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Listen up guys; this isn’t just for the ladies.  People are always more successful at exercise if they have someone to help them stay on track, and as a husband, your wife is going to need your support through these rough nine months.  I’ve always told my wife that when we decide to become pregnant … I mean when she becomes pregnant, I want to make sure that she stays active before, during, and after her pregnancy.

As a pregnant exerciser, you should avoid exercises that require you to exercise on your back for an extended period of time.

I almost feel obligated to talk about this topic with so many of my friends being pregnant right now.  It seems that every other day, my wife and I are learning of a new couple that is pregnant.  I’m always leery of talking to them about exercise because there are areas you need to be careful with when exercising while pregnant, but if you follow the right game plan, exercising while pregnant can be very beneficial.

Having trained clients through all stages of before pregnancy, during pregnancy (prenatal), and after pregnancy (postnatal), it can be a chore to keep adapting a fitness program to meet the needs of the expectant mother, and sometimes, just being able to ride a stationary bike is a successful workout.

Avoid any twisting movements, jumping movements, exercises that require balance, or exercises, such as basketball, that include flying objects.

As an expectant mother, or a couple who is getting ready to try for a baby, it’s essential that you consult with your doctor before beginning an exercise program.  There are all kinds of changes that will happen in nine months.  In fact, during those nine months, a woman will go through more changes than a man will most likely go through in a lifetime. ⁴  Your doctor will know the right steps to take in managing your pregnancy with exercise.

Ok, before I go too in depth with this topic, I want to let you know how I’m going to set it up.  I’ll start out talking about the precautions to take when exercising while pregnant, and then I’ll finish up with the benefits of exercise. 

So here we go.

Exercising while pregnant can definitely be very beneficial, but there are also precautions that should be taken.  A big precaution is if you haven’t exercised in the past, then it’s not very wise to start exercising heavily right before or during pregnancy.  Your body already has enough new stresses on it, and to throw another new stress at it is not the best thing.

Remember, if you didn’t exercise before pregnancy, you’ll want to start out slow and progress gradually.

As a pregnant exerciser, you should avoid exercises that require you to exercise on your back for an extended period of time; the weight of the baby can press wrong and cut off the flow of oxygen and blood to the fetus. ²  Pregnant exercisers should also avoid exercising in hot and humid conditions because a body temperature above 100° F can be harmful to the baby. 

A few other things to watch out for are to avoid any twisting movements, jumping movements, exercises that require balance, or exercises, such as basketball, that include flying objects; these types of exercises present the risk of trauma to the baby.  Always be careful with balance movements; pregnancy changes a woman’s center of gravity, so although you may have had good balance before pregnancy, chances are your balance will be off during pregnancy. ⁵ 

During pregnancy, the hormone relaxin is released; this hormone causes the joints to become looser, so it’s also smart to be cautious when stretching.  You don’t want to overstretch, and you also don’t want to participate in activities that require a lot of changes in direction.  Not only will quick changes in directions make you dizzy (due to lack of blood flow to the brain), there’s also a risk of muscle tears or other similar injury due to the joints being looser. ⁶

Ok, so now that we’ve gotten the depressing part out of the way, let’s talk about why exercise can be great during pregnancy.
 
According to the American Council on Exercise, the average woman gains 30 lbs. while pregnant (1-2 lbs. per week during the second trimester ²), and of those 30 lbs., 18-20 lbs. of it can be lost within the first month after giving birth. ³  This leads me to my first point.  Exercising while pregnant can be great for maintaining a healthy weight during pregnancy, as well as aiding in the weight coming off faster after pregnancy. 

Another huge area with weight control and pregnancy is nutrition.  Pregnant exercisers only need an additional 300 calories per day to support their own body, as well as the baby’s. ²  This just goes to show that blaming pregnancy for needing to constantly eat is not true.  I know I’m walking a fine line right now, but hear me out.  Since the body only needs an extra 300 calories per day, eating more than that can lead to abnormal amounts of excess weight gain, and as a result, a woman may never recover back to her prenatal weight.  For a pregnant mom, if weight control is a priority during and after pregnancy, a workout plan that includes proper nutrition and exercise will be the best approach.  Keep in mind though, it’s normal to gain 30 lbs. while pregnant. 

Other benefits of exercising are it helps prevent swelling of the hands and feet, leg cramps, varicose veins, insomnia, fatigue, constipation, gestational diabetes, and bloating.  It also leads to a better mood, improved posture, improved circulation, reduced backaches, reduced pelvic and rectal pressure, improved muscle tone, and more energy. ¹ 

Pregnant exercisers only need an additional 300 calories per day to support their own body, as well as the baby’s.

A big plus to exercising is that it can improve your strength and endurance, which will help make labor and delivery that much easier. ⁵

When starting an exercise program, it’s always smart to eat a little carbohydrate snack before your workout, as well as to drink water before, during, and after exercise.  When I have a client that becomes sick during a workout, the first thing I ask is if he/she ate or drank anything prior to working out; most of the time, the answer is no.

Three to four times per week is the perfect amount of days to exercise because anything above or below that can lead to babies with low birth weight. ²  Remember, if you didn’t exercise before pregnancy, you’ll want to start out slow and progress gradually. 

For those who have been exercising for a while, be prepared to cut back the intensity of your workouts.  You may be able to run before pregnancy, but as you progress in trimesters, you may need to cut your mileage back to an eventual walk.  The most important thing to remember is not to push yourself to exhaustion.  Since a baby is growing inside you, this means that different areas of your body are being pushed together.  The result is the lungs can’t expand as much, so you’ll become fatigued a lot more quickly.  Be prepared for this, and don’t try to work through the feeling of exhaustion.

Rather than measuring heart rate, the best way to determine the intensity of exercise is to rate how hard it is.  Try to stay around a 4-5 on a scale of 1-10, 10 being extremely hard. ²  A good indicator of intensity is if you can’t talk while exercising, you’re going too hard.

As I said earlier, you want to stop exercising before becoming fatigued.  Generally, 30-40 minutes is plenty of time to exercise, but for some, you may be in pretty good shape and able to go longer. ²  Listen to your body; if you feel weird while exercising, stop and check with your doctor.  Any unusual symptom such as contractions, abnormal fatigue, dizziness, bleeding, leaking, numbness, swelling, abnormal pain, etc. is a sign to stop immediately and contact your doctor; pregnancy is not the time to be an exercise warrior.  Though exercise is beneficial, the safety of yourself and your baby is much more important than pushing through the pain to burn off a few more calories. 

When designing a workout program, always include a proper warm-up and cool-down that includes mild cardiovascular exercise, as well as some light stretching.  If you remember my article on foam rolling, you remember that foam rolling can be a great addition to a stretching program.  I had one client that during her third trimester, foam rolling was one of the only things she could do.  It really paid off for her and helped reduce her calf cramps.  Some stretches to focus on are stretches for your hip, low back, shoulder, and neck areas. ¹  If you want some different stretches, either contact me, or your doctor would probably have some handouts with different stretches on them.

Finally, keeping you core strong is essential for pregnancy.

A few more things to think about when designing a workout program, don’t be afraid to walk or swim.  For some, walking may be the only thing you’re able to do; that’s fine.  Walking is a great cardio exercise while pregnant.  Make sure you walk on a flat, even surface and wear comfortable shoes. ⁷  Swimming, on the other hand, is a great exercise because it’s non-weight bearing; it’ll provide you with a great cardio workout while relieving the different stresses and pressures on your body. ¹

With strength training, remember to breathe out when contracting your muscles to move the weight.  Also, during the third trimester, machines will most likely be the best option for resistance training. ²  Strength training is great during pregnancy, but don’t overdo it.  Some days may be harder than others to exercise, so make sure you pace yourself; you may need to take longer-than-normal breaks in between exercises.  That’s ok!  Also, focus on quality over quantity.  Shoot for about 2-3 sets of 15 repetitions, but if your form starts to break down, don’t continue.  This can be said for anybody, but continuing with bad form can actually do more harm than good. 
  
Finally, keeping you core strong is essential for pregnancy. ⁵  Having a strong inner core will help with labor and delivery, and after pregnancy, to put it bluntly, your core will be shot, so it’s important to strengthen it back up.  All those inner core exercises I've been demonstrating on my website, they’re perfect for this area.  (Always remember to keep breathing through your exercises too.)

There are different pelvic floor muscle exercises you’ll need to do too; talk with your doctor to obtain these exercises, or ask me, and I can provide them for you.  These exercises are especially important to prepare the body for giving birth, as well as helping with the recovery process.  (It’s important to allow for about 6 weeks, after giving birth, before returning to exercise. As always, your doctor will help you determine when it’s ok to exercise again.)

As you can see, exercising while pregnant can be great for you, as well as your baby, but like I said before, always talk with your doctor first before starting an exercise program during pregnancy.  Also, if you have a personal trainer or other fitness professional, make sure he/she is in constant communication with your doctor.  Keeping the lines of communication open will not only keep you and the baby safe, it’ll also help build a level of trust between your doctor and your trainer.

References:

¹ American Council on Exercise (2001). Exercise and pregnancy. Fit Facts.
² Drake, S. (2003). Exercise training to prevent excess weight gain during pregnancy. ACSM’s Certified News, 13(1), 1-3.
³ American Council on Exercise (2001). Postpartum health. Fit Facts.
⁴ Druxman, L. & Petersen, C. (2006). Postpartum exercise. Idea Fitness Journal, Nov-Dec.
⁵ Logan, C. (2006). Pregnancy and postpartum exercise. Idea Fitness Journal, Feb.
⁶ American Council on Exercise (2003). ACE personal trainer manual: The ultimate resource for fitness professionals, (3^rd ed). San Diego, Ca.: American Council on Exercise. 

Dan Falkenberg is the co-founder of Your Live Trainers. He can be reached at DanFalkenberg.com.

Tags: cardiovascular exercise, exercise safety, exercise selection, flexibility, injury prevention, program design