If you Google “exercise during pregnancy” you get a little over 2 billion results. That is a lot of information to sort through and determine what is accurate and what isn’t. Taking the time to look at what sites you’re getting your information from will help you dispel the myths from the truth. And that is exactly what my purpose is as the owner of Bud and Bloom Physical Therapy. I want to help dispel those myths and make sure that only facts are being presented to you.
I can tell you from my experience working with many moms over the years, that the most common fear associated with exercising during pregnancy is that they are going to hurt themselves or the baby. This, mamas, is not true.
Dispelling Myths and Misconceptions
First, you CAN and are encouraged to exercise during pregnancy!!!
The ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week during pregnancy and postpartum. They even encourage moms who may have been sedentary before pregnancy to increase their movement with gentle activities such as walking.
Exercise Helps Prepare the Body for Labor and Postpartum
This is absolutely true!
Strength training and aerobic exercises help keep your body strong for the endurance of labor and delivery. It also helps to keep the pelvic floor strong and balanced to accept the added pressure of baby and for pushing baby out.
Exercising during pregnancy also decreases your risk of:
Excess weight gain during pregnancy
Gestational Diabetes
Gestational High Blood Pressure
Preterm Birth
C-section
Your doctor knows best, however! If your doctor tells you that exercising during your pregnancy isn’t ok, then listen! There are probably other factors at play that could put you and your baby in danger.
What To Consider when Exercising In Pregnancy
While exercising is fantastic for keeping your body strong and active, there are a few things to take note of as your belly grows during pregnancy.
Your center of gravity shifts as your belly grows.
When standing still and with good posture, your center of gravity lies just in front of your sacrum (tailbone). As we move and bend, our center of mass shifts to keep us balanced. During pregnancy, the center of mass shifts to a more forward and upward position (anterior/superior) causing changes in the spine, such as increased lordosis, or curve, in your lumbar spine to help maintain balance.
Why is this important? Because it increases the pressure on your low back and could raise the risk of injury during exercise if you don’t take the time to make sure your spine is as aligned and supported as it can be.
Your blood volume increases.
Because of this, your heart rate increases at a much lower level of activity. You may also experience shortness of breath more easily during exercise.
Be sure to not push too hard into physical activity to decrease your chances of putting too much stress on your system. You may find you need to work at a lower intensity than usual due to these physiological changes.
Also, take caution with lying on your back after 20 weeks of gestation. Doing so may cause increased pressure on your vena cava and cause a drop in blood pressure.
Be cautious of the temperature
Heat illnesses can easily happen in a pregnant woman because of all of the physiological changes taking place. Exercising in a hot, humid environment is not recommended. To prevent over-heating or heat-related illness, be sure to stay hydrated and wear loose clothing.
When to stop exercise
When exercising during pregnancy, it’s always important to take cues from your body and stop and rest when needed. If you experience any of the following, stop immediately and consult your doctor:
Bleeding
Pain
Painful contractions
Dizziness
Shortness of breath
Headache
Chest pain
What’s the best and safest way to exercise during pregnancy?
Work with a pelvic floor physical therapist! We can design a safe and effective program during pregnancy and postpartum.
Together we can work on keeping your core muscles strong by helping you make adaptations as your pregnancy progresses. Doing things like:
Piston breathing for 3-5 minutes a day will improve how you move and breathe!
Working on your posture
Incorporate piston breathing into other exercises
Squat - inhale lower down, exhale to stand
Dead lift - inhale lower down, exhale to stand
Biceps, triceps and shoulders - exhale on the push or pull, inhale to reset
Incorporating functional, multi-dimensional exercises that fire up the pelvic floor, the abdominal muscles, and the back muscles, and coordinating them with the breath is what helps keep your system balanced, connected, and strong. And can help prepare your body for labor and delivery.
By working on keeping your core foundation strong, you also decrease your risk for DRA, pelvic floor dysfunctions, leaking and incontinence, and low back pain.
Working with a pelvic floor physical therapist also means that we can monitor things like heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen during exercise to make sure that you and baby are absolutely safe.
Ready to get started? Grab a copy of my Top 5 Pregnancy and Postpartum Exercises guide. These are my favorite exercises for my mommas to do starting in pregnancy and are totally safe to continue doing into postpartum.
If you’re a postpartum momma, you may be interested in my CORE+ Healing DRA Masterclass. This is a class designed at helping busy moms heal their core and bodies postpartum. It also makes a great gift of self-care for a postpartum momma you know!
If you’re in the Texas area, you can work directly with me! Click here to contact me to find out more!