Gentle Exercises for Pregnancy

There are many benefits of exercising during pregnancy, but it’s important that you choose safe exercise programs if you choose to exercise while pregnant.  

The first thing you need to do is consult with your doctor regarding your overall health to ensure that exercising during pregnancy isn’t going to be a problem. Below are a few tips associated with safe exercise during pregnancy.

• Keep It Light – It’s important that you don’t push yourself too hard while exercising during pregnancy. There are many changes going on inside your body such as an increased blood volume, which can be dangerous if you overdo it when working out. Therefore, when you do exercise, don’t overdo it and keep it light.  

      The most important thing I found for myself to take note of when I exercised throughout pregnancy, was my breath.  So long as I never pushed myself to being out of breath or "racy", I knew I was doing okay.  The goal during pregnancy should never be to 'get fit'.  Maintenance of good health and preparation for childbirth itself should be the primary focus.

• Leave Out the Weights – Your body already has extra weight due to pregnancy (larger uterus, umbilical cord, placenta, baby and additional blood volume), so there is no need to add weights to your morning exercise routine. In fact experts warn against it as lifting too much has been known to increase the chances of a miscarriage.

• Choose Low-Impact Exercises – During pregnancy, your joints will soften and loosen as your body prepares for the necessary bone-spreading of labor/delivery. Therefore, it’s best to choose low-impact exercises such as Pilates, Yoga, swimming, etc. while you’re pregnant. Avoid exercises that require a lot of jumping, bouncing and hopping.  I regularly used the Gazelle, which I found had me feeling incredible afterwards since it is so low impact.

• Stay Balanced – When exercising while pregnant, you should choose exercises that allow you to stay balanced. Since you have a baby growing inside of you, your balance is naturally going to be affected ... not to mention, your center of gravity will be changing almost daily!  Choose exercises that you know are not beyond your means for maintaining a solid balance.

• Safe Exercises – While there are many forms of exercises that you can do while pregnant, a few of the most popular (and enjoyable) include water aerobics, cycling and swimming. Water aerobics is popular due to the weightlessness that it provides during the second and third trimesters, which helps keeps pressure off the joints.  And being in the water during pregnancy feels so incredibly amazing.

Cycling is a great low-impact exercise as well. However, due to the fact that you’re pregnant, it’s best to do this on a stationary bike to avoid getting off balance. Plus, you can do it inside no matter what the weather is outside!

Finally, swimming is another great option as it is also low-impact and very relaxing. If you were a regular swimmer before pregnancy, you may want to limit your swimming during pregnancy so you don’t overdo it.

Keeping up with a gentle exercise routine during your pregnancy will be worth its weight in gold.  The physical benefits are apparent, but moving your body will help maintain your overall health emotionally and mentally as well.

Read on for the next part of the Mom's Pregnancy Guide, "Preparing for Multiple Babies".