Whether you're making future plans or currently pregnant this blog is going to educate you and give you all the reassurance you need to exercise safely throughout your pregnancy. I will be outlining the benefits and precautions to take when looking at exercising and how you can navigate potential barriers and overcome them.
Benefits Of Exercising Whilst Pregnant:
Before I list all the benefits of exercising whilst pregnant I have to outline if you have previously exercised before pregnancy to carry on with your routine and if looking at starting exercising start gentle and don't push yourself too hard.
Benefits of exercise:
Increased energy levels
Improved posture
Prevention of lower back pain
Improved mood/body image
Prevention of excessive weight gain
Improves strength post birth for aiding in lifting baby
Improves your recovery post birth
Precautions Of Exercising Whilst Pregnant:
Here are some precautions to have in mind whilst exercising when pregnant.
Higher heart rate: When pregnant your heart rate will usually rise by 10-15%. Try and avoid HIIT routines as this could take much needed oxygen from your baby to aid in your recovery. Instead look at doing low impact cardio e.g. Walking, Swimming, Cycling, Rower machine, Jogging (constant pace).
Nausea/Fatigue: You will undoubtably be very tired during pregnancy (especially in your first trimester) and potentially have nausea. If that is the case look at resting more frequently between exercises if you can still exercise.
Risk of injury: Whilst you are pregnant levels of the hormone Relaxin are increased. This hormone aids in softening and relaxing joints and connective tissues preparing you for the growth of your baby and childbirth. What this means for us when exercising is it can impact your balance so make sure you are using aids when needed and not doing anything involving quick directional changes.
Core training: So can you train your core when pregnant? Yes you can but you will have to train a little differently. So number 1 rule is to not do ANY (not just core) exercises supine (laid down on back) when in your second and third trimester. In your first trimester you can carry on exercise as normal! And lay on your back to your hearts content, however when you move into the 2nd/3rd trimester it is very important to not lay supine. The reason behind this is it can impact the main vein carrying blood to your baby called the Vena Cava and potentially reduce blood flow to your baby. However, this does not mean you can't train your core! It just means you have to do it either in standing position or in all fours position. I would suggest focusing mainly on deep core work such as breathing techniques, pelvic tilts, bird-dog. *Note it is still important to train your core whilst pregnant so don't neglect it!
Overview:
So what have you learnt?
I hope you have found this blog post educational and helpful! Main take away from today is to keep exercising when pregnant as it is very important, not only for your health and wellbeing but your babies. Also, make sure you are training that core and pelvic floor both pre and post natal!! These are the most important as they will aid in child birth and your recovery post birth.
If you do require further assistance I would definitely recommend a fitness instructor who is specifically qualified in pre/post natal training as they can instruct you safely not only pre but post birth as well.
I am pre/post natal qualified so please feel free to get in touch with any questions/concerns! My details can be found here on my website or any of my social media accounts.
Thank you for reading,
Annie
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