Becoming pregnant doesn’t mean the end of your fitness regime but it does mean making some changes to you usual exercise routine. This article will cover times when you shouldn’t exercise, dangers, some information about what happens to you during the various stages of pregnancy and safe exercise suggestions. It does not cover the medical aspects of pregnancy, for information on how your body changes and for medical information, speak to your medical professional.

 

Firstly lets start with those who absolutely SHOULDN’T exercise during pregnancy:

History of three or more miscarriages;

Ruptured membranes;

Premature Labor;

Diagnosed multiple pregnancies;

Intrauterine growth retardation;

Incompetent cervix;

Placenta praevia;

Pregnancy induced hypertension (high BP);

Venus thrombosis or pulmonary embolism;

Known cardiac valve disease;

Primary pulmonary hypertension;

Maternal heart disease.

 

If you have any of the following, seek advice from your obstetrician, who will make the decision as to whether you can exercise:

Hypertension;

Anaemia;

Thyroid disease;

Diabetes;

Extremely over/under weight;

Extremely sedentary (if you have done no exercise for at least 6 months);

Breech presentation in 3^rd trimester;

History of bleeding during pregnancy.

 

Now lets talk about the DANGER SIGNS, when you should stop exercising. These are really important, so keep reviewing them so that you remember them when you head to the gym;

Feeling very hot, faint, dizzy, short of breath;

Experience vaginal bleeding;

Have palpitations;

Blurred vision;

Feeling disorientated;

Have severe continuous headaches;

Lower abdominal pain, tightness or cramping;

Back and/or pubic pain;

Fatigue.

If you experience any of these whilst exercising stop immediately, if the symptom does not go away, seek medical advice. NOTE this list covers the main danger signs, however if you feel something isn’t right, stop and seek advice.

 

There are five stages to pregnancy, before you become pregnant, 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd trimesters and post natal. This article covers the three trimesters, however if you have made the decision to become pregnant it’s a good idea to seek advice from a fitness professional with pre and post natal qualifications. They will give you some great advice on how to become as healthy as possible and give you exercises to strengthen and prepare your body for the changes that are about to happen. Post-natal exercises are all about rehabilitation and rebuilding your strength especially in your core and pelvic region, again getting advice from a qualified professional will ensure you stay on the right track and bounce back as quickly as possible.

 

1^st Trimester Weeks 1-12

You should gain about 0-5lbs or 0-2.25kg;

Your heart rate will increase by approx. 10-15 beats per minutes;

You will experience morning sickness due to hormonal changes in your body;

You need to eat about 300 calories more to start building that little person;

Remember you are building another human so you need to start eating foods to do that, protein, good carbohydrates and fat (fat is part of the human nervous system);

Make sure you stay hydrated as this may help with morning sickness;

Your heart rate should not exceed 150 beats per minute to avoid fetal distress and raising the body temperature too high.

 

Exercise Suggestions

Long warm-up at least 10minutes;

Resistance training is recommended over cardio, running is not recommended due to the pressure placed on the pelvic floor;

Balance exercises should be avoided due to changes on your centre of gravity;

Look at some pilates abdominal exercises which involve bracing the pelvic area and core, both areas which becoming stretched and weak during pregnancy;

Exercise examples include:

Squats (with or without weight held at chest);

Fit ball squat against wall;

Deadlifts;

Seated row;

Inverted chin up;

Bent over row;

Squat cable row;

Dead bug (lay on your back on the floor arms out and knees up with legs bent, extend opposite arms and legs) NOTE do not lie on back for more than 2 minutes;

Multi directional lunges;

Lunge with cable pull;

Push up against wall, fit ball, on floor;

Fit ball lower body twist;

Fit ball seated cable/band push or pulls exercises;

Kegel exercises are important to strengthen that pelvic floor (PV);

Step ups with opposite shoulder press (holding in PV as you step up) NOTE step should be lower than usual due to changes in your centre of gravity;

Using a medicine ball, perform a deadlift in a diagonal movement from the outside of each foot;

Long cool down;

The best cardio exercise is walking, this places the least pressure on the pelvic floor, walking at a gradient is preferred. Remember to check your heart rate every five minutes.

 

2^nd Trimester Weeks 13-26

Weight gain should be about 1lb a week;

You will start feeling movement at about 16weeks;

You will start to suffer from increased pressure and ligament stretching;

You need to start working on good posture especially as your bump grows and your centre of gravity changes;

During this time as the baby begins to grow you may start to experience separation of the stomach muscles (rectus abdominus), along the straight line which runs vertically through the middle (linea alba). This occurs in about 30% of pregnancies. You need to learn how to check for this (ask your medical professional for advice). If the separation is greater than 3 fingers wide, you must stop lifting heavy weights and avoid abdominal exercises. Seek advice from a fitness professional for safe core strengthening exercises.

 

Exercise Suggestions

Long warm-up at least 10minutes;

Resistance training is recommended over cardio, running is not recommended due to the pressure placed on the pelvic floor;

Balance exercises should be avoided due to changes on your centre of gravity;

Look at some pilates abdominal exercises which involve bracing the pelvic area and core, both areas which becoming stretched and weak during pregnancy;

Exercise examples include:

Squats (including fit ball and weighted);

Fitball supine hip extensions;

Lunges (including with cable row, weighted and multi directional);

Deadlift (as your growing bump allows);

Seated row;

Inverted chin up;

Bent over row;

Squat cable row;

Push up against wall, fit ball, on floor;

Fit ball lower body twist;

Fit ball seated cable/band push or pulls exercises;

Kegel exercises are important to strengthen that pelvic floor (PV);

Using a medicine ball, perform a deadlift in a diagonal movement from the outside of each foot;

Long cool down;

The best cardio exercise is walking, this places the least pressure on the pelvic floor, walking using a gradient is preferred. Remember to check your heart rate every five minutes.

 

3^rd Trimester Weeks 28-40

Your weight should increase by 8-10kgs (remember much of that weight is the baby and surrounding fluids/tissues that you will lose once you have given birth, you should expect to gain approx. 5kg during pregnancy);

During week 31-34 you may feel the pressing up towards the lungs;

You may experience Braxton hicks;

At week 32 the baby is fully formed;

At week 36-40 the baby moves into the pelvis;

ALL EXERCISE SHOULD STOP AT WEEK 36 IF YOU NEED TO MOVE AROUND, GENTLE POOL EXERCISES ARE RECOMMENDED.

 

Exercise Suggestions

At this stage you should be limiting your exercise to 15minutes three times a week;

This means;

10 minute warm-up;

15 minute program;

10 minute cool down;

Suggested 3 sets of 20 reps;

Hip extension on fit ball;

Fit ball squat against wall;

Fit ball seated pull;

Angled leg press with kegel exercises;

Squats holding a weight to side (practicing carrying a baby);

Sitting on a fit ball draw circles and figure 8’s with your pelvis;

Remember it is important to exercise at a moderate level, keep a check on your heart rate more often;

At each ante-natal visit keep your doctor informed of your exercise regime;

Remember no exercise after 36 weeks.

 

Water based exercise and swimming is a good option for pregnant ladies. The water keeps your core temperature lower than being in a gym, which means you can raise your working heart rate to 160 beats per minute. The water supports your body weight and when you submerge in water you core switches on automatically. The pressure of the water also decreases the blood pooling effects of swelling. Swimming on your tummy promotes blood flow to the fetus, however avoid using flippers as this can add pressure to your lower back.

 

Staying active is important during your pregnancy, but the focus should be less on fitness and more on health, don’t over do it! Before starting any exercise plan, get advice from your medical professional and get some advice from a personal trainer with the right qualifications, they will be able to give you some more specific exercises and information to help keep you safe when exercising in and out of the gym.

 

Strengthening and stretching the pelvic area is not covered in this article as it is a complex subject due to the large number of ligaments and muscles. To ensure that you bounce back quickly and maintain good posture during and after pregnancy, it is recommended that you seek advice.

 

If you have any comments or questions regarding this article please get in touch.

All information was taken from Donal Carr Pre and Post Natal Course, www.placeofchi.com.