A very good friend of mine recently told me that she is
expecting her first baby and, seeing as ante and postnatal fitness is my specialty, I thought it was about time that I did a wee blog on this topic!
Pregnancy for some people means a good excuse to put your
feet up for nine months and “eat for two”.
As long as you have a low-risk*
pregnancy this needn’t be the case.
So what exactly
are the benefits to exercising when you are pregnant?
- Helps to promote a healthy lifestyle for you and your baby.
- Can alleviate many symptoms of pregnancy e.g. back ache, varicose veins.
- Improved core strength.
- Enhances self-esteem and positive feelings.
- More oxygen rich blood via the placenta.
- Lower chance of high blood pressure.
- Increased endurance levels for labour.
- May help decrease the time in active labour.
- Less likely to need obstetric intervention.
- Increased confidence to cope with labour anxiety and pain.
- Faster recovery from labour.
- Better posture and less back pain.
- Improved sleep patterns and energy levels.
- Reduced chance of developing gestational diabetes.
- Less likely to suffer from stress incontinence and prolapse
- Quicker return to pre pregnancy weight, stamina, strength and flexibility.
- Enhanced body image and confidence.
But what about these
Old wives’ tales?
“Exercise in pregnancy increases your risk of miscarriage”.
If yours is a low-risk* pregnancy, then your chances of
miscarriage are not increased by exercising.
In fact, research has shown that the rate of miscarriage is actually
lower in runners and aerobic dancers than it is in women who don’t exercise at
all (Pregnancy and Fitness, Baker 2013).
“Exercise will cause
your waters to break”.
Not true! Your waters
will break in due course, when it is the right time.
“Exercise will take
nutrients from your baby”.
As long as you are eating a well-balanced diet and following
a sensible, regular exercise routine that is suitable for your stage of pregnancy
then there is no reason why any nutrients will be diverted away from your
growing baby. Exercise actually seems to
improve the function and growth of the placenta due to the increase in blood
vessels produced as an adaptation to exercise
Exercises to avoid
- Avoid exercises that require you to work at a high intensity. In general I recommend that my clients work at level of 50-60% of their max (you should still be able to talk comfortably).
- From 12 weeks onwards it is recommended that you avoid lying flat on your back. This can be dealt with by elevating the “head” end of the surface you wish to lie on.
- It is best to avoid any exercise that requires you to raise your arms above your head, from 20 weeks.
- Avoid exercises with too much impact or twisting actions.
- It is also best to avoid exercises that stresses your pelvis laterally i.e. side lunges and some gym equipment.
- Abdominal flexion exercises i.e. sit-ups/crunches/v-sits etc. should be off the schedule until your tummy muscles have healed sufficiently after birth.
- Finally, any exercise that you don’t feel comfortable doing, either physically or mentally, should be avoided! It’s your body so listen to what it is telling you!!!
*If you are unsure whether you
have a low-risk pregnancy, consult your doctor.
