Written by Coach Kristen and Coach Kendall
Staying active while pregnant can have a positive impact on your body and health! However, for many expectant mothers, the idea of staying active during pregnancy can seem overwhelming and potentially worrisome. While it’s essential to listen to your body and consult with your healthcare provider, maintaining an active lifestyle during pregnancy can bring numerous benefits, including improved mood, reduced discomfort, and potentially smoother labor and delivery.
Most women are told to avoid heavy lifting or training during their pregnancy, in fact almost 15% of women are told to stop working out altogether by their caregivers (1). The idea is that for women to protect their babies throughout pregnancy, they should avoid risky activities. While true, exercising and lifting should not be risky in a safe and controlled setting like Paragon. In fact, continuing to lift throughout your pregnancy has many benefits for both you and your baby!
Hormones produced by the placenta can cause cells to become insulin-resistant which can lead to gestational diabetes. While most women are unaffected by these hormones, roughly 10% of pregnant women will receive a gestational diabetes diagnosis (2). Women who have gestational diabetes face other health complications and both they and their babies have an increased risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes later in life. Research shows that circuit weight training can greatly improve insulin sensitivity in cells and increase glucose transport, even more so than any form of aerobic style of training (3).
In addition to being a great way to prevent health complications, weight training during pregnancy can greatly improve energy levels and prevent chronic fatigue. When you are pregnant, your body is going through extreme physical changes which require more energy. This can result in chronic fatigue and low energy in pregnant women. However, weight training can be a great way to combat these issues. Exercise can help act as a way to naturally restore the body’s circadian rhythm which results in better and more effective sleep. Getting a good amount of quality sleep improves your mood and energy levels, and even improves muscular fatigue and pain (4).
Lastly, strength training has been shown to improve fetal development. According to a research study, women who participated in weight-bearing exercises saw improved fetal growth (5). These babies were born with longer and leaner bodies than babies born to mothers who did not strength train and were less likely to have physical birth defects. According to another study, children who had mothers who strength trained during pregnancy were slightly ahead of the curve in neurodevelopment (6).
Our client, Dr. Katie Menard (pelvic floor physical therapist) said, “Exercise can help reduce the likelihood of back and pelvic girdle pain during pregnancy, which can be quite common. It helps to promote healthy weight gain during pregnancy and can decrease your risk of pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, and cesarean birth. Overall, it can improve your fitness and strengthen your heart and blood vessels.”
Here are the top tips for staying active while pregnant, ensuring a healthy and enjoyable journey for both you and your baby.
- Speak to your doctor throughout your pregnancy regarding how activity is going or needs to be modified.
Aside from working with a qualified strength coach, it is critical to keep your doctor informed on what you are doing and how it is feeling. Your doctor will provide you very valuable feedback as to which movements they may want you to do more of, movements to stay away from, or other advice to help make you feel your best.
Throughout your pregnancy journey, maintaining open communication with your healthcare provider is crucial, especially when it comes to staying active. Your doctor can provide personalized guidance based on your individual health status, pregnancy progression, and any specific considerations or complications you may be facing. They can offer valuable insights into how your activity levels are impacting your overall well-being and the well-being of your baby.
Remember that every pregnancy is unique, and what works for one woman may not necessarily be suitable for another! By maintaining open and honest communication with your healthcare provider, you can feel confident that you’re making informed decisions about your physical activity levels, ultimately promoting a healthy and positive pregnancy experience for both you and your baby. Whether it’s adjusting your exercise intensity, modifying certain activities, or exploring alternative forms of exercise, your doctor can offer tailored recommendations to ensure your safety and comfort.
- Don’t try anything extremely new. If you aren’t a marathon runner, now isn’t the time to become one!
Pregnancy is a time of change and it’s essential to respect your body’s limits and capabilities. While staying active is definitely encouraged, we want to avoid introducing drastic or extreme changes to your exercise routine, especially if they involve activities you’re not accustomed to! This is not the time to embark on ambitious fitness goals or try new, intense workouts.
If you’re not already a marathon runner or an avid participant in high-intensity workouts, now is not the time to start. Pregnancy is not the ideal period to push yourself to the limits or pursue physically demanding activities that your body isn’t used to. Instead, focus on activities that you enjoy and feel comfortable with, ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience for both you and your baby. A basic strength program is a great place to start.
Listen to your body’s signals and adjust your exercise routine accordingly. If you’re experiencing discomfort, fatigue, or any unusual symptoms, scale back your efforts and prioritize gentle, low-impact activities that promote overall well-being. Remember that pregnancy is a temporary phase, and there will be plenty of time to explore new fitness challenges once your little one arrives. It is important to work with your doctor and a qualified coach in order to create the best routine possible for you!
Dr. Katie gave these tips regarding some changes from trimester to trimester that you may want to follow:
- 1st trimester: There are no real changes that need to be made to your routine. Typically, the biggest limitation in this trimester will be energy level changes and nausea. Making sure that you stay well hydrated and are not feeling dizzy or light-headed is important during the first trimester as well.
- 2nd trimester: At this point, we tend to stop doing exercises in the prone position (on your belly). Some of the other changes will be very dependent on the client and how they are feeling. The first adjustment that may need to be made is reducing high impact. As the baby grows and the weight of the uterus increases, they may need to modify or eliminate movements like jump rope and box jumps if the movement feels difficult to control or is causing any discomfort. However, some clients may feel just fine continuing these movements! Core exercises typically need to be modified at this stage. I typically switch from movements like crunches and sit-ups to ones that focus more on the deep core such as the Pallof press, chops, bird dogs, and variations of the side plank or Copenhagen plank. Focus on good breath work.
- 3rd trimester: We want to begin focusing on pelvic floor relaxation to prepare for birth, continue focusing on stability of our back and hips and continue to reduce our volume and load. We don’t want to overstress our body during this time. Clients may find themselves reducing the depth and weight of their squats, transitioning from a barbell deadlift to something like an elevated sumo deadlift or trap bar deadlift, and may be completing bench press at an incline.
Have any questions? Let us know!
Citations
- PLoS One. 2015; 10(6): e0128953. Physical Activity Patterns and Factors Related to Exercise during Pregnancy: A Cross Sectional Study.
- Exp Diabetes Res. 2011;2011:218598. Maternal diabetes in pregnancy: early and long-term outcomes on the offspring and the concept of “metabolic memory”.
- Bulletin of Faculty of Physical Therapy volume 22, pages 89–95 (2017). Comparative study of circuit resistance training and aerobic training on glycemic control of gestational diabetes mellitus.
- Sundstrup E, Jakobsen MD, Brandt M, Jay K, Aagaard P, Andersen LL. Strength Training Improves Fatigue Resistance and Self-Rated Health in Workers with Chronic Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Biomed Res Int. 2016;2016:4137918. doi: 10.1155/2016/4137918. Epub 2016 Oct 17. PMID: 27830144; PMCID: PMC5086514.
- Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2000 Dec;183(6):1484-8. Beginning regular exercise in early pregnancy: effect on fetoplacental growth.
- Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2003 Sep 22;110 Suppl 1:S80-5. The effects of maternal exercise on fetal oxygenation and feto-placental growth.
