Beginning an Exercise Program during Pregnancy

Introduction

Exercise is a safe and beneficial activity for pregnant women. There have been no studies that have substantiated previous views that exercise poses risks for mother and child in a healthy pregnancy. Exercise in pregnancy is not only essential for women who are already active and want to maintain their fitness level, but also for women who have never exercised before. If you are physically inactive you make like to view your pregnancy as a perfect time to make a healthy change to your lifestyle by introducing an exercise program, with the help of your doctor.

Whether or not you have been active prior to pregnancy, it is essential that you seek guidance about an appropriate exercise program from your doctor. Safe exercise guidelines are different depending on your medical condition and exercise experience, but all women will need to be aware of the impact of exercise on themselves, their foetus and their pregnancy. Through understanding the risks, the benefits, the recommendations and what to avoid, every woman can make informed decisions about her limits and aims for exercise during pregnancy.  

Exercise recommendations for sedentary women

If you are not used to exercising then the first trimester of your pregnancy would be an especially difficult time to initiate an exercise program. It will be easy for you to be deterred from exercise while your body is going through the stressful body changes that occur during pregnancy. This will be especially evident if you are experiencing pelvic girdle pain or nausea and vomiting. If you force yourself to exercise when you are simply unwell, you will be much less likely to be motivated to exercise and this may discourage you from exercise for your entire pregnancy. You may choose to wait until the vomiting, nausea and excessive fatigue have dissipated by the second trimester before you start the regime. 

The second trimester is a perfect time to exercise under medical guidance as sickness and fatigue would have settled but the physical changes that limit the range of activities you can engage in (as is the case in the third trimester) have not set in. That said, studies on physically inactive women who embark on an exercise program at the beginning of their pregnancy have shown no adverse events. Therefore, if you feel up to it and your doctor has indicated that it is safe, then you can begin your program as soon as you like.

Under the guidance of your doctor you will need to slowly initiate your exercise program. If possible, starting with 15 minutes of continuous exercise three times a week is ideal. In cases where this is too strenuous, working up to 15 minutes in 5 minute sessions can be an alternative. Each week another 5 minutes should be added to the session until you can sustain 30 minutes of continuous exercise. Once you have achieved this comfortably then you can increase the number of sessions you do per week to most or all days of the week. 

 Exercise recommendations for active women

If you are already active, then you should aim to maintain your current fitness level. Attempting to reach peak fitness during pregnancy is not recommended. Elite athletes should not train for athletic competition during this time.

It is possible to engage in intense exercise but you should be very closely monitored by your doctor and be aware of the symptoms to monitor that may indicate that you are overdoing it.

Important tips

All women, whether they are just beginning to exercise or are elite athletes need to take precautions to ensure they reduce the risk of injury and overheating.

Warm up
You need to warm up for at least 5 – 10 minutes before engaging in any physical activity. Warming up can include slow walking and stretching. The walk will warm up the muscle and the stretches will help avoid any injury. Stretches should be held for at least 10 – 20 seconds.


Cool down
During pregnancy joints are loose and more prone to injury and soreness. Therefore pregnant women especially, need to cool down and stretch once they have finished exercise. The cool down period also allows the heart rate to return to normal levels.

Hydration
Overheating is one of the major concerns for exercising during pregnancy and therefore hydration is essential for all physically active women. Women should drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, even more if they are exercising. Exercising in hot and humid environments should be strictly avoided as this will amplify dehydration.

Nutrition
In periods of growth, you will have increased energy (food) requirements. Pregnancy is a period of growth for both the mother and the foetus, particularly in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy when foetal growth occurs most rapidly. Physical activity also increases energy requirements. It is important that pregnant women who engage in physical activity consume sufficient nutritional intake for a healthy pregnancy and foetal growth. The nutritional intake necessary will differ depending upon your individual characteristics, such as weight, height, age and your level of physical activity.

Clothing
Exercise in comfortable, loose fitting clothing. This will help to keep you cool and will not reduce your range of motion during sports. It is important that pregnant women especially, invest in a good sports bra and supportive shoes with good grip to reduce the risk of falling.