape
begins by going through the new ACOG guidelines for
exercise and pregnancy, including conditions for which
exercise is contraindicated. The workout includes a
strength training segment-- a short abdominal workout
(done on hands and knees), kegel exercises, upper back
and pectoral work using rubber tubing, and some lower
body work. The tape ends with a question and answer
session with a doctor.
Lisa is a pleasant and energetic instructor with a
soft Southern accent. She has chosen her music well-it's
very upbeat, and I recognized a few of the songs from
Cathe Friedrich's "Mega Step Blast." Lisa's
choreography isn't too complex, yet it takes you all
around the step in a number of different directions,
which helps keep the low-impact moves from getting too
boring. This will be especially important for those women
who (pre-pregnancy) used to do complex step routines with
a gazillion power moves. I consider the multi-directional
movement a big plus, and had no trouble with all the
directional changes, but women who have little experience
with step aerobics should be advised to be careful until
they've gotten the hang of the combos.
Lisa's choreography is more athletic than dancy.
Although some of her transitions may not be quite as
polished as Karen Voight's or Kathy Smith's, the steps
are easy to follow. There was one step that I think some
shorter pregnant women may find difficult--a low-impact
step, tap, "over the top" move across the
length of the step. Women who have trouble with this one
could always do it on the floor behind the step, though.
I'm glad that someone finally made a pregnancy step
video for those who would be bored with Kathy Smith's or
the ever-annoying Denise Austin's tapes. I personally
wished the aerobic section was a bit longer--I think it's
in the 20-25 min. range--but pregnancy videos typically
have short aerobic segments. Then again, I suppose 20-25
min. is a lot when you're exercising for two!
I know that when I'm pregnant (one of these years),
I'll miss the excitement of power-packed step routines
like Cathe Friedrich's, but this video gives me hope that
the fitness video industry is starting to respond to the
needs of fit pregnant women. "Fit for 2"'s
strength section in particular is helpful to learn ways
to modify your normal strength routine and how to target
muscles that bear increased stress due to the
physiological changes of pregnancy. I think it would be a
good choice for an active women who doesn't want to be
bored to tears by lots of "basic step, facing the
TV".
Wendy Niemi
Kremer
If you would like further information about this
video, you can check out Fit for 2's Web site
or e-mail Lisa Stone directly at lisa@fitfor2.com
Okay, I have actually been pregnant, though it's been
awhile (my youngest is 4 now).
Warning: A lot of the commments about moves are
purely anecdotal, I am reviewing how this video would
have felt during my pregnancy, and every pregnancy is
different. I do consider myself knowledgeable about good
form, and when I was pregnant I read any and all info on
exercise and health during pregnancy, so I think I'm more
informed than most, but of course I'm not a doctor, so if
in doubt, ask your doctor or midwife.
This video is exactly what the instructor states it
is at the beginning, a workout for pregnant women who are
already fit and healthy. It is not for the beginning
exerciser, or even for the beginning stepper who is
otherwise fit. I suspect that some of the moves and
directional changes would be a little difficult or
possibly dangerous if you are not accustomed to stepping.
I suggest that you listen to the ACOG guidelines at
the beginning of the video, they are important. I
emphasize this mostly because I tend to think "I
already know this stuff" and skip it, and this time,
it's really important, especially the contraindications
noted.
I liked the instructor, she was cheerful (but not
annoyingly so) and pleasant. The music is energetic, and
Cathe Friedrich fans will recognize a lot of it.
I did the aerobic segment, I found that I actually
was able to reach my target zone, and I'm not pregnant!
The instructor builds short combos with basic moves, but
keeps moving around the step, so I think this will keep
your interest for awhile. without getting too dull. I
think the directional changes might be a little tough
during the last trimester, but still probably safe for
the advanced exerciser. The reason the directional
changes might be a little tough is because your center of
gravity is off as your tummy gets larger. Something to
keep in mind that she doesn't mention is that when you're
pregnant, all your joints (tendons, ligaments? I get them
confused) get looser to allow your pelvis to open up for
childbirth). This makes you more vulnerable to joint
injuries, which is the main reason why doctor's that
allow any other type of exercise, don't like you to ski,
it's to easy to dislocate joints. This is something to
keep in mind when exercising, don't let it stop you, but
be careful when changing directions. (I swear my hip
joints are still a little loose since MY last pregnancy)
I think the 20 minute length for the aerobics is
about right. It would be too easy for early pregnancy,
but later in pregnancy as you become more awkward and
exhausted, it's long enough to make you feel like you've
accomplished something but not so long that you over do
it, which is not a good idea when you're pregnant, you
really do need to take it a little easy, and since most
of us these days are working during our pregnancies these
days, it's best to save up a little energy.
Some other things I would have liked to have seen in
this video: more suggestions for modifications during the
step segment, especially during the workout (ie. lower
the step, work on the floor, don't squat so deeply if
it's uncomfortable...). I would have liked to have heard
more form tips through out the video "Keep your
pelvis neutral, body aligned, etc" I had to
constantly remind myself of this when I was pregnant,
even standing still, you tend to stick your tummy out,
when exercising it's even harder.
Speaking of squats, she does a lot of them and I know
they would have been uncomfortable for me in my
pregnancy, I would have had a hard time doing them
correctly, mostly because my lower abs and hip flexors
were very sore for some reason. Of course this is my
personal experience and maybe doing the squats would have
helped me with this problem, just something I thought I
should mention. I sort of pictured myself falling on my
butt if I had tried all these when I was pregnant.
The "conditiioning" segments (lower body,
abs and upper body) seem quite appropriate. I must admit
I'm a bit snobbish in this area, I think these segments
would have been way too easy for me during my whole
pregnancy, I would have liked to see her use rubber bands
or something for lower body, and though she uses bands
for the upper body, it would have been nice to see
someone in the class doing the same workout with light
weights.
The question and answer section at the end is a good
starting point for questions for your own health
professional, be sure and ask your doctor/midwife, so you
can get answers for your specific situation.
My overall assessment is: This is a great pregnancy
video (surprise, I sounded pretty critical huh?). When I
was pregnant, I bought the Kathy Smith Pregnancy video,
and it was way too easy, tnough I did it on days when I
was just exhausted (which was pretty often) to begin
with. My suggestion for advanced exercisers would be:
keep doing what you regularly do until it's just too
much, then try this video. I ran during the first 4 or 5
months of my pregnancy, then I bought the Kathy Smith
Video, still too easy so I started doing low impact step
videos that I recorded from television shows. This video
would be a good starting point for an intermediate
exerciser though.
Trish Ransom
I was an advanced level exerciser when I became pregnant, and I continued with Cathe and the Firm in my first trimester. I had some minor complications, and my Dr advised me to cut out the impact, so I modified the workouts I was already doing. That worked well for a while, but when I hit my 5th month I wanted to try some of the pregnancy tapes on the market. I bought four: Kathy Smith's, Denise Austin's, Nancy Anderson's and this one: Lisa Stone's. I did the first three only once each. That was enough. They were boring, way too easy and very dated looking. This one and Cathe's How to Get in Shape For Your Wedding are the ones I went for over and over. In my opinion, they are about the same intensity (with low impact modifications for Cathe's) the biggest difference being length. Because the tape has already been pretty well broken down, I won't go into all of that. I just want to share my impressions.
The instructor is very good. Friendly and enthusiastic. Her cueing is a little off in a few places, but nothing drastic. The choreography is interesting and fun, not basic at all with lots of directional changes, as the others have mentioned, and the music keeps you moving. I wanted to note that I had no trouble at all with the directional changes or the squats, and I did this video up to the week I delivered. The conditioning section, however, leaves something to be desired. I'm not a lover of strength workouts and never could go very heavy, and this did not challenge even me at all. It does, however, give you some ideas about how you could modify your other workouts.
I would very enthusiastically recommend this video for experienced steppers in their second or third trimester. It was great for days when I didn't have a ton of energy for a longer video and for those last several weeks when I was big as a house. Just the right intensity. This is far, far better than the other pregnancy tapes I tried. It's a shame that it is not more widely available. Collage doesn't even carry it. It is well worth tracking down and ordering. Until Cathe makes a pregnancy video, this one is the one to get!
Jackie Salois
09/06/01
