Your fitness level before conception is the level of fitness you can expect to maintain through a problem-free pregnancy — especially if you’re already relatively fit and healthy. If you were sedentary before becoming pregnant, your obstetrician will probably advise you to become physically active, as long as you’re otherwise healthy. Prenatal exercise can boost your energy levels, prepare you for labor and help alleviate pregnancy-related aches, such as lower back pain.
No matter what your fitness level, check with your healthcare provider first before you begin or continue exercising while pregnant.
Prenatal Exercise
Obstetricians, certified midwives and prenatal fitness professionals generally recommend walking, water exercise and prenatal yoga as the safest forms of pregnancy exercise. Group prenatal yoga classes are designed to help you maintain muscular strength and flexibility while accommodating your body’s changing needs and limitations during each trimester. Water aerobics, swimming and jogging in the pool are non-impact workouts that protect your joints and allow you to experience buoyancy, a sensation that can help with aches and pains. During postpartum recovery, you can continue your walking program — just bring your baby along. Runners, dancers and cyclists may be able to continue their routines with modifications as their pregnancies progress.
Exercise Intensity
The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, or ACOG, sets the national guidelines for prenatal exercise. Initially, ACOG recommended that all pregnant exercisers keep their heart rate at or below 140 beats per minute. Changes in the guidelines accommodate for different levels of fitness among women. Accordingly, you should measure your level of intensity while working out by using rate of perceived exertion. You can train at what you perceive to be a moderately-hard to hard intensity, as long as you’re not out of breath. Use the talk-test to make sure you're at an appropriate intensity. You should be able to carry on a conversation without gasping for air.
Contraindications
Avoid exercises, workouts and activities that are jarring, involve sudden directional changes or pose risks of falling or abdominal trauma. Activities that are not recommended during pregnancy include horseback riding, downhill skiing, water skiing, scuba diving, mountain biking on rough terrain, rock climbing, gymnastics, high-impact aerobics, soccer and basketball.
Don’t stand for long stretches while strength-training; blood can pool in your feet. Instead, shift your weight from foot to foot. Avoid supine exercises after your first trimester for more than a couple of minutes at a time, since the position can restrict blood flow to your uterus. If you practice yoga, avoid inversions, deep twists and abdominal-intensive poses.
Considerations
During exercise, if you experience vaginal bleeding or fluid leakage, shortness of breath unrelated to exercise, abdominal cramping or contractions, dizziness, lightheadedness, chest pain or any other type of pain, stop working out and call your healthcare provider. In cases of uterine contractions, chest or abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding or leakage, go to the emergency room if you can’t reach your doctor.
If you’re carrying multiple babies or have a history of preterm deliveries, or experience other health issues — including high blood pressure or pre-eclampsia — your health care provider may restrict the type and amount of exercise you can do or prohibit it altogether.
