If you try to maintain an active lifestyle, you may be worried that pregnancy will significantly impact it.
We understand the concerns, as pregnancy can bring many changes. You have to adjust the way you eat and even the way you sleep. Luckily, pregnancy doesn’t have to have a huge impact on your active lifestyle.
It is very common and recommended for women to continue to pursue fitness throughout their pregnancy. At POW8R, we have helped countless women, including our star trainer, Holly, take control of their fitness journey throughout their pregnancy.
Read on to learn how to develop and maintain a pregnancy fitness routine that works for you.
The Benefits of Working Out While Pregnant
There is a common misconception that the second you fall pregnant, you need to jump straight into protective mode and avoid doing anything strenuous.
This isn’t the 1930s anymore; you don’t need to spend 6 months of your pregnancy bedbound, and you can now take measures to improve both your health and the health of your baby.
Some of the benefits of working out while pregnant include:
- Improved mood
- Better sleep
- Help you prepare for birth
- Lower blood pressure
- Boosted energy levels.
As you can see, there are many reasons to stay active, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make adjustments to your standard routine.
If you do a lot of intense training, you may need to cut down on this and plan a new maternity fitness routine to follow until you have given birth. Luckily for you, at POW8R, we offer a selection of maternity workout videos.
By following these videos, you can understand which workouts best suit your needs and gain inspiration for developing your pregnancy workout plan.
Check-in With a Healthcare Professional
Before starting any new fitness plan, be sure that you seek advice from a healthcare professional.
No two pregnancies are the same, and though a workout plan may be fine for one pregnancy, complications may create obstacles, so be sure to check with your doctor before getting started.
Prioritise Your Safety
We get it; there is nothing more tiring than constantly being told that you can’t do something just because you are pregnant. With people constantly underestimating you, it can be easy to feel the need to push yourself to prove that you are capable.
Remember not to push yourself too far and take the necessary steps to protect yourself while you are pregnant. Avoid contact sports or any exercise which may cause you to fall, as this can be a risk to your baby.
There are plenty of safe workouts that you can do while pregnant, so don’t worry about not getting the most out of your workout.
Try Home Workouts
Adjusting to a new way of working out can be difficult, so we suggest you try some at-home workouts to ease into your new workout methods.
If your doctor has checked you out and you have been cleared to exercise, we would definitely recommend that you try out our free 10-minute HIIT pregnancy workout; this expertly designed workout is a great tool for reclaiming your fitness and pushing yourself (within reason, of course).
The Best Exercises For The First Trimester
Though there are workouts that you can follow throughout all stages of your pregnancy, certain exercises are better suited for specific trimesters. You should take more care during your workouts during the first trimester.
If you feel you need additional support at the start of your workout journey, we suggest that you attend prenatal exercise classes or contact one of our trainers for further advice.
The following exercises are best suited for the first trimester of your pregnancy.
Pelvic Curl
The pelvic curl exercise is a great way to work out your lower body and strengthen your core. To complete this exercise, observe the following steps.
- Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent hip-width apart.
- Exhale and tuck your pelvis inwards; as you exhale, lift your pelvis towards the ceiling.
- Repeat this movement, inhaling and exhaling with every lift.
Kneeling Pushups
This exercise is great for strengthening the core and upper body. To complete this exercise, follow these steps.
- Lie flat on your stomach, then push up onto your hands and knees.
- Engage your core and then slowly lower your chest towards the floor. Inhale as you lower yourself to the floor.
- Exhale as you return to your starting position.
- Repeat 5 times.
The Best Exercises For The Second Trimester
During your second trimester, you can take less caution when working out and you can complete more intense exercises.
Side-lying Leg Lifts
As the baby develops, your centre of gravity changes, so it is important to strengthen your core and improve pelvic stabilisation.
- Lie on your side with both knees stacked.
- Lift your side slightly off the floor to create a gap between your waist and the floor, levelling your pelvis.
- Straighten your leg and rotate your lower body, ensuring your toes point towards the floor.
- Lift your leg for about five seconds and gently lower it to the ground, inhaling and exhaling throughout the process. Ensure that you maintain the gap between your waist and the floor.
- Repeat this exercise on both sides; we suggest around 10 repetitions.
Alternate Lunges
This is another great exercise for strengthening your core and working out your leg muscles. If you have a weight to hand, we recommend using that to get the most out of this exercise.
- Take your weight and position it firmly on your chest.
- Keeping your feet together, bend down onto your right knee, extending your right leg backwards in a lunge position.
- Bring your right leg back up, then repeat the process with your left leg.
- Repeat for as long as you feel comfortable; we suggest doing 10 repetitions on each leg.
The Best Exercises For The Third Trimester
As you reach your third trimester, you will likely start to feel much slower, and you may find it difficult to complete high-intensity workouts. Of course, every pregnancy is different, but given the baby’s weight in the third trimester, it is expected that you slow down slightly.
That does not mean exercise has to end. Here are some of the best exercises for the third trimester.
Walking
People often undervalue the impact that walking can have, especially if you are heavily pregnant. We don’t need to give you a method for this workout, but walking for even as little as 10 minutes every day can make a huge impact on your health.
Remember, when you are walking, make sure that you are wearing flat shoes and not taking unsteady paths, as this risks falling, which can put the baby at risk.
Yoga
Throughout your third trimester, you should do everything possible to prepare for labour. Prenatal yoga can help you build strength and flexibility ahead of labour and can help you strengthen your vaginal muscles.
As you reach the end of your pregnancy, you will experience many uncomfortable aches and pains, which can make sleeping difficult. To make yourself more comfortable, you can attend prenatal exercise classes, as they usually demonstrate the best yoga exercises to do before giving birth.
Develop a Fitness Plan With POW8R
Hopefully, this blog has clarified the importance of working out while pregnant and provided you with some great tips on the best workouts to complete throughout your pregnancy.
To see the best results and to have the best support, we will always suggest that you work with the POW8R team, and make the most of our pregnancy fitness app Not only do we believe in our pregnancy workouts, but they have been tried and tested by our own trainers.
To find out more, get in touch with our team and join our community today.