The Right Type Of Exercise For You and Your Baby
In our social media driven crazy world we are told to do this for great abs, or pump like a frog for great glutes but what should we really be doing? I have outlined what the government recommends, This is to keep our bodies healthy but is it to loose weight, or gain muscle...what should you really be doing?
As with diet there are certain things you should definitely do and some things you should definitely not do, likes and dislikes and its the same with exercise. The most important thing I think is making exercise safe, effective and enjoyable.
I don't make any client of mine do something they hate unless it is absolutely vital and there is no other as safe or effective exercise or method. For me the best exercise is one you like,
When you read the article on the right diet for you and your baby, we talked about energy balance, for a minute look at your food as fuel and your body as a machine. You are the machine using the fuel and what the machine does is what makes the change. Now you have to look after the machine right?
Cardio exercise keeps us healthy, its vital for our cardiovascular and circulatory system NOT just a weight loss tool, it kind of keeps the machine oiled.
Muscular strength and endurance training is like maintenance of the machine, keeping our bones and muscles healthy and supporting the machine in its every day life...have I lost you yet?
The point is we need to be healthy inside and out, mother & child. its not just about looking great but also feeling great, And that includes our mental health too. I train because its my time, my time to relax and think and re focus amongst the craziness of motherhood, Although I am aware that exercise doesn't do this for everyone!
So why would you do something you don't enjoy? Why not achieve your goal, get fitter, get stronger in a way which you love?
Follow the guidelines, break it into smaller chunks if you need to, make it work for you, alongside YOUR diet, YOUR goals and YOUR Pregnancy.
NHS Guidelines Exercise Guidelines For Non Pregnant Women
The NHS guidelines for cardiovascular exercise for health benefits for people aged between 19-64 are to do-
At least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity such as cycling or brisk walking every week.
and
Strength exercises on two or more days a week that work all the major muscles (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms).
or
75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, such as running or a game of singles tennis every week.
and
Strength exercises on two or more days a week that work all the major muscles (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms).
or
A mix of moderate and vigorous aerobic activity every week. For example, two 30-minute runs plus 30 minutes of brisk walking equates to 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity.
and
Strength exercises on two or more days a week that work all the major muscles (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms).
A good rule is that one minute of vigorous activity provides the same health benefits as two minutes of moderate activity.
One way to do your recommended 150 minutes of weekly physical activity is to do 30 minutes on five days every week.
All adults should also break up long periods of sitting with light activity.
This is taken from the NHS website.
Why Should you Exercise when Pregnant?
Keeping active and exercising during pregnancy is physically and mentally great for you and the baby! It can help prevent or reduce back pain, swelling, nausea, leg cramps, fatigue, excess weight gain, incontinence, insomnia, diastasis recti, anxiety and so much more, INCLUNDING reducing the risks of medical intervention during labour and reducing the risk of gestational diabetes and deep vein thrombosis!
So lets see what you can do...
Pregnancy Exercise Guidelines
First and Foremost you MUST have clearance from your Maternity team/ health practitioner before exercising whilst pregnant, you should also discuss your exercise & activity at every opportunity with your maternity team to ensure you are doing the right thing for you and your baby.
The following advice Is based on a healthy pregnancy without complications with your maternity teams permission.
For Pregnant women the NHS advises that you can continue with certain exercise throughout your pregnancy, providing your maternity team says its ok. They advise that you should slow it down as your pregnancy progresses and that should be able to hold a conversation whilst exercising. It is also vital to have eaten a high carb meal (about 40g) before exercise (depending on when is comfortable for you to eat around exercise) so you are fuelled for the workout. You must be well hydrated and ensure your body temperature does not get too high during exercise. You Must also follow normal pregnancy rules such as avoiding side lying and lying on your back, maintaining correct posture and being careful when moving and going from seated to standing. It is also a good idea to keep moving during rest periods, like walking on the spot to keep your circulation going.
Pregnancy is not the best time to start pushing yourself or trying strenuous exercise that you are not used to and if you are completely new to exercise then begin with no more than 15 minutes of continuous exercise at a time.
Cardiovascular Guidelines
A frequency of 3-5 times a week is recommended for cardiovascular exercise, reducing to 3-4 weeks in later pregnancy. This is structured exercise, remaining physically active in day to day life such as walking should also be ok. You should aim for at least 15 minutes aiming for about 30 minutes . With your warm up and cool down the session should not take longer than an hour. Remember to work at a pace and intensity that suits you and the baby.
The type of exercise is also really important, a run will turn into a jog and a jog a walk as your pregnancy develops. Please also make sure that the exercise is low risk, like using a stationary bike as appose to a road bike. The stepper, cross trainer, rower and Versa Climbers are not good choices for after the first trimester.
Muscular Strength & Endurance Guidelines
You should aim to train each muscle group 2-3 times per week on non consecutive days, The training videos and workouts I have put together are balanced and either full body, upper or lower, so you can structure these into your weekly schedule. By doing different workouts and mixing it up you will be constantly challenging the body which is what you want to maintain Muscular Strength and Endurance during pregnancy. The main considerations with Weight training whilst pregnant is ensuring you have correct Posture & Form (find a separate blog in the community), that you do not 'rep out' and only lift to near fatigue and that you DO NOT hold your breath, this can decrease the oxygen supply to the baby so YOU MUST EXHALE ON THE EFFORT.
Your level and intensity of exercise at the beginning of your pregnancy depends on how active you were up to getting pregnant. As your pregnancy progresses you should aim to reduce the intensity of the workout and the length so for example-
T1- low/Med intensity, 50 Seconds work, 30 seconds rest between exercises, 6 Rounds. For Weights, reduce weight by 10% of normal, 4 Sets, 12-15 reps (aiming for near fatigue on the last rep, do NOT rep out)
T2- low/Med intensity, 30 Seconds work, 40 seconds rest between exercises, 2-5 Rounds. For Weights, reduce weight by a further 10%, 3 Sets, 12-15 reps (aiming for near fatigue on the last rep, do NOT rep out)
T3- low/Med intensity, 20 Seconds work, 50 seconds rest between exercises, 1-3 Rounds. For Weights, reduce weight by a further 10%, 1-2 Sets, 15-20 reps (aiming for near fatigue on the last rep, do NOT rep out)
You must also ensure you are warming up and cooling down properly, I have written a separate blog on this which you can find in the Community so please take the time to read this.
In the Community we have all different routines to suit everyone's needs, they can be easily be searched using T1, T2, T3 so you know it is appropriate for you.
Potential Risks
All exercise carries potential risks and that applies even more so during pregnancy. Although the benefits of exercise relate to the mother the risks of over exercising predominantly effect the foetus. During exercise blood flow shifts from the internal organs to give the lungs, heart and muscles more oxygen. This includes the uterus.
Risks include-
Hyperthermia (increased heat production from exercise can dangerously increasing the Foetus's body temperature)
Reduced blood flow and hypoxia (reduced blood flow to the foetus)
Supine Hypotensive syndrome (reduced blood flow to the heart due to supine lying)
Premature rupture of the membranes (the water)
It is VERY important to NOT over do it and push yourself too hard, please use the guidelines and most importantly do what feels right for you, your body and your baby.