Staying Fit with a Pregnancy Workout Plan
One of the best things to do throughout your pregnancy to support a pregnancy without complications, having a natural birth, and promoting a quick recovery in the postpartum is to stay active and to have a pregnancy workout plan. There are so many different options to choose from when deciding which pregnancy workout plan is the right one for you. Let a midwife help! Charli and Sarah are a team of midwives in Portland, OR with extensive experience in prenatal care and are passionate about all things home birth, midwifery, health, and nutrition.
What is a Pregnancy Workout Plan?
Creating a pregnancy workout plan is a great way to stay fit and strong throughout pregnancy, to support the body throughout the physical demands of growing a healthy baby, and to prepare the body for the physical challenges of labor and giving birth. A pregnancy workout plan should be tailored to each pregnant individual as everyone’s fitness level prior to pregnancy should be considered and is something to discuss with a midwife. It’s ideal to stay active in your pregnancy if activity was a regular part of life previously, and it’s also a great time to start being physically active even if working out was not a regular part of life before. In providing individualized care, a midwife can help create a pregnancy workout plan that is appropriate and safe for each individual client.
Safe Prenatal Workouts
Many types of physical activity and workouts are safe for pregnancy.
A safe prenatal workout might involve any of the following:
Regular Walking or Hiking
Running (appropriate for already experienced runners)
Body Weight Resistance Training
Yoga
Spin Classes
Swimming
Zumba or other Dance Classes
It’s most important to stay consistent. No matter which workout routine is preferred, the most important key to success throughout pregnancy is to stay consistent and to incorporate workouts at least 3 times per week throughout pregnancy. Additionally, each workout should begin with a minimum of a 5 minute warm-up and end with a minimum of a 5 minute cool down; longer warm-up and cool down times are recommended. Be mindful of changes in balance and flexibility overtime. As a pregnancy develops balance and flexibility are both likely to be altered and this may make some types of activity more physically challenging or painful than they were before pregnancy. Each person and each pregnancy will be different in terms of what types of activity are appropriate. Physical activity should not cause pain. Muscle soreness is normal, but ligament or skeletal pain is a sign from the body that that particular activity is not appropriate for the remainder of the pregnancy. Each person must listen to their own body when deciding what types of activity are safe for them.
What to avoid in a pregnancy workout plan:
Contact sports
Waist twisting movements (due to round ligament pain)
Activity that may decrease oxygen supply for sustained periods of time (i.e. hiking at a much higher elevation than you’re used to living at)
Any sport that could cause a hard fall
Anything that causes physical pain
Anything that you feel unsure about
Benefits of a Fit Pregnancy
The benefits of a fit pregnancy are countless. Some of the reasons for having a regular pregnancy workout routine are to:
Maintain and build strength over time
Decreasing stress during pregnancy
Improve or stabilize mental well-being
Decrease or eliminate pain and discomfort in pregnancy, especially back pain
Reduce the risk of high blood pressure
Reduce the risk of pre-eclampsia
Reduce the risk of Gestational Diabetes
Decrease overall fatigue
Decrease swelling
Decrease bloating and constipation
Support a more efficient labor
Be physically prepared for the hard work of giving birth
Promote greater ease in recovery from childbirth
Help with Your Pregnancy Workout Plan
Hiring a midwife is the best way to ensure that you are being set up with an individualized pregnancy workout plan that is safe for you and your baby during pregnancy. Once you start prenatal care with your midwife you will have the opportunity to share about your own history in regards to physical activity, including any history of injuries, surgeries, or challenges with movement. You’ll also have an opportunity to discuss your current relationship to working out. You and your midwife can work together to devise a pregnancy workout plan that feels like fun, is realistic, is empowering, and appropriate for you at each new stage of your pregnancy. The midwife team at Hearth and Home Midwifery provides time to specifically discuss each client’s history, needs, and desires for a pregnancy workout plan. The midwife team then follows up with a plan that is tailored to each client and supports each client throughout their pregnancy as they reach their own workout goals.
