I
t wasn’t too long ago that women
were advised to stop exercising right
from the moment their pregnancy was
confirmed. General thinking reasoned
that exercise during pregnancy had a
negative impact on the growth of the
baby. Thankfully, times have changed.
Get moving
Well-respected professional
associations, such as the Royal College
of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
in the UK and The American Congress
of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in
the US, now recommend that pregnant
women continue or safely initiate
participation in aerobic and strength
training on most days of the week as long
as there is no history of:
• significant heart disease
• restrictive lung disease
• incompetent cervix/cerclage
• persistent second and third trimester
bleeding
• low-lying placenta (placenta praevia)
after 26 weeks’ gestation
• premature labour during current
pregnancy
• ruptured membranes
• pregnancy-induced hypertension
and pre-eclampsia
Physically, exercise can help
increase muscle tone, strength and
endurance, and help you maintain a
healthy weight. Psychologically, it can
enhance your mood, reduce stress and
anxiety and generally make you feel
better about yourself. And we can all do
with a bit of this, especially when dealing
with the ups and downs of pregnancy.
On top of the physical and
psychological benefits, research shows
that initiating or maintaining a healthy
exercise regime can even help prevent
or treat gestational diabetes. Thinking
forward to the birth, someone in good
physical shape is more likely to be able
to cope better with the ebbs and flows
of labour, both froman endurance and
amental strength viewpoint – as you
train your body, you also train your mind.
Post-natally, you will also bemore likely to
exercise if you had a routine going before
birth than if you have to start from scratch.
Gently does it
But do all of these benefits mean you
should put yourself on a hard-core
Exercise during pregnancy is almost always a good thing, and
midwife and expert on exercise during pregnancy
Sofie Jacobs
says it’s never too late to start.
Work it
out
training regime? Certainly not. In fact,
the goal is to maintain a healthy level
of fitness, not to work towards reaching
your fitness peak or training towards
participation in an athletic competition.
If you were a gym bunny before getting
pregnant, you should be able to
continue your regime as long as you get
the OK from your healthcare provider.
If you have never exercised before, it’s
not too late to start, as long as you clear it
with your healthcare provider and take it
gently initially. Brisk walking, for example,
is a perfect cardiovascular exercise for
beginners. Choose exercises that cause
minimal risk of loss of balance and foetal
trauma – downhill skiing and rugby are
not recommended! Instead, walking,
jogging, using the cross trainer and
swimming are great aerobic exercises. Try
Pilates to strengthen your coremuscles,
including the pelvis, and yoga to focus
on breathing, relaxation and flexibility. But
from 18 weeks onwards, avoid exercising
whilst flat on your back as it may cause
you to feel dizzy and/or sick.
To strike a nice balance between
aerobic exercise and strength training,
you could consider working with a trainer
who specialises in pre-natal exercise.
This can help with motivation, too,
on the days when you are feeling
just that little bit more tired.
Remember to drink plenty of
water, don’t overexert yourself,
and try to have fun.
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