10 Pregnancy Exercise Tips Endorsed by Obstetricians
Pregnancy Exercise Tips Endorsed by Obstetricians
Often Obstetricians are required to provide pregnancy exercise tips to their patients. But this can sometimes be a problem as many OBGYN's are not trained to give such advice.
Governing bodies such as ACOG will give the following advice to their patients so you know it is backed by trusted prenatal health care professionals.
So when I meet with Obstetricians they often have the same list questions from their patients they want answers to. So here are 10 common questions and answers to give you the confidence to start exercising when pregnant. And more importantly, to feel confident you are exercising in a safe way for both you and baby.
If you have any more questions on prenatal exercise then send me an Email >
Question 1. Is it safe to exercise during pregnancy?
Answer: Yes, but only If you are healthy and your pregnancy is normal. If this is you then it is safe to continue or start regular physical activity. If you have a specific condition then you must follow the advice of your Obstetrician.
It is important that you feel safe in knowing that exercising or participating in physical activity does not increase your risk of miscarriage, early delivery, or low birth weight.
As always, talk to your health care professional about whether exercising is recommended for you. If your doctor or midwife gives you the OK to exercise, you can join PregActive and start following our week by week pregnancy workout plans.
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Question 2. What exercises should I avoid during pregnancy?
Answer: One of the main reasons I started PregActive was because I was horrified by some of the exercises I saw pregnant women doing or the exercises being prescribed to them by untrained personal trainers.
So when pregnant, I recommend you avoid these activities as they put you at increased risk of injury:
1. Contact sports and sports that put you at risk of getting hit in the abdomen.
2. Boxing
3. Ice hockey
4. Soccer
5. Basketball
6. Skydiving
7. Snow skiing
8. Water skiing
9. Surfing
10. Road cycling
11. Gymnastics
12 Horseback riding
13. Hot yoga
14. Scuba diving
15. Any high-altitude activities
Question 3. When is it unsafe to exercise during pregnancy?
Answer: If you experience one of the following conditions or pregnancy complications you should not exercise during pregnancy:
1 Cerclage
2. Being pregnant with twins or triplets (or more) with risk factors for preterm labor
3. Placenta previa after 26 weeks of pregnancy
4. Heart and lung diseases
5. Preterm labor or when your water has broken
7. Severe anemia
8. Preeclampsia
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Question 4. What are warning signs that I should stop exercising?
Answer: If you have any of the following warning signs when you exercise, then stop, and call your obstetrician:
1. Calf pain or swelling
2. Shortness of breath before starting exercise
3. Chest pain
4. Bleeding from the vagina
5. Feeling dizzy or faint
6. Headache
7. Muscle weakness
8. Regular, painful contractions of the uterus
9. Fluid gushing or leaking from the vagina
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Question 5. What are the benefits of exercise during pregnancy?
Answer: Participating in an approved, safe, regular prenatal exercise program benefits you and your fetus in these key ways:
1. Promotes healthy weight gain during pregnancy
2. Reduces back pain
3. Helps to ease constipation
4. May decrease your risk of gestational diabetes
5. May decrease your risk of preeclampsia
6. May decrease your risk of cesarean delivery
7. Improves your overall general fitness
8 Strengthens your heart and blood vessels
9. Helps you to lose the baby weight after your baby is born.
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Question 6. How much should I exercise during pregnancy?
Answer: If your healthy, you should aim to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week. Moderate intensity means you can continue to talk as you raise your heart rate and start sweating. Avoid being out of breath where you cannot talk.
If you are new to exercise, I want you to start out slowly and gradually increase your activity. This is why I created my Prenatal Mobility workouts as well as express workout which are less than 15 minutes.
Question 7. What changes occur in the body during pregnancy that can affect my exercise routine?
Answer: There's probably no other time in your life where you will experience such dramatic body changes as when you are pregnant. Your workouts must take these changes into account:
1. Balance - your balance is negatively impacted when pregnant. The extra weight in the front of your body shifts your center of gravity which can place additional stress on your joints and muscles, especially those in your pelvis and lower back.
2. Joints - Due to pregnancy hormones, your ligaments that support your joints become relaxed. This makes the joints more mobile and at risk of injury. So, I want you to avoid jerky or high-impact motions that can increase your risk of being hurt.
3. Breathing - While you are pregnant, your need for oxygen increases. This may affect your ability to do strenuous exercise, especially if you are overweight or obese.
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Question 8. What precautions should I take when exercising during pregnancy?
Answer: Please keep the following in mind during exercise:
1. Avoid becoming overheated, especially in the first trimester.
2. Drink plenty of water when pregnant
3. Wear loose-fitting clothing
4. Exercise in a temperature-controlled room.
5. Avoid exercising outdoors when it is very hot or humid.
6. Wear a sports bra that gives lots of support to help protect your breasts.
7. Avoid standing still or lying flat on your back as much as possible.
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Question 9. What are some safe exercises I can do during pregnancy?
Answer: If you are unsure start with these forms of exercise:
1. Walking is always at the top of the list. Walking gives a total body workout and is easy on the joints and muscles.
2. Swimming is another favourite of mine. The water supports your weight so you avoid injury and muscle strain.
3. Stationary bicycling is a preferred option to riding a road bike.
4. Modified yoga. When I say 'modified' I mean prenatal yoga that only includes safe exercises and eliminates exercises that are no longer safe for pregnant women.
5. Prenatal Pilates that follows the same safety principles as you would with prenatal yoga.
Learn More About My Online Prenatal and Postpartum Workouts
Question 10. Why is it important to keep exercising after my baby is born?
Answer: Being a new mama is really tough. You entire focus and energy is directed towards your beautiful little bub. Bu please, it is important that you devote some time for YOU! Exercising after your baby is born may help improve mood, decrease the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and help you to attain a healthy weight.
And this is why PregActive has helped thousands of mamas!
If you want to take the guess workout out of which exercises are safe, which ones are not, what exercises are best for each trimester....then all you have to do is follow and enjoy my at-home workouts.
If you have further questions, it is always advised to contact your OBGYN.
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