Pregnancy & Exercise

Congratulations Karen

Maybe just wait until you're in your second trimester and past 12 weeks. Speak to your midwife and ask what recommended exercises you can do. Or if you go to a gym speak to them about putting together an exercise plan for pregnancy. Best to keep the exercise light and non energetic.

Hi there Karen. This is a very sensible question. There are so many things expectant mothers are told NOT to do, it can be incredibly stressful knowing just what is and isn’t safe. I’m glad to say, however, that exercise is still something that most women can participate in quite safely during their pregnancy. In fact, there are some well documented benefits. This includes a less painful pregnancy, a faster and generally less painful labour and the ability to more easily regain your shape after the birth.

However, before you start exercising it is essential that you get your GP’s or midwife’s approval because if you have any particular medical conditions (such as pregnancy induced hypertension, sciatica, multiple birth pregnancy etc), then exercise will have to be more carefully limited.

From your question, it sounds like you have been regularly exercising before the pregnancy. If this is the case, and your midwife gives you the go-ahead, then you can continue to exercise regularly, say 3 times a week.

Generally the cross trainer is a good choice as it is gentle on your joints (low impact). Remember that your tendons and ligaments are naturally weaker during pregnancy (due to the ‘relaxin’ hormone) which, in turn, can make your joints more prone to injury - hence any exercise must be low-impact.

Reduce the intensity of exercise from what you were doing previously. Always remember to warm-up before your exercise and cool down after and always drink plenty of water.

Whilst the cross trainer should be quite safe during early pregnancy, remember that as your pregnancy progresses and you become heavier, your balance will be affected making such activities harder and more dangerous. Always, therefore, wear sensible footwear and hold on to the cross-trainer handles for stability. If you feel faint, dizzy or unwell, stop exercising.

I would recommend that you avoid the cross trainer from the third trimester and switch to gentle walking. I hope some of this advice helps, but I would urge you to speak with your GP or midwife before you start exercising, as they will be better placed to offer you specific recommendations based upon your particular condition and medical history. May I wish you the best of luck over the forthcoming months and congratulations!

Hi and Congratulations Karen,
We run a fitness consultancy in lincs and regularly have pt clients and class members who continue with their pre pregnancy regime upto final stages, your body s used to doing things so why stop if you become pregnant, I am a man si possibly not best placed to offer personal advice but my wife is PT and instructed through 4 pregnancies upto day of birth in all cases, I am not saying she did as much in th later stages but nevertheless had no time off except for a three weeks post cesarian for twins born at 37 weeks each just under 7lb.
Your body will tell you if you are doing to much , but see you midwife or gp for specialist advice,
best regards
Gaz .
ps we stopped at 5 kids after 2 boys, then twin boys we got our daughter so I had a testosterone bypass

Thanks so much for the replies. I saw my midwife last week and she said that "gentle exercise" was fine but didn't give any specific recommendations, apart from a list she gave me which didn't give specific details about the cross trainer, hence my question here. It's set my mind at rest having some advice from those in the know. I really enjoy the cross trainer and don't have a gym membership, so being able to do this at home helps to keep me in shape. I wouldn't want to stop using it all together.

I swam 30 lengths 3 mornings and taught two aerobic one hour classes every week until 4 days before my second daughter was born! If you are generally fit and healthy, then why stop doing your normal routine. I wish people (I'm generalising here!) would stop treating pregnancy as an illness!

Admittedly, I wouldn't recommend someone to suddenly start exercising on conception, just in the hope that they will have a flat tummy 20 minutes after birth, having only exercised their right arm with a wine glass for the previous 15 years!!

Getting fit to Deliver

hi Karen,

First of all congratulations and good luck with your pregnancy. It is very refreshing to read that you are keen to continue to exercise - as David says - once you get the clear from your GP or midwife you can continue to exercise.
I am a qualified midwife and also hold a qualification in exercise intsructiong for pregnant and postnatal women and I can not stress enough the importance of keeping fit. Apart from keeping yourself in shape, you will help your body deal with the changes it undergoes, of course as long as you work with the changes and not against them.
With the correct program, you will not only continue to look great but also get those babypushers ready for when it's time to deliver.
It is important however that you have a chat with a trainer who has experience dealing with pregnant ladies as there are certain things you have to keep in mind i.e. ditch the heart rate monitor and use the Talk Test (you should be able to carry out a conversation whilst exercising) instead - the reason for this is that as a result of the increase in blood volume a pregnant lady has a higher heart rate at rest so using the monitor will give you a false indication, drink at least 2 extra big glasses of water per hour you exercise to prevent preterm labor, the hormone relaxin will kick in around 18 wks but can happen earlier as well so your joints will become more flexible which you need to bear in mind when strectching and doing single leg weight bearing exercise,....
there are lots more things to bear in mind so I suggest you speak to a qualified trainer who can perhaps give you a program.

In the meantime, enjoy the pregnancy and don't forget the so important pelvic floor muscle exercises!

Sofiex

Hi Karen,

Its really nice to hear that you are healthy & wanted to keep you the same. During pregnancy you can do yoga to keep yourself fit but it is recommended to practice Yoga under an expert guidance. As you have mentioned that you are exercising on the cross trainer but as per my suggestion yoga will help you during & after pregnancy.You can try yoga from your home at your own convenience. There are many platform which are providing this facility in which Divine Wellness is one who provide live online interactive Yoga classes.Divine Wellness offer prenatal yoga where Yoga experts guide you and interact you in the real time and designed a customized program according to your needs and requirements. They are providing one free trial Yoga class.