Pregnancy can be a time of feeling amazing but I’m very aware it can also be a time when we feel tired, sometimes fed up and we can find many reasons why we shouldn’t be exercising, but hopefully I can help you see how beneficial exercise can be for you and your baby. Not just in pregnancy, but in labour and in your postnatal life too.
The best time to start exercising?
As soon as you are over the 12 weeks it is safe for you to start. The sooner the better, allowing your body to get used to movements it may not have been used to previously. As always you have to listen to your body everyday, and on days you feel depleted you may need to give exercise a miss. Even finding time to get out and have a brisk walk where you raise your heart rate to a point where talking feels difficult is going to benefit you. I have many clients carry on in my classes until their due date and some until their baby arrives. A good class is all about catering the class for each individual in the session, ensuring each Mum to be is working to their level; not feeling over pushed and not going away feeling they haven’t worked.
Benefits of Pregnancy Exercise
The benefits will largely be dependant on what you are doing and for how long.
- Exercise sessions of more than 45 minutes 3 days a week help with decreasing birth weight to a healthy level (Bo et al., 2016)
- A healthy baby birth weight can reduce the risk of:
- Perineal tearing
- Shoulder dystocia
- C Section delivery
- Childhood obesity
- Training whilst pregnant might actually improve aerobic capacity
- The incidence of gestational diabetes during pregnancy can be lowered by at least 25% by accumulating 140 minutes or more per week of moderate intensity exercise like brisk walking, water aerobics, stationary bike and resistance training (Zhang, Wang & Wang, 2023)
- When considering regular, light to moderate exercise, there may be a protective effect against miscarriage.
- Regular exercise can help ease back pain through strengthening the body, keeping mobile and paying more attention to posture and movement.
- Most pregnancy exercise classes will also contain an element of prepping your body for labour and the postnatal stage. This can be valuable whether you are a first time mum or an experienced one.
- Exercise in general is a great mental health reliever, and this is no different in pregnancy. It’s time for you, with an expert on hand to answer any questions or worries you may have.
- Regular exercise can help strengthen your body and improve endurance which can help you through labour.
- Staying active, healthy, fit and mobile in your pregnancy can help women recover faster post birth.
Can I carry on weight training?
Any exercise you were doing before you became pregnant is safe to do. Having said that some classes may be new for you, so introducing light weights or resistance bands and building up is also fine.
There is no evidence to say that in Pregnancy we shouldn’t be using weights. In fact, there is research to say that those who participated in Olympic lifting were less likely to report having a C section (13% versus and average of 21%). This isn’t a reason to start it, but shows that women in pregnancy are strong and can carry on normal life as long as it feels okay for them.
What should I be looking for in a class?
Firstly check your trainer is Pregnancy qualified to a good level. You should be asked to fill out a consultation form that not only asks about your current pregnancy but also any previous pregnancies, labour and past injuries.
Classes should be kept to a level where you can be watched and if necessary your trainer needs to be hands on to make sure your form is correct and not likely to cause you any issues in your pregnancy.
Classes are a great way to meet other local mums going through the same stage so check what support you are given out of class as this can make a difference also to how you bond with the group.
Want to join my classes?
We meet Wednesdays at 60m at Little Therapy Space in a small studio, where I have a max of 6 women in the room.
The session is made up of 20 minutes of HIIT, some core work (including Ab work), some prep for labour, pregnancy yoga and finishes with some relaxation time and I send you home with a home made protein ball! We have a group WhatsApp to be able to chat and you’re also invited to join a larger group WhatsApp of local pregnant, new mums and experienced mums. A great place to ask any questions or seek advice.
The sessions are sold in a 6 week block which you can use over 9 weeks. I am however very flexible with this as I know some weeks getting home from work can be hard, or needing to wait for your partner to come home or not having enough energy to join some weeks. We can chat and work through things like this.
If you would like to join the link to more information is here: https://www.mothermassage.co.uk/service/pregnancy-exercise-lifestyle-class/
or feel free to email me tanya@mothermassage.co.uk.
