Are you looking for motivation to start working out while pregnant or want to make sure it’s safe to do so? Here’s everything you need to know about pregnancy and workouts.
It can be hard to find the motivation to continue (or start) working out during pregnancy. Pregnancy exhaustion, morning sickness and a whole lot of crazy pregnancy symptoms sometimes make it hard to even get out of bed and go to work – am I right?
In this post, you will learn about why working out while pregnant is so important, safe exercises during pregnancy, exercises to avoid during pregnancy, and my top recommendations for the best pregnancy workouts and pregnancy workout plan!
This post is all about the best pregnancy workouts.
Working Out While Pregnant
Believe it or not, working out during pregnancy can actually help you stay in shape and prepare for labor and delivery.
Even though it’s beneficial for you and baby, it’s not always easy to find the motivation or energy to do so…
It’s no secret that pregnancy comes with some crazy pregnancy symptoms including fatigue, nausea, increased urination, bloating, headaches, tender breasts and so much more. So you’re not alone if you’re struggling to find the desire to lace up your sneakers and head to the gym.
Even for the women who regularly worked out before pregnancy, the changes that occur during pregnancy, especially in early pregnancy, can make it incredibly difficult to want to pick up some weights or go for a walk.
But before you write off working out while pregnant altogether, let’s talk about why it’s so important for you and your baby.
Benefits of Working Out While Pregnant
For the majority of your life, you have probably known that working out is good for your overall health. This includes walking, biking, yoga, weight training and so many other forms of exercises.
And during pregnancy, there are even more reasons to get moving.
Working out during pregnancy does not automatically guarantee you will have a quick recovery or experience no pregnancy symptoms, but it does provide you (and baby) with a ton of benefits.
Exercising during pregnancy has shown to:
- Decrease common pregnancy symptoms like backache, constipation, bloating and swelling
- Boost your mood and energy levels
- Lower your blood pressure
- Improve your stamina and heart health
- Fight fatigue
- Help you sleep better
- Prevent excess weight gain
- Promote muscle tone, strength and endurance
- Reduce the risk of pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes
- Shortened labor
- Lower the risk of delivery complications
- Reduced risk of having a c section
- Speed up your postpartum recovery
How To Start Working Out While Pregnant
For most women, thirty minutes of moderate activity a day (or even a few times a week) is recommended, assuming you don’t have any pregnancy complications.
It is always best to check with your doctor before starting a new pregnancy workout plan though to make sure it is safe to do so. Your doctor may have some guidelines about targeted heart rate during workouts or specific exercises they recommend you avoid.
If you haven’t exercised in awhile, start out slow and build up to thirty minutes or try to incorporate working out every other day. Chances are once you start building the habits and routine, it will become easier and easier for you.
If you were an avid exerciser pre-pregnancy, it is usually safe to continue at the same level while you’re pregnant. You may need to avoid certain exercises that aren’t safe during pregnancy, however.
The most important thing is to listen to your body. As important as working out is, it’s also important to listen to your body and watch for signs of a problem.
You should stop exercising and contact your doctor if you experience:
- Vaginal bleeding
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Increased shortness of breath before you start your workout
- Chest pain
- Painful uterine contractions that continue after rest
- Fluid leaking or rushing out of your vagina
- Anything else that doesn’t seem normal
Exercises To Avoid During Pregnancy
Although exercise is beneficial to you and your baby, there are definitely some exercises to avoid during pregnancy.
These include:
- Exercises that requires you to lay flat on your back in the second and third trimesters
- Contact sports (hockey, soccer, basketball, volleyball)
- Activities that pose a high risk of falling (gymnastics, horseback riding, skating)
- Moves that target your abdomen or require twisting
- Hot yoga, hot pilates or exercising in very hot weather
- Exercising to the point of exhaustion
- Bouncing while stretching
- Activities that require extensive jumping, hopping, skipping or bouncing
It’s also important to remember that your center of gravity has changed. You might want to skip exercises that require a lot of balance or use a friend to spot you.
Additionally, your ligaments get looser during pregnancy so it’s easy to sprain or strain a ligament if you don’t stay within your normal range of motion.
Safe Exercises During Pregnancy
Now that we’ve covered which exercises to avoid, let’s go over safe exercises during pregnancy.
It is fine to modify a regular workout plan to meet your needs during pregnancy, but there are also plenty of great prenatal workout plans out there too!
This is my favorite pregnancy workout plan. I have done through both of my pregnancies and can’t recommend it enough. It includes nine months of safe and effective workouts with minimal equipment required. Plus it includes tips to stay motivated.
In general though, the following the exercises are typically considered to be pregnancy safe:
- Walking
- Squatting
- Step ups
- Side crunches
- Banded glute bridge
- Lunges (walking lunges, reverse lunges, etc)
- Push ups (include or on your knees)
- Most arm exercises with dumbbell (rows, bicep curls, shoulder presses, tricep dips, lateral raises)
Tips To Stay Motivated
1 – Start small.
You don’t have to join a gym or buy any fancy equipment. Just going for a walk, parking your car further away from the store, or taking the stairs instead of the elevator is a good start. The most important thing is to get your body moving.
2 – Find a pregnancy workout plan that you like.
Now is not the time to pick up running or take classes at a gym if you prefer lifting weights at home. The key to sticking with something long term is to find a pregnancy workout plan that you really enjoy.
3 – Put together a playlist of upbeat songs you love or find a motivating podcast.
Having something good in your ears can make all the difference. I alternate between music and a podcast, but usually prefer to listen to a podcast. Sometimes it’s a podcast about motherhood and other times it’s a business focused podcast or just something light and fun.
4 – Take breaks when needed.
No one says you need to workout seven days a week. That’s not sustainable for most people even when they aren’t pregnant.
The pregnancy workout plan I recommended earlier is actually only four days a week! This makes it way more approachable and it’s much more likely that you will remain consistent with it.
And if you’re feeling particularly sore or uncomfortable, don’t push yourself to workout. Taking a few days off to kick your feet up and rest is also important during pregnancy.
5 – Give yourself grace.
Like anything during pregnancy, giving yourself grace along the journey is a must. You could plan your day or week perfectly and have the best intentions of tackling everything you planned but wake up one morning feeling extra tired or nauseous.
Although you might be able to fight through some things pre-pregnancy, now is not the time to beat yourself up over skipping a workout or choosing to put your aching feet up instead of going for a walk one day.
Just do the best you can and give yourself grace on the tougher days. They will come when you least expect it but being hard on yourself won’t make you feel any better.
This post was all about the best pregnancy workouts.