Stay Fit While You're Pregnant

Expectant women often wonder how to stay fit during their pregnancies. It’s important to continue activities that can help maintain your fitness during pregnancy, as they can help keep you and your unborn baby healthy. Once you’ve talked to your doctor, following a sensible plan for exercise and diet can help you maintain your fitness throughout your pregnancy.

Steps

Consulting Health and Fitness Professionals

  1. Consult your doctor about your fitness regimen and plan. If you want to maintain your fitness during pregnancy, first speak with your doctor about whether or not it’s safe to continue your current activities. There are some circumstances where it may be unsafe for you to do certain activities.[1]
    • Exercise during pregnancy is generally good for you and your baby. Your doctor might suggest you not exercise if you have heart and lung problems, high blood pressure, cervical problems or vaginal bleeding, or placenta previa, are experiencing or are at risk for preterm labor. She may also suggest avoiding exercise if you are pregnant with multiples.[1]
    • Talk to your doctor about the types of exercise you want to do to make sure they’re safe. Your doctor may suggest meeting with a fitness professional to help you find the best and safest exercises for you and your baby.
  2. Consult a registered dietician. Women who are pregnant have special dietary needs and you will need to adjust your diet to keep you and your unborn baby healthy and fit. Consult a registered dietician to discuss your specific dietary needs and how you can best get all of the vitamins and nutrients necessary to maintain your health and fitness.[2]
    • Your doctor, local hospital or birthing center can suggest a registered dietician to help you meet your dietary needs and fitness goals.[2]
  3. Consult a certified fitness professional. If you are exercise regularly and want to continue this activity during your pregnancy, consult a certified fitness professional once you have your doctor’s stamp of approval. She may be able to help you tailor an exercise regimen to help you stay fit during your pregnancy.[3]
    • A certified fitness professional can help you get fit during pregnancy if you haven’t been working out. Getting or increasing fitness during pregnancy can help you prepare for the physical strain of pregnancy and childbirth.[3]
    • A certified fitness professional may tell you it’s safe to continue whatever exercises you did prior to pregnancy as long as you feel well and comfortable and have the ok from your doctor.[3]

Maintaining Fitness through Exercise

  1. Understand the benefits of exercise during pregnancy. Exercise can help anyone be and feel healthy, and this is also true for pregnant women. Understanding the benefits of exercise during pregnancy can help you maintain your fitness by helping to motivate you.[4]
    • Exercise can prevent excess weight gain during pregnancy.[4]
    • Exercise can minimize pregnancy related problems such as constipation, back pain, or swelling.[4]
    • Exercise can increase your energy and help you to sleep.[4]
    • Exercise may help you prepare for labor and recover from pregnancy and childbirth more quickly.[4]
  2. Warm up and cool down as a part of exercise sessions. Whenever you have an exercise session, make sure you warm up before them and spend some time cooling down once you’re finished.[3] This will help prepare your body to exercise as well as stabilize your temperature and blood pressure.[3]
    • Warm up with a low-impact and light activity, such as walking, for 5-10 minutes.[3]
    • Cool down with a low-impact activity such as light jogging or walking for 5-10 minutes.[3]
    • Being and staying properly hydrated for exercise is important. Make sure to have at least 64 ounces of liquid a day to stay hydrated and add 8 ounces of water for every hour of activity.[3]
  3. Participate in cardiovascular exercise. Doing low-impact, moderate intensity cardiovascular exercise can help you maintain your fitness and may also make your pregnancy and subsequent recovery more comfortable. Discuss your plan to do cardio training with your doctor and certified fitness professional before you start.
    • Pregnant women can do at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise all or most days of the week.[3]
    • If you are very active or did intense cardio before your pregnancy, you may be able to keep up with these workouts with your doctor’s approval and if you feel comfortable.[3]
    • If you are just beginning or need to do a lower impact activity, walking and swimming are excellent options.[3]
    • You can do any type of cardio training to maintain your fitness during pregnancy. Beyond walking and swimming, consider running, rowing, biking, or using an elliptical machine.[4]
  4. Perform strength-training exercises. In addition to cardiovascular exercise, strength training can help you maintain your fitness. It may also help prepare you for childbirth, recover more quickly, carry around your baby without tiring.
    • Before you begin any strength training program, consult with your doctor and maybe even with a certified trainer, who will create the best plan for your abilities and needs.
    • Focus on exercises that strengthen your whole body and are specific for your needs during and after pregnancy. For example, bicep curls can help you prepare to carry a baby and a diaper bag. Leg strengthening exercises will help support the weight of your growing body.[5]
  5. Practice regular yoga or Pilates. Try a yoga or Pilates class either in a studio or online. These lower-impact activities can help strengthen and stretch your muscles while helping you to relax.[4]
    • There are a wide variety of video-based yoga and Pilates courses available. You may consider purchasing DVDs, which can offer basic guided sessions for you to follow. You can also search online for videos or courses that guide you through different levels of yoga and Pilates sessions.[4]
    • You may be able to attend a class or find a video of a pre-natal yoga class, which is tailored specifically to a pregnant body and helping it prepare for childbirth.
  6. Listen to your body. If you decide to stay fit with exercise during your pregnancy, it’s important to listen to your body during any activity. This can help you identify if you’re tired, need to hydrate, or are experiencing the signs of a more serious problem.
    • Permit yourself to rest when you want. If you feel tired or don’t want to exercise one day, allow yourself to rest. Remember that rest is an integral part of healthy pregnancy and staying fit.[6] You may find that you don’t have as much energy as you get closer to your due date.[7]
    • If you experience any vaginal bleeding or gushing fluid from your vagina, stop exercising immediately and contact your doctor.[8]
    • Stop exercising if you experience dizziness, headache, worsening shortness of breath, chest pain, heart palpitations or uneven and rapid heartbeat, fluid leaking from your vagina, or decreased fetal movement.[7]
  7. Be aware of potentially risky activities. Consider avoiding certain activities that may be risky for a pregnant woman. This can help ensure you and your baby remain safe and healthy.[6]
    • Contact sports such as ice hockey, football, soccer, or basketball may not be safe, especially if you’ve never done any of these activities before you were pregnant.
    • Scuba diving is not recommended during pregnancy because it increases the risk of preterm birth and birth defects.[9]
    • You should also avoid any activity that poses a high risk of falling, including downhill skiing, gymnastics, water skiing, surfing, rock climbing, and horseback riding.[10]

Maintaining Fitness through Nutrition

  1. Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet. As a pregnant woman, you need to make sure you are eating the proper nutrients to sustain healthy, fitness, and your pregnancy. By eating a healthy, well-balanced diet you can help ensure that you and your unborn baby get the necessary vitamins and minerals.
    • In addition to your regular calorie intake, you will need to factor in extra calories for sustaining your pregnancy. You will need up to 450 calories per day to support your unborn child.[8]
    • Eat healthy and nutrient dense foods such as lean proteins including chicken or beef, fruits and vegetables such as raspberries or broccoli, and dairy products like yogurt or cheese for calcium.[4]
    • Be careful when consuming seafood or fish. Limit your cooked fish intake to 8 to 12 oz. per week and your canned intake to 6 oz. per week.[11] Avoid tuna steaks, swordfish, mackerel, shark or any other fish with high mercury levels.[11] However, there is no need to avoid low mercury fish, such as salmon.
    • Try and avoid unhealthy calories such as those found in sweets and junk food.
    • You might want to avoid any foods that can cause digestive issues for you or your child, or unborn baby, including spicy foods, eggs, wheat, corn, or peanuts.[8] However, keep in mind that some research has suggested that this is not an effective way to prevent allergies.[12]
    • If you are suffering from nausea or vomiting due to either morning sickness and find it difficult to eat, consult your doctor or a registered dietician, who can help you find solutions to get proper nutrition.[4]
  2. Drink plenty of liquids. It’s important to make sure that you’re drinking plenty of liquids while pregnant. Not only do you need enough liquid to avoid dehydration and support your pregnancy, but you also need it to help maintain your fitness.
    • You should drink at least 15 cups of water a day to stay hydrated and sustain your pregnancy.[13]
    • Water is the best choice for your needs, but you can also drink non-caffeinated tea, and juices. Clear, non-caffeinated soft drinks such as ginger ale may help with nausea.
    • You may consume coffee or caffeinated teas and soft drinks in limited quantities. Do not consume more than 200 mg of caffeine per day, which is about the same as two eight ounce cups of coffee.[14] Consult with your doctor to make sure it’s safe to consume any of these beverages.
  3. Avoid alcoholic beverages and tobacco. It’s advisable to avoid all alcohol and tobacco while you’re pregnant. Using these substances can be potentially harmful to you and your unborn baby and may undermine your efforts to stay fit.
    • There is plenty of evidence about the risk of alcohol consumption for pregnant women, so consider avoiding alcohol altogether while you’re pregnant.[15]
    • Tobacco use can put your unborn child at risk for conditions such as low-birth weight and respiratory diseases.[16]
    • If you smoke while pregnant, speak to your doctor about possible treatment options to help you quit and keep your unborn baby healthy.[16]
  4. Consider taking prenatal vitamins. Your body will need sufficient additional nutrients to support a pregnancy and stay fit. Consider taking a pre-natal vitamin to help you get additional nutrients you may need and not be getting through food.
    • During pregnancy, the body is designed to put your child’s nutritional needs before yours.
    • Try and get as many nutrients as possible from healthy and whole foods.
    • Make sure to speak to your doctor before taking pre-natal vitamins or ask her to prescribe some for you.

Warnings

  • Never exercise to the point of exhaustion.
  • Know the warning signs for serious complications.
  • Ask your doctor first.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/pregnancy-and-exercise/art-20046896
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.eatright.org/resources/health/pregnancy
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/pregnancy-and-exercise/art-20046896?pg=1
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_center/your_pregnancy/preg_health.html#
  5. ↑ http://www.fitpregnancy.com/exercise/prenatal-workouts/weight-training-pregnancy
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/pregnancy-and-exercise/art-20046896?pg=2
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/pregnancy-and-exercise/art-20046896?pg=2
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_center/your_pregnancy/preg_health.html#
  9. ↑ http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/recreation/
  10. ↑ http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/recreation/
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/Metals/ucm393070.htm
  12. ↑ https://www.aaaai.org/conditions-and-treatments/library/at-a-glance/prevention-of-allergies-and-asthma-in-children.aspx
  13. ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256?pg=2
  14. ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/pregnancy-nutrition/art-20043844?pg=2
  15. ↑ http://www.llli.org/faq/alcohol.html
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 http://www.lalecheleague.org/llleaderweb/lv/lvaugsep04p75.html
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