Fitness Friday | 5 Tips for Exercising While Pregnant

As you guys know, I’ve been trying to stay very active during this pregnancy. It has NOT been easy, but I’ve been doing the best I can. I was on a weight loss journey prior to getting pregnant and I was actively exercising 3-4 times a week. I was on a good routine and program with Rachel, my personal trainer, and so when I found out we were expecting baby #2, I wanted to maintain what I’d already started.

Being healthy is the MOST important thing to me this pregnancy. I’m not stressing about weight or anything like that… I’m just being careful of what I eat and trying to stay as active as possible. It’s not always easy, especially on days when I’m really tired or nauseous… but I am doing what I can!

In these first 16 and a half weeks, I’ve learned a few tips that I thought might be helpful for anyone else who is exercising during their pregnancy OR for anyone who wants to become pregnant and stay active!

I hope these tips are helpful! I’m certainly no expert, but these are things Rachel and my midwives have shared with me…

1. Check with your healthcare provider first. Especially if you haven’t already been exercising previously…

• This is SUPER important. Make sure to get your healthcare provider’s stamp of approval before you start any exercise routine. Exercising while pregnant is totally normal AND encouraged, but you want to be smart about it… so get their thumbs up first!

2. Take plenty of rest breaks in between sets.

• This one is hard for me because I want to just push through and be done… but rest is really important.

3. If you get your heartrate up and pumping, let it come back down before starting a new exercise.

• This is also extremely important… your heart is working extra hard as it is to pump blood in your body AND to the baby… so if your heartrate gets up, you want to make sure you bring it back down before you do anything else. Give it time to rest.

4. Drink plenty of water.

• This should go without saying, but definitely get your water in! Staying hydrated throughout your workout will help you not get overheated and also help you recover faster.

5. Don’t overdo it or push yourself beyond your normal limits (especially with weight training).

• If you’re doing any kind of weight training, especially, be sure to not attempt an INCREASE in weight throughout pregnancy. Still with weights below 20 pounds, with 10-15 pound weights being in the sweet spot. Do more reps instead of more weight… overdoing it can cause serious harm to you or the baby!

I hope these tips were helpful! Any tips that YOU would add to the list?