You hear lots of well-meaning – but contrasting – advice during pregnancy. From the foods you should avoid to the dangers of riding your bike, the onslaught of warnings from well-meaning friends and relatives can be overwhelming.
Of course, you want to do the right thing as a mum, but there’s also no need to give up all the things you enjoy. If you’re a healthy mum-to-be, there’s no reason why you can’t continue to enjoy exercise and sports during pregnancy. In fact, there’s every reason you should!
Exercising boosts your fitness, energy, strength and mood. And that’s great preparation for everything that lies ahead. It’s all about adapting your workouts to suit your changing body. (If you have any health issues or pregnancy complications, always ask your doctor or midwife which exercises are safe to do.)
Here are some of our favourite ways to stay active during pregnancy, one trimester at a time…
While many women don’t feel their best during the first trimester (thanks a lot, morning sickness!), regular exercise can help to combat some of those unwelcome symptoms. Just make sure you rest when your body is telling you.
When it comes to first trimester exercise, you can take part in most sporting activities – and yes, that includes riding a bike. So, if you’re a runner, run. If you love to lift weights, do it. If your favourite fitness class is the best part of your week, don’t be a stranger.
At the same time, if all you feel up to is a gentle daily walk, that’s okay too. A little exercise is always better than none.
Avoid taking on high-impact sports that you haven’t tried before. This isn’t the time to test your body’s limits, so stick with the sports you know and love – or take up new, low-impact activities that will keep you fit and strong without causing your body unnecessary strain.
Some things to think about:
- If you’re worried about falling off your bike, switch to a spin class. Or treat yourself to a stationary bike that you can use at home.
- Keep things cool. It’s important not to overheat during pregnancy, so maybe swap your Bikram hot yoga class for a cooler alternative, and always keep well hydrated.
- Getting a head start in building core strength and stability can help prevent pregnancy issues later on. Adding a good pregnancy Pilates class into your first trimester exercise programme can reduce your chances of lower back pain as your baby grows.
- Keep things fun! Pregnancy may be a miracle, but it can also be really difficult, so make sure your time to exercise is something you look forward to. Dance it up in a Zumba class, play a game of tennis, go for a relaxing swim – whatever makes you feel amazing.
Weeks 13 to 28 are often when you feel your best. Your energy levels increase, morning sickness (hopefully) subsides, and there are all those exciting firsts to enjoy – from the first little kick to the first signs of your growing bump.
Channelling some of that extra energy into your workouts is a great way of improving your strength ahead of a tougher third trimester, but it’s also time to start thinking about making some adjustments.
As your baby grows, your centre of gravity will change, your ligaments will become looser and more injury-prone, and your balance can be affected. For these reasons, avoiding contact and high-impact sports when pregnant can be the best way to keep you and your baby safe. You should also avoid exercises that involve lying on your back after week 16, as this can affect blood flow to your baby and cause dizziness and nausea for you.
The good news is that while rugby, basketball and trampolining may be out, there are still loads of sports you can enjoy. It also marks the ideal time for a well-deserved ‘babymoon’ holiday (while you’re still allowed to fly).
Come along to a Neilson Beachclub and we’ll help you enjoy a wide range of fun activities, whether you fancy working those all-important core muscles with some stand up paddle boarding or simply kicking back in the pool.
During the last trimester, your body changes pretty dramatically. It’s still important to keep moving, but you’ll find it that bit more challenging.
Remember that everybody has a different pregnancy experience. If you’re that person that keeps jogging right up to the birth, give yourself a high five. But if you’re too uncomfortable to maintain your usual levels of exercise, don’t feel bad. So much comes down to the luck of the draw, so just go at your own pace.
Swimming when pregnant has to be our favourite go-to activity. However sore you are, the soothing feeling of being in the water feels great. And the extra buoyancy and joint support helps you exercise with less chance of injury. If you’re a runner who’s now finding runningtoo much, try taking up aqua jogging or water-based aerobics classes instead.
Yoga is also a popular choice during the later stages of pregnancy. Going along to a specialised pregnancy class led by an experienced instructor will ensure that the moves are gentle, relaxing, and designed to ease those pregnancy aches and pains.
And the most important thing? Listen to your body.
Yes, you want to be as strong and healthy as possible, but your body’s got a lot going on behind the scenes. Rest up, don’t push too hard, and stop right away if something doesn’t feel right.
Some days you might feel like working up a sweat, others you’ll want to put your feet up and eat a tub of ice cream. Go with it, it’s your prerogative!
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It’s still possible to enjoy an active lifestyle and nothing beats the rush of adrenalin when you try something new, even when you’ve just had a baby.
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