Karate Talk

Every Woman is Different (Men Too!)

How many times have you listened to someone giving you advice on how you should do something in the dojo, and thought, "that might work for you, but it won't work for me"?

Probably quite a few.  And you were probably right, too.  People constantly give well-meaning advice that doesn't necessarily apply to you.  Maybe they tell you to bend your knee farther, but you have knee problems and your knee just doesn't bend that way.  Maybe they tell you to put more power behind your punches, when you're punching as hard as you can.  Maybe they tell you to train harder, more often, do cardio, do sit-ups, etc.  They're trying to help you solve a karate problem (stance too high, no power, lack of strength) by telling you to do whatever they did to solve the same problem.  The trouble with that is, what works for a 35 year old man who is 6 feet tall, 180lbs., is not the same thing that will work for a 12 year old boy who is 5'3" tall and 100lbs (growing fast and losing control of his techniques), nor is it the same thing that will work for a 50 year old woman with joint troubles.

In the past few months I have received a great amount of advice from many and diverse sources on how to handle every aspect of my pregnancy, including doing karate while pregnant.  This advice has come from parents, grandparents, fellow karate-ka.  It's come from women my age, older women, and men of various ages.  The advice varies depending on the generation and the gender.

Once upon a time, pregnant women were encouraged to stay home, rest, keep your feet up, and drink a glass of wine every night to keep you relaxed.  At other times they've been encouraged to lead a completely normal life, keeping up all of your activities and responsibilities and pretending this didn't affect you any more than a broken finger.  They've been told it doesn't matter how much weight they gain, they've been told to gain hardly any weight, they've been told to eat a vegetarian diet, they've been told NOT to eat a vegetarian diet.  Getting the picture?

An older man from our dojo asked not only me, but my husband, with great concern, if my doctor knew I was still training.  We assured him the doctor knew.  His kids are older than I am, and when his wife was expecting, conventional wisdom said you didn't exercise like this.  Other older people have been amused by my avoidance of alcohol and caffeine, since they faced no such restrictions when they were expecting.  People of all generations have questioned my decision to get testing done ("you're really healthy, I'm sure you're fine!").  Friends who have been pregnant ask about my diet, make suggestions on what to eat, give advice on keeping fit, give opinions on how much weight should be gained, and what symptoms I should worry about and which ones are of no concern.

They all mean well, and I appreciate it.  I've listened to what they had to say and weighed it against the research I've done, what my doctor has told me, and how I feel.  Because at the end of the day, I'm me.  I'm not them.  The advice I give in this blog is pretty general, and not all of it will apply to every pregnant woman -- or to every pregnancy she has, for that matter.  So if you're reading this for advice, then realize I mean well and that what I've said applies to me, but might not apply to you. 

It can be summarized neatly and with great common sense:  If you're too tired to train, don't.  Don't push yourself too hard when you do train, because you're not just risking your own health.  Don't take unnecessary risks with yourself and your unborn baby.  Pay attention to medical advice even when you don't like it (believe it or not, all those years of medical school probably taught them something!).  And most of all, pay attention to your own body and try to understand what it's telling you.

Listen to your Doctor

Since I've occasionally been a poster child for ignoring doctor's advice, this one might seem a bit strange to people who know me!  I have trained when I was sick, trained when I was injured, all against doctor's advice.  I did it out of my own stubbornness and the occasional conviction that I knew better.  I also did it with the full knowledge and acceptance that if I was wrong, I was probably going to make things a lot worse.

And often, that was the case.

So in terms of general training, I will emphasize that if you have sought a doctor's opinion for some physical condition, and you have reason to trust and respect that doctor, then it's probably in your best interests to heed their advice, even though it might really restrict you for awhile.  As I've gotten older, I've gotten better about this, primarily because I got sick and tired of being constantly sick, tired, or in pain, and finally realized that sometimes you just can't do all the things you'd normally do.

Pregnancy has had a very positive effect on me where this is concerned.  While I am perfectly willing to risk my own health and safety (as I've proven on a number of occasions!), I balk at putting anyone else in harm's way.  Harming my unborn child through my own headstrong stupidity is something I absolutely won't risk.

So far it's been pretty easy to follow my doctor's advice, since so far (**knock wood**) I've had a pretty easy pregnancy.  The restrictions on me are very limited, and mostly I've been asked to use common sense.  Still, I've had to curtail my activities to some extent, adjust some eating habits, and change my physical and mental approach to training.  I now go into the dojo knowing that I cannot train at full speed or power, period, so regardless of whether or not I feel "on" and think I could dazzle the world, it ain't gonna happen.  Instead I have wisely invested my energies into things I can still work on and improve without compromising the new life.  This includes timing, stance, rhythm, and how to make technique properly.

If something changes in my pregnancy, my training will adapt accordingly, or cease if necessary.  Not because I want that, but because it's not always about instant gratification, and it's not always all about me.

Your karate isn't always about that either.  So if you have no incredibly compelling reason to compromise your health or safety against doctor's advice, then don't.  You could cause yourself long-term health problems, not to mention possibly compromising the health and safety of those you train with.  Grow up faster than I did and make this choice before you have some overwhelming health issue such as pregnancy force you into it, and you'll probably save yourself a lot of the chronic pain problems I've had in the past!

Adjust Your Activities To Your Physical Condition

Many physical conditions require you to adjust your martial arts:  Injury; illness; aging; and of course pregnancy.  In illness, you don't have much energy, endurance or strength.  Stay home and rest, and when you return to the dojo, take it easy until you get your strength.  When you are hurt, rest for awhile and let it heal, brace it and use a different technique (punch instead of kick), or for more permanent injuries, adapt your stance/technique/etc. to accommodate.  It doesn't have to be a limitation; it just means you have to figure out new ways to do things.  Aging can either mean going from your prime into older years, when joints and muscles stiffen up and lose strength, or it can mean going through puberty, as your body grows by leaps and bounds, and your center of gravity, strength, flexibility go through catastrophic changes.

At 5 months pregnant, pregnancy seems to me a combination of the above.  It is similar to injury in that there are techniques I cannot do, and I have to come up with creative ways around them.  It is similar to illness in that my energy level got nuked.  It is very similar to going through puberty in that my center of gravity is off, I've gained weight, and I sometimes have trouble controlling my extremities!  It is also similar to puberty in that hormones have wreaked havoc with my emotional and mental control, and it takes a great deal of effort at times to keep my "black belt face" on.

That's all quite general.  What about particulars?  When I first discovered I was pregnant, I looked up everything I could find on doing martial arts while pregnant.  This didn't take long, there isn't much out there.  What I did find was extremely general and did not discuss some of the specific things I was encountering.  So while I will reiterate that every woman and every pregnancy are different, I'll discuss a few things I've had to adjust for, as I go through this bizarre and wonderful process.

1)  Strength.  Your strength and endurance decrease dramatically.  I was expecting it during the last trimester, but was totally unprepared for the exhaustion of the first three months.  A normal person can pull up inner reserves and "push through" exhaustion.  This is not true for the pregnant woman.  Overexertion can and will harm you and the child.

The adjustment:  Monitor your energy level and respect it.  It doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't work out; in fact, keeping fit is great for you physically and mentally throughout pregnancy.  It will make carrying the child easier, and they say it makes birth and recovery easier.  But don't think you can still train at your "normal" level, and if you're not up for training, don't go.  Only do as much as you have the strength for, and get over feeling like a wuss about it. 

2)  Peak performance.  If you are having a complication-free pregnancy, there are very few restrictions on your activity.  One big change, however, is how hard you should push while you work out.  Don't shoot for your peak.  You do NOT want to "feel the burn"! 

The adjustment:  I was told to keep my heart rate in the "moderate" zone, no more than 140 bpm.  Also, you want to keep your body temperature down, as the growing child inside you can't adjust, and if you get too hot, then it can damage them.  So you don't work up a good sweat!  A guideline I was given is that if you normally train at an intensity level of 5 - 7 then knock it down to 3 - 5.  If you start feeling winded or hot, stop and check your pulse, and if need be, slow down.  Drink water before, during and after training.  During the first trimester this was very easy.  As I've felt better, it has sometimes been difficult.  My mind has to take over now and override the body's habits.

3)  Relaxin.  This is a pregnancy hormone whose job is to loosen up joints and muscles.  Many pregnant women I know think it's great.  Me?  I've been spaghetti-noodle limber my whole life, and I find it a bloody nuisance.  Thanks to relaxin, my joints now go way too far unless I am extremely careful.  My knees hyperextend just by stretching, I've dislocated my shoulder twice, and we won't even get into the things my back has been doing.

The adjustment:  Move carefully.  Ironically, relaxin has helped ensure that I don't push too hard, or get sloppy in technique, because when I do, I hyperextend or dislocate something.  So while I have roundly cursed relaxin, it's probably doing wonderful things for my karate!  Slow down, make sure that your line of movement is proper, and make darn sure that your stances are dead-on.  And enjoy the flexibility if it's new to you, it's not a permanent condition any more than pregnancy is!

4)  Adjust technique, part I:  Body changes.  Relaxin aside, pregnancy changes your body drastically.  Waist, chest, rear end and thighs will grow.  Depending on your original body shape, your adjustments might be minor at first, but as the pregnancy progresses you will certainly notice some differences.  I was relatively smallish to begin with, not too large anywhere, and I've had "issues".  Apologies in advance to anyone who embarrasses easily, but I must give a mention here to what happens to your chest when you get pregnant!  I grew a full bra size in two days.  That alone would be enough to screw up some karate techniques, but I must add that this is painful and that pain lasts for several weeks.  Compression, jiggling, or heaven forbid something whacking me were all torture.  Then there's the growing belly.  Not only is it bigger, but it really, really doesn't want anything pressing on it.  And you can't risk getting hit, by other people or by yourself.

The adjustment:  First of all, you need new underwear.  Sorry if that doesn't sound martial arts related, but it makes continued martial arts possible so it's very relevant.  A supportive jog bra is essential, as are loose, comfortable panties.  Then slow your punches down and be very careful, so nothing vibrates or gets knocked.  As my tummy started growing, my center of gravity shifted.  Transitions from one stance to another become more difficult because your balance is off; you have to be sure that you transfer your weight properly, that your knees are properly positioned over your toes, and you need to make darn sure that you are keeping your abs tight, or you'll lose your balance.  Kicks of course need major modifications!  Side and roundhouse kicks I can still do more or less normally, but my front kicks are a whole different story.  I cannot raise my knee to my chest; right now it's hitting about belly button and will go further south as time progresses.  My jodan kicks are now chudan.

5)  Adjust technique, part II:  Preventing miscarriage.  As I mentioned above, there are very few restrictions in a pregnancy that does not have complications.  However, certain types of movement can cause problems.  You want to avoid anything that risks falling, getting hit, or otherwise taking traumatic injuries.  You also need to avoid exercises that mimic the feeling of giving birth, of "pushing".

The adjustment:  In martial arts, this is a no-brainer:  no more sparring.  I still do sparring drills (one-step and combinations), I've just adjusted my distance so there's no chance of contact.  Outside of the dojo, I'm careful not to do squats or leg thrusts of any kind.  Regular karate stances are fine, just keep your abs nice and tight.  Regular karate techniques are also fine.  In fact, the only real dojo thing I've had to modify is the "butterfly stretch".  I'm starting to have to adjust some other stretches to accommodate the belly though, and find that my best bet is to arrive early and stretch carefully ahead of time, so I can more or less skip any stretches in class that my body can't handle right now.

Listen To Your Body

Anyone who does regular physical activity learns, to some extent, to communicate with their body.  The more you exercise, and the more serious you are about it, the better the communication.  In order to get past a certain skill level, you have to be aware of your body on a fine-tuned level, and the more you work out, the better care you need to take in order to avoid health problems.  People who are careless find themselves with permanent joint problems, out of training for weeks or months to heal injuries, or with life-threatening problems like dehydration.  So although I am currently talking about trying to keep physical while pregnant, this particular maxim should be applied by everyone.

In martial arts, listening to your body helps you to develop higher levels of fitness and skill.  You learn to realize when you're raising your shoulders up, when you're not in the proper stance, when you aren't controlling your techniques or aren't hitting your target area.  You learn that many techniques, if performed improperly, can cause injury.  Not keeping your knee over your toes when in a deep stance will lead to knee and ankle problems; letting your elbow fly out when you punch can lead to elbow and shoulder problems; bending your wrist when you punch can lead to a jammed wrist; etc.

I've had years of practice listening to my body's wants, needs and complaints, and I've had to pretty much throw it all out the window starting last September.  The only thing that has remained constant is the need to listen to my body, more important than ever now because all the rules have changed.

I want to emphasize that I am no doctor, and in no way does anything I say constitute medical advice.  The next thing I need to say is that compared to so many women I know or have heard of, I've had it easy, for which I am very grateful.  So, I'm only discussing my personal situation, but I do feel much of it applies to many pregnant women.  Here's what my body has had to say to me the past several months:

1)  I'm tired!  I've never been so tired in my entire life.  I slept 9 or 10 hours a night, and needed naps most afternoons.  I spent 3 months feeling dizzy and exhausted.  If I didn't get enough rest, I had serious meltdowns. 

In terms of karate, it meant I missed a lot of training because I was too tired to get off the couch, or knew I couldn't get through class if I did.  The one time I tried to rebel and "push through it", I ended up shaking and in tears, and it took me 2 days to recover.  Lesson learned. 

In terms of the non-pregnant martial artist?  Still true!  If you're too run down, there are times when you are better off resting than trying to push it.

2)  I don't want to eat that!  I did not spend the first 3 months of my pregnancy in the bathroom, and I can't begin to express my gratitude for that.  However, I did go "off" almost all food.  I ate bread, crackers, and baked potatoes, with water and ginger ale to wash it down.  Despite concerns for my nutritional needs, and those of the baby, I never tried to force myself to eat something I didn't want, and if I had, I would have gotten sick.  I did what I could with prenatal vitamins to make up the difference. 

In terms of karate, this meant more missed trainings and much weaker trainings, because I didn't have the fuel required to train at my accustomed level. 

In terms of the non-pregnant martial artist?  Many things might affect your eating habits, including illness, stress, or just plain busy scheduling.  Be aware that it can and will affect your strength and endurance, and give yourself a break until you're at full strength again.

3)  Like it or not, your hormones are affecting you.  I've always been a tomboy and never had much patience with women who use hormones as an excuse to weep, throw fits, or stay in bed whining.  I ignored the little suckers to the best of my ability, and never saw why other women couldn't do the same.  I now feel I owe an apology for every time I saw a pregnant woman dissolve into tears and thought to myself, "what an idiot!"  My emotional state was extremely shaky for several months, and some things were really hard to deal with and my inability to control my emotions made it that much worse. 

In karate terms? More missed training.  When I knew that I was too tired and shaky to have a good training, I didn't go, because emotionally, it was devastating.  The only thing worse than missing training and getting out of shape is training and really sucking, and spending the next two hours in tears wondering if you'll ever be able to do karate properly again.  Again, it only took once for me to learn this lesson. 

In terms of the non-pregnant martial artist?  There are many things in life that are beyond our control, hormonal or otherwise.  Outside stressors can do just as bad a number on your mental strength and confidence, and everyone has bad days sometimes.  Sometimes the outside influences are so strong that they will overwhelm your dedication to the martial arts.  Forgive yourself; life has a way of sometimes rearranging your priorities.

4)  Be patient.  Which was the most important lesson my body had to teach me.  I wanted to try to push through all of this, and you just can't do it.  Your body is pumping 50% more blood, and your internal organs are rearranging themselves to accommodate a growing baby.  This is physically exhausting, and it does no good to pretend otherwise. 

In karate terms, this meant stifling my infamous impatience level and hanging onto hope (sometimes by a thread!).  I had to keep my fingers crossed that what everyone told me was right, that things would get better during the second trimester.  And they have.

In terms of the non-pregnant martial artist?  Oh, how many times have I felt that I was on a plateau.  I trained and trained, for weeks or months on end, and felt no improvement.  I heard the same advice and corrections over and over again.  I got tired and frustrated.  For whatever the reasons, I always stuck it out, and comes a day when you have that amazing breakthrough, and your karate makes a "leap", and the feeling is indescribable.  When things seem hard, or seem to be going nowhere, have a little patience.  They can, and will, turn around.

Karate and the Pregnant Woman

Well, I guess the title of this post pretty much lets the cat out of the bag!  And explains a whole lot about what's been going on with me the past few months.  Yes, I'm expecting, and there's no question that being pregnant impacts your life on a staggering number of levels.

We wanted to keep it quiet until that perilous first trimester was over, and now that I'm halfway through the pregnancy I can reflect back and share some thoughts.  Not only am I more comfortable talking about it at this point, but my energy level has rebounded dramatically!  This will, obviously, cover several posts.  For this first one, I am going to keep it very simple, with a key list of DO'S and DON'TS that I have come up with over the past several months:

DO'S:

1)  Listen to your body

2)  Adjust your activities accordingly (in other words, don't be stupid)

3)  Listen to your doctor

4)  Remember that every woman and every pregnancy are different

DON'TS:

1)  Think you can keep doing everything as though nothing has changed

2)  Think you are Superwoman

3)  Listen to friends and family too much if they disagree with any of these things! (see #4 above, and then add to that the fact that the advice given to pregnant women has changed drastically through the decades)

I'll elaborate more on these things in my next few posts.  For now I will just say that I am doing quite well, that I am still training and plan to keep training for as long as possible, and that this whole thing is a giant learning experience in so many ways I can't describe. 

And don't worry, the blog isn't going to turn into some "daily pregnancy diary".  I will keep entries restricted to the pregnancy/karate interaction and how it's affecting me.  However, I have found that many of the things I've learned (or re-learned) were totally relevant to life in general, just sometimes that much more so to life when you're expecting.