How Should I Exercise While Pregnant?

The way we exercise is very similar to our personality because motivation is closely tied to our intent and our self-image. No doubt staying energized during pregnancy can be difficult, particularly if we rely on caffeine for a daily energy boost, but what if we could view fitness during pregnancy as a way to boost our self-esteem and help us be fit for labor?

Intent

I exercise pretty much the same way that I live life. Exercise is part of my intention that changes with my desire for an outcome. Whether to sweat, destress, or focus that will dictate my activity or chosen workout. For that reason, it’s important to always take the time to assess how you see yourself and whether this image is conducive to healthy self-esteem especially as our bodies change during pregnancy. Nature takes over and our bodies change whether we want them to or not. Weight gain, larger blood volume, decrease in lung capacity, and the hormones coursing through the veins will make us feel sluggish and our motivation to stay active can go out the window. Much of the determining aspects of how you will make important choices concerning exercise are factored into how you regard health and your own role in this experience.

Can we exercise when pregnant?

Our rapidly changing physical bodies and surging hormones can often dictate how we feel at any given moment; however, it is important for us to maintain the activity we had before pregnancy. If we do not have an established exercise regimen we should try to pick up pregnancy-safe exercises such as Pilates, Yoga, walking, and/or swimming as they offer physical, mental, and emotional well-being. During my first pregnancy, as I had been teaching HIIT/Yoga classes for FitSphere, I had a high activity threshold. I stayed active by spinning, hiking 10,000 steps, lifting weights, and doing yoga weekly. In my second pregnancy, as I had a toddler to run after, I could only summon the strength to film for WOMOM Youtube channel, walk the hills in my neighborhood, and practice yoga 1 x per week. No matter what, we should always be proud of whatever movement we can show up for, knowing that some Mom time out is crucially important to take care of ourselves first, so we can show up fully for our family.

Before a workout

As a general rule of thumb, always talk to your healthcare provider to get a green light on exercise because there may be some things that are specific to you and your pregnancy. Do not expect a doctor to provide your fitness regimen as that is not their field of expertise, but if they say go, GO!

During a workout

Whether you have been working out prior or not it is recommended to exercise during pregnancy. You will have to make some modifications for the different trimesters as the belly grows, but you can do more than you think. I cover many of the hormonal changes that affect a workout on WOMOM and how to move with awareness during these changes. Here are some highlights here that you can refer to as a reminder.

Relaxin affects the joints and ligaments, so it is very important not to overstretch and to avoid high-impact exercises that could cause long-term damage to the joints
Red cell mass rises to carry the extra oxygen taken up in pregnancy. Greater blood volume is needed to cope with the very large increases in blood flow to organs and the baby. You will feel generally shorter on breath, so it is important to listen to your breath and take rests as needed.
To make space for the baby avoid movements and exercises with deep twists, crunching, lying on the belly, and flat on the back. You would be surprised that you can join a regular yoga class by listening to your body and making simple modifications. Here’s a video of some easy modifications for any Yoga class.

After a workout

An adequate water intake is so important for pregnancy as the amniotic fluid needs ample water and we need more to digest our prenatal vitamins that can cause constipation. Drinking enough water can be difficult, especially with our increased need to pee, but adding movement on top of the demands requires us to drink more than is expected of us. Personally, I make a point to drink 2L a day.

Recovery

Adequate rest is just as important as the workout itself. We are not pushing ourselves when we exercise during pregnancy, our bodies are going through enough, so if you can time for yourself to drink a cup of tea, have a hot bath, meal to rest, and recoup encourage you to work out again with positive reinforcement.

My prenatal yoga classes

For my pre and postnatal yoga videos, I wanted to bring you the classes that supported mamas by connecting the mind, body, and baby. As yoga really benefitted me during every trimester of pregnancy I focused on these 4 topics in classes of varying lengths.

Breastfeeding and Strengthening – the extra load and repetitious movements while breastfeeding can put a strain on our neck, back, and shoulders. Let’s stretch and strengthen our bodies in the 10-20-minute yoga videos.

Mom Time Out – practicing yoga or meditation with the kids around can seem impossible; however, I love that I can demonstrate good self-care practices to them while sneaking in some me-time amidst the chaos of the day.

Yoga Flow – we go step-by-step through beginners’ and advanced sun salutation yoga flow and learn how to modify the postures for safety.

Pregnancy Yoga – I loved practicing Yoga while I was pregnant and hope you do too!

Trust the process

From these classes, I hope you can learn to appreciate the body and feel empowered by what pregnant women can do. Not only will you benefit from this enhanced maternal bodily awareness at every stage of pregnancy, but you will form a deeper connection to the baby in your body who will benefit from your activity in your breath, and recovery from birth will become easier. I hope that taking these classes will help you to be more in tune with the nuances of the body, hone your intuition, and always speak with love to yourself.