Site navigation and social media links
Exercise and Pregnancy
Fitness | May 04, 2019
With a new baby comes a new and dramatic change in lifestyle. To all of my current and future expecting mother’s out there, this article is made just for you! Although some adjustments will have to be made in order to ensure both you and the baby will be healthy and safe, you can continue to lead an active lifestyle. In fact, exercise during pregnancy has been associated with a number of benefits, including:
• Gestational diabetes prevention (i.e., the development of diabetes during pregnancy)
• Stress relief
• Better posture
• Less fatigue
• Improved sleep
• Reducing bloating, swelling and constipation
• Improvements in common pregnancy-related discomforts, such as back pain
• Better stamina, which is important for labor, and coping during delivery
[1]
I can assure you, staying fit once you’re pregnant is going to be one of the best things you can do. While every pregnancy is going to differ, I speak generally and strongly urge you to work with a doctor before jumping into any exercise program or prenatal workout. Always be cautious and, when in doubt, go and see the doc. Otherwise, I have a few tips that you can use for your pregnancy. Are you ready? Then let’s do this!
Change Up Your Style!
While I’m not pregnant, I found a few reliable sources online. One of which is americanpregnancy.org, which is a national health organization that provides support, education, and awareness for reproductive health and pregnancy. When it comes to working out, their overall advice is to switch up the style of your workouts. Specifically, by going low impact. To quote, “Your baby is surrounded by fluid in the amniotic sac, which is nestled inside the uterus, which is surrounded by the organs, muscles and your physical body. This actually creates a rather safe environment for your developing baby. However, even with this protection, it is recommended you avoid high-impact exercise.” [2] What does this include? Think explosive movements like burpees, jumping jacks, skipping rope, and plyometrics. Twisting at the waist and bouncing are also advised against.
Now, does this mean you can’t get a good workout in? Not necessarily. But you’re going to have to be careful about the intensity. You can’t afford to go balls-to-the-wall crazy intense and hyperactive while pregnant since you run the risk of causing irreparable harm. The Mayo Clinic actually has a good point about intensity, stating, “Intense exercise increases oxygen and blood flow to the muscles and away from your uterus. In general, you should be able to carry on a conversation while you’re exercising. If you can’t speak normally while you’re working out, you’re probably pushing yourself too hard.” [3] Think of your workouts as rejuvenating and refreshing. You can, of course, challenge yourself, but don’t push yourself over the edge.
At the ZGYM, my go-to suggestion is my Low Impact Series. There’s the Low Impact Full Body and the Low Impact Lower Body, which both exclude high contact, explosive plyometrics. A lot of the exercises are low rep but hard, meaning you’ll be developing a ton of functional strength. It’s also great if you’ve got ankle and knee problems and is appropriate for all fitness levels.
Other than the ZGYM, there are other ways to stay active while pregnant. The activities you should obviously stay away from include high impact sports like volleyball and hockey, as well as gymnastics, boxing, and horseback riding. [3]
Many experts also advise against the following conditions and activities, which include:
• Hot and humid environments (whether it’s the desert or a hot yoga room)
• Scuba diving (due to decompression)
• Any exercise that involves lying on the stomach
• Standing still for long periods of time
• Lying flat on your back (especially after the first 16 weeks; doing so can interrupt the blood flow that is needed for carrying nutrients and oxygen to the baby)
[4]
Otherwise, the following activities are (generally) suitable for pregnancy:
• Swimming
• Walking
• Stationary cycling
• Strength or resistance training (at a moderate to light level)
• Prenatal-based yoga and Pilates
[4] [5]
In addition to regular exercise, engaging in some form of physical therapy can be quite beneficial. Doing so helps to address common pregnancy-related discomforts like back pain and can help with preparing for and recovering from birth. According to the experts at American Pregnancy, “Lower back pain is an all too common reality for many expecting mothers. As the uterus and baby grow, the mother’s center of gravity moves forward. This shift increases the amount of force the muscles must generate for everyday support causing women to slump forward. Over time this poor alignment creates muscle tightness in the pectoral muscles, rolling the shoulders forward and creating increased stress on the muscles of the neck, shoulders, and mid-back.” [6]
It can also improve mobility, which will definitely start to lessen the further down you are in pregnancy. [6] Because pregnancy requires a lot of modifications, I’d say to hold off from doing any of my Postural Therapy and Mobility Therapy series, at least not without a doctor and physical therapist’s approval.
Hopefully, by now, you understand that there are plenty of options when it comes to exercise and pregnancy. Unless there is a rare exception that forbids you from keeping active, the pros far outweigh the cons when it comes to maintaining a regular exercise regimen. I found a great interview with celebrity doctor Dr. Dawn Harper, who had some great takeaways and advice for exercise and pregnancy, stating, “There are so many myths out there about exercise being harmful during pregnancy that a lot of women shy away from any exercise while pregnancy which is such a shame. We know that women who exercise sensibly throughout pregnancy tend to have easier labors. Several studies have shown that women who exercise during pregnancy tend to have fewer problems with anti and post-natal depression. There is also some interesting work being done looking at the potential positive effects of maternal exercise on a baby’s brain development. Women who exercise during pregnancy tend to gain less weight than those who don’t. In fact, a program of exercise decreases the risk of developing gestational diabetes by as much as 30% compared to those who remain inactive.” [7]
What do you think? Did you exercise while pregnant? Why or why not? I’d love to know your thoughts! Hopefully, as a community we can share and grow together throughout all stages of our lives, so please don’t be shy!
Sources:
[1] https://www.webmd.com/baby/exercise-during-pregnancy#1
[2] https://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/exercise-during-pregnancy/
[3] https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/pregnancy-and-exercise/art-20046896
[4] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/290217.php
[5] https://baptisthealth.net/baptist-health-news/exercise-during-pregnancy/
[6] https://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/pregnancy-and-physical-therapy/
[7] https://www.femalefirst.co.uk/parenting/exercise-and-pregnancy-1133266.html
Private Member |
germany
Oh can’t wait to read, what all the mothers in ZGYM have to say about that. While I’m not pregnant yet, I know it’s on the horizon for the next couple of years and I’m already thinking about how to keep up my workout regimen. Keeping it regular in my life has already been difficult and I often think about how I’m going to make it possible when on top of everything else my body itself is going “crazy”.
Private Member |
switzerland/, france
all say swimming but found it awful . Though I started working out with Z 2 weeks before being prego , I could keep up only till 5 months (then had health issue and gave up). Now things would be different as I have a good condition and know myself better. Luckily back then there was on the (former) website few articles and tips from a specialist on prenatal. The best advice is really to use a cerified prenatal program /trainer because there are really dos and donts .
Private Member |
This is generally good advice to follow but I know of women who were very capable and did exercise heavily well into their second trimesters. Running and weight lifting. I think it also depends on fitness level too.
Private Member |
czech republic
Hello Z, I was pregnant twice. My first pregnancy was very easy, I had no problems, no pain, no nothing. One could say, I did not feel like pregnant, only having one growing belly 🙂 I could do everything while being pregnant with my boy. My second pregnancy was another story. I felt extremely weak and dizzy for the first three months. I could not exercise at all, even though I was EXTREMELY in love with working out. I could not! I could not eat, I was happy to be able to hold a glass of protein shake. Then things got better and I could do some light exercises during the second trimester. Only low impact and moderate pace, because I did not want to “cook” the baby 😀 I was able to do push ups as the belly was not big yet, I could do squats, lunges, loads of exercises, and I felt very good. Last trimester was probably the worst out of all. My pelvic was in such pain, as it was becoming to prepare for the birth, the only thing I could do was walking… my minute walks turned into 60 minutes, I was slow as a turtle, literally. But it was the only way how I could move myself. I also did some yoga to help me to ease the pain in the pelvic area, I was stretching a lot, A LOT!!!! Due to the long-time pain I was really scared of giving birth, BUT it was so easy, so easy! I believe that all the exercising, yoga, walks, stretching and not giving up on the pain, the body was perfectly ready and my friends were in shock, when they could see me walk and sit and unbelievably active after giving birth. Exercising helped me a lot. And I would like to recommend any woman to move however they can during pregnancy. It doesnt mean break the records, it means staying active and do loads of stretching… 🙂
Private Member |
My son is now 2 1/2 months old and I used the zgym during my whole pregnancy. Of course, there were lots of things I modified and I didn’t do it every day, choosing to do yoga and by the end of the pregnancy I was mainly doing long walks around the neighborhood. But the zygm workouts kept me feeling strong and healthy throughout my entire pregnancy. Labor, especially pushing, is extremely hard and I felt I was able to get through it because of keeping up with working out.
Private Member |
I followed the recent guidelines published by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which basically stated that in an uncomplicated pregnancy, continuing with your usual exercise should be safe. So I followed Zgym – including box jumps, jump rope, heavy kettlebells etc – throughout, and was comfortable with that. The guidelines only contraindicated high risk activities such as scuba diving and ice hockey, where serious injury could occur.
First trimester was actually much harder for me than second or third as I was so tired and nauseous. I did Zgym workouts daily but had to pause for rest much more often during that time – I wonder if that was my body making me slow down at that early stage. I felt great in second and third trimester. My favourite series in pregnancy was Lifted Butt series, which I did constantly in third trimester. I can’t say all the exercise helped with labour which was horrendous. But I definitely felt strong and healthy throughout and my little boy was born at full term and a healthy weight.
Private Member |
Hi Z, thanks for the post! I’ve been working out with you non-stop for 8 years, hence, I was super fit when I got pregnant last year. I have been feeling great throughout the pregnancy without any nausea or pain! I am a psychologist and a researcher in sport sciences (PhD), so I studied thoroughly how I could continue exercising during pregnancy. Like Nadia pointed out in her comment, the key is what your body is used to. Here are my tips for the ZGYM members:
– For me, jump rope, running etc. heavy impact exercises were fine during the first trimester and I continued advanced ZGYM workouts as usual. (In addition I went to the gym twice a week, dancehall/reggaeton class once a week, and pilates once a week.)
– Close to 20 weeks of pregnancy I stopped doing ab exercises such as crunches, leg lifts, planking etc. as recommended. Also no more lying on the stomach (= only half push up burpees!). Sometime after reaching this second half of pregnancy, running and jumping didn’t feel comfortable anymore so I omitted the “heavier jumps” such as ninja jump tucks for other exercises. Also pull ups didn’t feel good anymore, since they do require core work!
– Now I just started the third trimester and I notice that I should leave out side planks too, since there is not enough ab support anymore. Push ups are still fine if there is only one or two reps and something else (dynamic exercise), but not for many reps because of planking. I will now switch to mostly ZGYM beginner workouts or lifted butt etc. for this last three months.
Hopefully these tips were helpful! I am positive that being so fit has helped me greatly in this pregnancy. For example, my insulin resistance is superb according to laboratory tests (as we know, HIIT is great for this), and the baby is doing really well with good variation in heart rate because of lots of exercise.
Private Member |
melbourne, australia
Last year when I was pregnant I stayed with ZGym all the pregnancy, even in the first trimester when exercises are usually forbidden. I kept with smaller weights and excluded exercises for abs. I was super healthy and felt myself awesome. During the 3rd trimester when the bump was pretty big my favourite workouts were Legs like a dancer and Strech and tone. Also Fit Slide for Beginners were pretty awesone for that stage. Anyway, I was listening to my body, made some changes for some exercises and everything was great)
Private Member |
I’m now 26 weeks pregnant, I still do everything in Zgym, and I feel great, thank you Zuzka. I’m still running and climbing as well.
What is really bad is my diet, I cant survive without carbs – breads, chocolate, cakes.. I was really in shape before, now I feel more fat around my legs, glutei..Im really sad about that, I would to eat my low carb diet, but easily I cant, I somehow need them. Its really strange feeling, that I cant just change my diet as I want.. Im afraid of being out of shape after pregnancy too. For me Its hard time to be pregnant.
Thanks for this discussion, where I can honestly tell what Im feeling.
K
Private Member |
lake tahoe, nv, usa
I’m thinking what if you tried adding way more veggies, protein, and fruits instead of trying to get rid off the bad carbs? I think what you might want to consider is to make sure that you eat salad with good fats like avocado and olive oil and also protein first and then if you’re still hungry or have the cravings, you can add the carbs. What this will do is create a habit of prioritizing healthy foods without giving you the feeling that you’re missing out on the carbs that you crave. Plus you’ll be already full from the fibre, protein and good fats that you won’t be eating as many of those bad carbs.
Private Member |
Thanks for this great post, Zuzka! I can honestly say that exercising with Z throughout my second pregnancy was the best thing I’ve ever done. I continued with all the usual X workouts into the beginning of the third trimester, when I started modifying more. I really just listened to my body and started toning it down when I could tell I had to. i literally did some kind of exercise, even if it was just pilates or yoga, right up to and including the day I went into labor. I went into that pregnancy in the best shape of my life, and it made labor and post-partum recovery so much quicker and easier (although I hate to attach the word “easy” to giving birth!). I have birth at home to a 9.5 lb baby boy, and I only gained 26 pounds, which disappeared very quickly once I started back up with Zgym again when I got the ok from my midwife (two weeks after birth). I tell all my pregnant friends that continuing their workout routines for as long as possible, in whatever way is healthy/doable for them is the best investment in their own health and happiness. Of course “getting your body back” after pregnancy is a great bonus, but also it’s called labor for a reason–it’s one of the hardest things you’ll ever do, and for some people it’s incredibly long. Who would enter a marathon, or a Spartan race, without extensive, regular training?! Also my daily workouts were a major sanity saver when pregnancy related irritability would get the better of me. Thanks, Z, for being a great inspiration to people in all the various stages of life! Speaking of which, my now 1-year-old loves my morning workout time. He plays with the sliders, and loves to practice his downward dog.
Private Member |
WOW! Thanks for being so inspiring. Love the impact that you are having on your son. Playing while mama exercises. Great way to promote health.
Private Member |
lake tahoe, nv, usa
Amazing, thank you for sharing your experience! XO