Is It Safe To Exercise While Pregnant? Find Out More Here..

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Finding out your having a baby is both the most amazing feeling but if you are anything like my wife all of a sudden there is brain overload of questions. One my wife found herself asking and one we get from the many ladies we train when they find out the exciting news is ‘Can I exercise?’. This is a really important and at times stressful question becomes you want to give your child the best start to life and not do anything to harm it and everyone seems to have an opinion.

pregnant woman running with dumbbells

The short answer is that its very safe and even recommended that women exercise throughout their pregnancy. Every women is going to be different, if you have never exercised or even done much within the past 2-3 months we recommend starting out very basic. This might include a combination of walking, bodyweight exercises, and mobility drills. Throughout pregnancy data suggests that as the musculoskeletal system starts to adapt to the changes in weight and posture its possible our joints can begin to suffer. If this is you, avoiding severe impact based exercises like running, jumping, and olympic lifting is recommended.

If you are someone who has been exercising and wondering what you can and cant do the simple answer is to proceed with a observatory eye. Throughout pregnancy our ability to breathe properly even during the most basic aerobic work can be inhibited and as such you will notice a decrease in overall performance. This doesn’t mean cardiovascular exercise needs to be avoided but proceeding with care is recommended. Along with your aerobic training strength training throughout your pregnancy at the right volume and intensity is not only safe for most women but highly recommended. Reps of up to 12 reps in a range of movements has been seen as beneficial but avoiding excessive strain on ligaments and joints is something to be mindful of.

Key points to be mindful of during pregnancy;

  • Avoid overexerting yourself, pregnancy is not a time to be hitting PB’s and being competitive. Smart planned training is recommended.
  • Your body is dealing with increased demands nutritionally and more nutrient rich food is needed. Pregnancy is not a time to eat to lose weight.
  • Avoid training and resting in a supine position after your first trimester. Your body is now experiencing changes in cardiac output in this lying position so proceed with care.
  • Resumption of exercise postpartum in most can occur around 6 weeks, We recommend consulting your doctor.

Please don’t hesitate to ask any questions below on exercise and training during pregnancy. If you are after support to help guide you with your training throughout your pregnancy we offer a range of beneficial options. To learn more reach out to us below.

All information can be referenced from https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/37/1/6.short

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