Discovering you are pregnant can be an exciting time but also a bit daunting given the changes that are taking place in your body and are about to take place in your life.
There is so much advice out there but what should be listened to?
Exercise – what should you do and not do? Food-wise, what should you eat to help your baby and how much weight should you gain, on average?
We take a look at the current thinking on all these topics.
Exercise when pregnant key considerations
Mother-of-two Leonie Lynch is a personal trainer and pre- and post-natal exercise specialist who makes many key points about exercise during pregnancy.
“Always get your doctors clearance to exercise,” she says. “That’s the first thing. Your health and the health of your baby should be your number one priority. If that’s all good then your second priority should be to stay mobile and fill your body with nutritious food.”
You should also tell your trainer immediately, if you have one, that you are pregnant if you are taking part in an exercise programme. There are some sports that you should not participate in at all if you’re pregnant.
“Avoid all contact sports because of the risk of falls or knocks, ie skiing, rugby, basketball, horse riding, football and adventure sports such as water skiing and scuba diving,” she says.
Be mindful of your posture also. Avoiding a tilted pelvis and over-arching your lower back are important to bear in mind, along with keeping an eye on your heart rate during exercise.
“Never be out of breath,” she says. “You should be able to talk as you exercise. Always make sure you have eaten before a workout and drink plenty of water before, during and after exercising, particularly in very hot or humid weather. If you ever feel light headed, stop what you are doing,” she says.
One very important thing to remember is that if you have any spotting (blood loss), stop what you are doing and consult your doctor.
“In general, know the difference between discomfort and pain. Always stop if you get a pain – contact your care provider if you have any concerns.”
Exercises to avoid include stomach crunches, planks or any exercises that contract your stomach muscles. Also, always include a warm-up and cool-down session when putting muscles to work.
Learn to breath properly - will help with labour
Learning to breathe properly for stress management and efficient movement will have the added benefit of helping during the birth.
“Learn yoga breathing (in through the nose and out the nose to help you manage your mind in the first stages of labour).
“Learn Pilates breathing (diaphragmatic breathing, in through the nose and out through the mouth) for the second and third stages of labour to help you birth the baby,” she adds.
Pregnancy specific exercise classes can be a good choice.
“Make sure the trainer is qualified and understands what you are going through. Know your level and do not go beyond it. If you are in a class, ignore everyone else. This is your journey and everyone’s pregnancy is different so you cannot judge what you feel on any particular day with someone else who might be having a particularly good day.”
Each trimester is different
“Each of the three trimesters of pregnancy bring their own issues,” Leonie says.
“In the first trimester, you are dealing with morning sickness, you may feel tired and be experiencing a lot of emotions. It is certainly not the time to be worried about staying in shape. You need to be thinking about staying healthy so that you can carry your baby, initially, to that very important first milestone of 12 weeks.”
The key to managing your pregnancy is to eat well and keep moving, she believes, but don’t forget that you need your doctor’s clearance to exercise.
“There are some conditions like pregnancy-induced hypertension, incompetent cervix or multiple-birth pregnancy that might mean you cannot exercise, so always consult your GP.”
Even though mothers-to-be may feel tired throughout their pregnancy, it is important to remember that exercise gives you energy.
“It releases endorphins, builds strength and helps you cope with the new stresses your body is under.”
The second trimester – 13-27 weeks – is usually a time when you have the most energy but lower back pain may be a feature.
Centre of gravity changes
Remember that your centre of gravity changes in the second trimester (13-27 weeks) as your bump gets bigger. This means that your posture will inevitably alter with the increased front load.
“Be aware of this and a good tip is, if you catch yourself sticking your bump out so your back is over arched, squeeze your bottom. This will decrease the dip in your lower back.
“Bottom (buttock) exercises are so important in pregnancy because you need a strong core to help keep proper alignment of the spine and pelvis.”
Arms toned, bottom tight, legs strong - good advice
Leonie advises pregnant women to
“embrace their bump”.
“If you stay healthy and strong, you will love the extra weight you put on because it will be placed evenly and balanced all over. From my experience of two pregnancies, if you keep your arms toned, your bottom tight and your legs strong, you will love your pregnancy body.”
Extra tips
1. After the first trimester (12 weeks), avoid exercising on your back lying down for more than a couple of minutes. This is because the weight of your uterus puts pressure on the vein responsible for returning blood from the lower body to the heart.2. Learn about diastasis recti (abdominal muscle separation caused by pressure from the growing uterus which can result in ‘mommy tummy’ and lower back pain). Be mindful of exercises that could make it worse throughout your pregnancy and avoid them.
Discovering you are pregnant can be an exciting time but also a bit daunting given the changes that are taking place in your body and are about to take place in your life.
There is so much advice out there but what should be listened to?
Exercise – what should you do and not do? Food-wise, what should you eat to help your baby and how much weight should you gain, on average?
We take a look at the current thinking on all these topics.
Exercise when pregnant key considerations
Mother-of-two Leonie Lynch is a personal trainer and pre- and post-natal exercise specialist who makes many key points about exercise during pregnancy.
“Always get your doctors clearance to exercise,” she says. “That’s the first thing. Your health and the health of your baby should be your number one priority. If that’s all good then your second priority should be to stay mobile and fill your body with nutritious food.”
You should also tell your trainer immediately, if you have one, that you are pregnant if you are taking part in an exercise programme. There are some sports that you should not participate in at all if you’re pregnant.
“Avoid all contact sports because of the risk of falls or knocks, ie skiing, rugby, basketball, horse riding, football and adventure sports such as water skiing and scuba diving,” she says.
Be mindful of your posture also. Avoiding a tilted pelvis and over-arching your lower back are important to bear in mind, along with keeping an eye on your heart rate during exercise.
“Never be out of breath,” she says. “You should be able to talk as you exercise. Always make sure you have eaten before a workout and drink plenty of water before, during and after exercising, particularly in very hot or humid weather. If you ever feel light headed, stop what you are doing,” she says.
One very important thing to remember is that if you have any spotting (blood loss), stop what you are doing and consult your doctor.
“In general, know the difference between discomfort and pain. Always stop if you get a pain – contact your care provider if you have any concerns.”
Exercises to avoid include stomach crunches, planks or any exercises that contract your stomach muscles. Also, always include a warm-up and cool-down session when putting muscles to work.
Learn to breath properly - will help with labour
Learning to breathe properly for stress management and efficient movement will have the added benefit of helping during the birth.
“Learn yoga breathing (in through the nose and out the nose to help you manage your mind in the first stages of labour).
“Learn Pilates breathing (diaphragmatic breathing, in through the nose and out through the mouth) for the second and third stages of labour to help you birth the baby,” she adds.
Pregnancy specific exercise classes can be a good choice.
“Make sure the trainer is qualified and understands what you are going through. Know your level and do not go beyond it. If you are in a class, ignore everyone else. This is your journey and everyone’s pregnancy is different so you cannot judge what you feel on any particular day with someone else who might be having a particularly good day.”
Each trimester is different
“Each of the three trimesters of pregnancy bring their own issues,” Leonie says.
“In the first trimester, you are dealing with morning sickness, you may feel tired and be experiencing a lot of emotions. It is certainly not the time to be worried about staying in shape. You need to be thinking about staying healthy so that you can carry your baby, initially, to that very important first milestone of 12 weeks.”
The key to managing your pregnancy is to eat well and keep moving, she believes, but don’t forget that you need your doctor’s clearance to exercise.
“There are some conditions like pregnancy-induced hypertension, incompetent cervix or multiple-birth pregnancy that might mean you cannot exercise, so always consult your GP.”
Even though mothers-to-be may feel tired throughout their pregnancy, it is important to remember that exercise gives you energy.
“It releases endorphins, builds strength and helps you cope with the new stresses your body is under.”
The second trimester – 13-27 weeks – is usually a time when you have the most energy but lower back pain may be a feature.
Centre of gravity changes
Remember that your centre of gravity changes in the second trimester (13-27 weeks) as your bump gets bigger. This means that your posture will inevitably alter with the increased front load.
“Be aware of this and a good tip is, if you catch yourself sticking your bump out so your back is over arched, squeeze your bottom. This will decrease the dip in your lower back.
“Bottom (buttock) exercises are so important in pregnancy because you need a strong core to help keep proper alignment of the spine and pelvis.”
Arms toned, bottom tight, legs strong - good advice
Leonie advises pregnant women to
“embrace their bump”.
“If you stay healthy and strong, you will love the extra weight you put on because it will be placed evenly and balanced all over. From my experience of two pregnancies, if you keep your arms toned, your bottom tight and your legs strong, you will love your pregnancy body.”
Extra tips
1. After the first trimester (12 weeks), avoid exercising on your back lying down for more than a couple of minutes. This is because the weight of your uterus puts pressure on the vein responsible for returning blood from the lower body to the heart.2. Learn about diastasis recti (abdominal muscle separation caused by pressure from the growing uterus which can result in ‘mommy tummy’ and lower back pain). Be mindful of exercises that could make it worse throughout your pregnancy and avoid them. 
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