Oh my goodness, you have a child growing inside you! What next if you are a regular exerciser?
Firstly, don’t feel you must be confined to sofa eating for two throughout your pregnancy. The right kind of exercise is a great way to make sure you’re fit and healthy for your pregnancy and beyond. If your pregnancy is ‘low risk’ pregnancy and if you already exercise regularly and have had the green light from your GP or midwife, there’s no reason why you can’t continue with an adapted regime.
During that first 12 weeks especially every pregnancy is unique so learn to tune into your body about what feels right. You may find you have really bad nausea or you feel exceptionally tired and exercise is the last thing on your mind! Some gentle exercise is a good way to stay motivated otherwise it can become a vicious cycle feeling you are too ‘tired’ to exercise when actually the exercise will give you more energy.
BUT don’t try to work yourself to your pre-pregnancy level. You are growing a human being inside you, so naturally you’ll need to slow down a bit.
It is common for your resting heart rate to be higher due to the increased blood volume, so make sure you gradually build up with a slightly longer and slower warm up.
There are exercises you should avoid, steering clear of contact sports or anything with a high risk of falling, a high altitude, or deep under-water. Basically, stay off the horse, pack away the skis and climb down off the high diving board, take off the scuba equipment and snorkell.
If you are attending group fitness classes or seeing a personal trainer or attending the gym, you’ll need to complete a Pregnancy PARQ form, with all information about your pregnancy and any injuries or aches and pains.
When attending group classes just make sure you approach your instructor about any concerns you have or any injuries before the class. This isn’t a good time to try a class you haven’t tried before, unless it is specifically for mums-to-be. Take a look at gym timetables and see if there’s a pre-natal class you can join.
