News/Events

By Carla DiGirolamo, MD, PHD
Reproductive Endocrinologist
Boston IVF

Patients are asking me “What can I do while we are waiting to cycle?”.

During this time when our lives are so disrupted, it’s important to go “back to basics” and be mindful of things that we – under normal circumstances – take for granted.

Sleep. Nutrition. Exercise.

These 3 things are the foundation of our good health, which is so critically important as we navigate this pandemic and prepare you for pregnancy.

My last blog post, “Shakes – The Ultimate Superfood” suggested an easy way to give nutrition a boost. Today, we’ll talk about how to stay active while staying at home.

• Take ANY opportunity to go outside! Call a friend (following social distancing guidelines), walk your dog, or put your headphones on and commit to 30-60+ minutes 3-5x per week to spend walking, running, biking or hiking.
• Explore online workouts. Many local and national fitness companies are offering online workouts meant to be done at home with limited equipment and space. Les Mills On Demand, Boston Sports Club, Orange Theory and many Crossfit boxes are great sources of online workouts. 
• Do it yourself! Clear some space, grab your laptop, TV, IPad (if doing streamed workouts) and gather any home equipment you may have – dumbells, jumprope, resistance bands, a sturdy ottoman, or yoga mat. It’s time to get creative! If possible, set up this space as your escape place: a place where you go to recharge. And music is key! Don’t forget your ear pods!
• Engage an online personal trainer! Advancing technology has allowed the fitness industry to offer many training and coaching options for clients training at home.

PLUG - along with being a reproductive endocrinologist at Boston IVF, I am also incredibly passionate about fitness. I run my own personal training company, FitforLifeMD - and we're offering a FREE, one-time FitAnalysis and individualized home exercise plan for Boston IVF patients. Email me for more info if you're interested in giving it a try.

Now - let's check out a sample workout to get you started.  You can do this 2-3x per week.

YOU WILL NEED

• Some floor space, an object weighing 10-15lbs. (jugs of water/gallon of milk, laundry detergent, whole watermelon, a frozen turkey, just about ANYTHING in this general size range you can grip securely)
• a 5 minute warm-up session: Alternate 25 jumping jacks or 30 high-knee-runs for 1 minute. Rest 20 seconds. Repeat for a total of 5 minutes.

15 MINUTE WORKOUT

• Set your phone stopwatch or other timer to 15 minutes
• Do 15 squats holding your weighted object
• Do 15 burpees (options: substitute 20 jumping jacks or 20 seconds of high-knee-runs)
• Do 15 push-ups
• Do 15 alternating lunges holding weighted object (step forward, front knee behind toe, back knee touches the floor – return to standing position and switch sides.)
• Do 15 more burpees (see options above)
• Repeat this sequence of exercises as many times as you can in 15 minutes. Adjust speed and remove steps to manage heart rate and your preferred pace. The ultimate goal is to keep moving for the entire 15 minutes. 
• Have a 5 minute stretch/cool-down session and do some of your favorite stretches, meditation and mindfulness exercises.
  
  

In Health,

Carla M DiGirolamo, MD, CF L1
Reproductive Endocrinologist
Boston IVF

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carla M. DiGirolamo, MD, PhD is a Reproductive Endocrinologist at Boston IVF and the founder of FitforLifeMD. She is now acccepting new patients at Boston IVF's fertility centers in Waltham and Westboro. Dr. DiGirolamo is Board Certified in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility & Obstetrics and Gynecology. She is credentialed as a Level 1 CrossFit Trainer/Les Mills certified group fitness instructor and is an active member of CrossFit Health, a worldwide organization that provides continuing education opportunities for physicians, health-care professionals, and trainers. In addition to helping patients build their families, Dr. DiGirolamo holds a special interest in managing the unique reproductive/endocrine challenges of female athletes.