Regarding exercise during pregnancy, there are a few things to be cautious of, like exercise when pregnant heart rate. Let’s go over the benefits of exercise during pregnancy, exercises to avoid during pregnancy, pelvic floor exercises during pregnancy, and which month to start exercise during pregnancy.
I highly recommend having a regular exercise routine. Not only can it help you maintain healthy weight gain during your pregnancy, but prenatal exercise (including yoga) also gives you immense pregnancy, labor, and postpartum benefits!
But before we jump into everything you need to know about exercise in pregnancy, let’s go over average weight gain during pregnancy.
Average Weight Gain During Pregnancy:
The average weight gain during a singleton pregnancy is 25-35lbs, but keep in mind that everyone is different! Although you may be wondering, “where does it all come from?”.
Well, the weight you gain during pregnancy anatomically comes from about:
- 2 lbs of increased breast tissue
- 2 lbs of amniotic fluid
- 1.5 lbs from the placenta
- 2 lbs from increased uterine size
- 13-15 lbs of extra blood, fluids, and fats
- 6-9 lbs on average for your baby
Fun fact! You will immediately lose about 11 lbs from your baby, amniotic fluid, and your placenta when your baby is born!
Factors that can influence how much weight you gain during pregnancy include:
- Being pregnant with multiples
- Nausea
- Weight at conception (underweight or overweight)
- Physical activity level
- Headache or migraines
- Cravings
The Benefits of Exercise During Pregnancy
The many fantastic and potentially “labor-changing” benefits of regular moderate exercise during pregnancy include:
- Improved relaxation [1]
- Mothers reported increased skills to assist with the labor and birth of their babies [1]
- Bonding with baby during pregnancy [1]
- Improved social connections with a group [1]
- Increased vaginal birth rates [2, 12, 13]
- Reduced pelvic pain [4, 7]
- Reduced lower back pain [7]
- Fewer newborn complications [8]
- Shorter duration of labor [3]
- Higher levels of endorphins in labor, therefore, leading to less pain perceived in labor [5]
- Improved mental health [4]
- Improved posture (great for preventing breech and occiput posterior babies) [9]
- Positive body image [10]
- Improved sleep [11]
Additionally, a decreased risk of:
- Preeclampsia (high blood pressure) [2, 14]
- Gestational diabetes [2]
- Instrumental birth (vacuum or forceps)[2, 12, 13]
- Cesarean birth [2, 12, 13]
- Urinary incontinence [6]
- Premature birth [3]
Yoga as Exercise During Pregnancy
From the benefits of exercise listed above, research supports that prenatal yoga improves your chances of vaginal birth, decreases the risk of premature birth, improves the birth weight of newborns, and shortens the labor duration [3].
Check out my “How to Improve Your Prenatal Yoga Practice” post!
Which Month to Start Exercise During Pregnancy?
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) recommends being physically active on most and preferably all days of the week [15]. Optimally, this regular exercise should begin before you conceive your baby and continue throughout your entire pregnancy.
Furthermore, RANZCOG states, “If you are currently inactive or overweight, start with 3-4 days per week on non-consecutive days”, and start with 15-20 minutes of moderate physical activity and work your way up to 30 minutes per workout session [15].
Generally, aim to exercise 150-300 minutes in total of moderate-intensity physical activity each week. Therefore, if you are active on most days of the week for at least 30 minutes, you are meeting these recommendations!
Exercise Options During Pregnancy
Moderate exercise options for your pregnancy include:
- Walking
- Jogging
- Running
- Cycling
- Pilates
- Prenatal yoga
- Barre
- Swimming
- Strength training twice per week
- Pelvic floor exercises
Additionally, you can generally continue any exercise you were doing pre-pregnancy! However, it’s recommended to first check with your practitioner.
Exercises to Avoid During Pregnancy:
This may be shocking, but the only exercises advised to avoid during pregnancy are when you’re lying on your stomach (once it becomes uncomfortable anyways) and exercises where your risks of falling on your stomach are high. Furthermore, keep in mind that balance is thrown off during pregnancy. Nevertheless, if you’re an experienced gymnast, your practitioner should have no issue with your continuing your practice.
Still, some things to be cautious about when working out during pregnancy include:
- Always listen to your body! Your body and hormones are changing immensely. Some of these changes make your joints looser or add strain in areas you may not have experienced.
- Avoid activities that involve straining or holding your breath.
- Exercises should not be performed lying on your back after the first trimester.
- Walking lunges are best to be avoided to prevent injury to your pelvic connective tissue
- Include a warm-up and cool-down
- Avoid exercising in high temperatures and humidity. Pregnant women can appropriately regulate their own body temperature. However, when exposed to extreme heat, several actions may occur, including a reduction in placental blood flow, dehydration, and an inflammatory response that may trigger preterm birth [16].
- Ensure you’re adequately hydrated
- Wear loose and comfortable clothing
Warning Signs to Stop the Exercise
Warning signs to stop exercising and call your practitioner include:
- Chest pain
- Unexplained shortness of breath
- Dizziness
- Feeling faint
- Headache
- Calf pain, swelling, or redness
- Muscle weakness
- Sudden swelling
- Vaginal bleeding
- Amniotic fluid loss
- Preterm (<37 weeks) uterine contractions or pain in the lower back, pelvic area, or abdomen
My favorite pregnancy exercise forms are yoga, walking, and swimming! What is your favorite? Do you feel like exercise has benefitted your pregnancy? I’d love to hear in the comments!
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Sources:
[1] Styles, A., Loftus, V., Nicolson, S. et al. Prenatal yoga for young women a mixed methods study of acceptability and benefits. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 19, 449 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-019-2564-4
[2] Hinman SK, Smith KB, Quillen DM, Smith MS. Exercise in Pregnancy: A Clinical Review. Sports Health. 2015;7(6):527-531. doi:10.1177/1941738115599358
[3] Rong L, Dai LJ, Ouyang YQ. The effectiveness of prenatal yoga on delivery outcomes: A meta-analysis. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2020 May;39:101157. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2020.101157. Epub 2020 Mar 28. PMID: 32379685.
[4] Kawanishi Y, Hanley SJ, Tabata K, Nakagi Y, Ito T, Yoshioka E, Yoshida T, Saijo Y. [Effects of prenatal yoga: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials]. Nihon Koshu Eisei Zasshi. 2015;62(5):221-31. Japanese. doi: 10.11236/jph.62.5_221. PMID: 26118705.
[5] Varrassi G, Bazzano C, Edwards WT. Effects of physical activity on maternal plasma beta-endorphin levels and perception of labor pain. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1989 Mar;160(3):707-12. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9378(89)80065-1. PMID: 2522737.
[6] Davenport MH , Nagpal T , Mottola MF , et al. Prenatal exercise (including but not limited to pelvic floor muscle training) and urinary incontinence during and following pregnancy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med2018;52:1397–404
[7] Davenport MH , Marchand AA , Mottola MF , et al. Exercise for the prevention and treatment of low back, pelvic girdle and lumbopelvic pain during pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med 2018.
[8] Skow RJ , Davenport MH , Mottola MF , et al. Effects of prenatal exercise on fetal heart rate, umbilical and uterine blood flow: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med 2018
[9] https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/6914-exercise-during-pregnancy
[10] Boscaglia N, Skouteris H, Wertheim EH. Changes in body image satisfaction during pregnancy: a comparison of high exercising and low exercising women. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 2003 Feb;43(1):41-5. doi: 10.1046/j.0004-8666.2003.00016.x. PMID: 12755346.
More Sources:
[11] Tan L, Zou J, Zhang Y, Yang Q, Shi H. A Longitudinal Study of Physical Activity to Improve Sleep Quality During Pregnancy. Nat Sci Sleep. 2020;12:431-442. Published 2020 Jul 13. doi:10.2147/NSS.S253213
[12] Barakat R, Pelaez M, Lopez C, Montejo R, Coteron J. Exercise during pregnancy reduces the rate of cesarean and instrumental deliveries: results of a randomized controlled trial. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2012;25:2372-2376.
[13] Kardel KR, Johanse B, Voldner N, Iversen PO, Henriksen T. Association between aerobic fitness in late pregnancy and duration of labor in nulliparous women. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2009;88:948-952.
[14] Kasawara KT, do Nascimento SL, Costa ML, Surita FG, e Silva JL. Exercise and physical activity in the prevention of pre-eclampsia: systematic review. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2012;91:1147-1157.
[15] https://ranzcog.edu.au/womens-health/patient-information-resources/exercise-during-pregnancy
[16]Samuels, L., Nakstad, B., Roos, N. et al. Physiological mechanisms of the impact of heat during pregnancy and the clinical implications: review of the evidence from an expert group meeting. Int J Biometeorol (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-022-02301-6
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