Why exercise is important pre and post pregnancy.

If you are someone that has been regularly exercising for most of your life, I don't really need to explain how important it is to continue to stay fit and strong through and beyond your pregnancy.
If however you are not a regular exerciser and you do not understand the value of aerobic,  strength training and core exercises at this stage, you may well change your mind once you have read how you can benefit.

 Here are just a few of the advantages of exercise through pregnancy.

• A reduction in back pain
• Improved core strength helping to support your spine 
• Improved circulation and blood flow
• Improved calcium absorption preventing future osteoporosis
• Improved relaxation and sleep patterns
• Faster recovery time after the birth
• Avoidance of excess weight gain

There has been much research done that has shown women who have performed weight bearing exercise throughout their pregnancies have made a significant difference to their labour times compared to non exercising women. This was based on those who exercised at least three times per week for at least 20 minutes at more than 50% heart rate.
Provided you do not have a history of high risk pregnancy (3 or more miscarriages) high blood pressure, diabetes, thyroid disease kidney disorders or other medical complications etc  you will find that by exercising correctly to the pattern of exercise tailored to your trimestar period you will feel mentally and physically positive with regards to the labour and the delivery of your baby.
Listen and be in tune to your body, you don't need to over-exert yourself to feel benefit, you need to make sure that you are eating enough food to nourish both yourself and the baby. You need to take advice if possible train with a professional fitness trainer who will make sure you are performing the correct exercises and not over doing it. 

I am a fully insured qualified Personal trainer and have worked with both Pre-natal and post-natal clients. One of my post-natal clients Anita did not do any form of exercise or strength training prior to her pregnancy or up until giving birth to her twins. She came to see me 6 months after having the twins as her back was in a mess. I worked with her for 3 months and with a combination of light progressive aerobic work and some resistance training mixed with pilates lower back and core exercises we managed to fix her. She later realised that had she worked on this problem prior and during the pregnancy she would not have had such pain with her back later on.
One of my pre-natal clients Sarah was a different kettle of fish, she was a tiny little thing, and I often would make jokes as to how she would ever give birth to a baby being so petite. She was however incredibly flexible due to her love of yoga. She had not done any strength training so this is what we concentrated on when she came to see me. She had such a tiny frame that the heavy load of at least 7-8lbs of baby would have put far too much strain on her lower back. I did extensive work with her in the first trimestar to build up her upper body and strengthen her glutes and legs. We also had the time to do some core work in her 1st trimestar then after the first 5 weeks it came down to conditioning and strengthening with the necessary adaptions right up to her delivery day.
Sarah also continued with her yoga under the close supervision of her teacher, as the hormone relaxin which releases into a womans body during pregnancy was busy doing its job to prepare her for childbirth. Relaxin can also make the ligaments supporting the joints more mobile,therefore care must be taken as the body is capable of over-stretching when it is present.  Sarah had an uncomplicated birth and she had already taken the time to exercise and look after herself so it wasn't too hard for her to get back into her normal clothes just 6 weeks after having her baby.
 
1st Trimester (0-12wks)
You can still do almost all CV such as recumberant bike, treadmill walk, stepper, rower.  If you are all ready exercising there is no reason for you to have to slow down too much at this stage.  If you are new to it all, you must be careful to start off slowly and to not over exert yourself. Make sure you stay hydrated, drink plenty of water.
Focus on core, lower back and pelvic floor, you can still perform abdominal exercise at this stage and the more strength you can keep in your abdominals, core and lower back the better.
remember if you feel uncomfortable with any of the abdominal exercises you are doing you must stop. There are so many ways to strengthen the core besides sit ups and crunches, ask a trainer at your gym, they should have the knowledge to guide you.
Most of the resistance machines are comfortable enough for you to be seated such as the Chest Press Machine and the Lat Pull Down. Ball squats with light dumbell curls and seated side shoulder raises are also good. You can use the cable machine for biceps and triceps. stability balls are great for core hamstring rollouts. If you have been cleared by your GP,are confident in what you are doing and intend to do your exercises at home, a stability ball (if you have room) and a set of light dumbells would be good choices to invest in.

2nd Trimester 1st stage (12-20wks)

It is time to avoid the sit ups, crunches, twisting obliques and back extension machines at this stage, as the linea alba may have begun to split as the foetus may be out of the pelvis.
Carry  on doing pelvic tilts and stomach vaccuums on all fours, try to avoid any doming of the abdominals.  As far as cardio goes you can carry on with the treadmill uphill walking or light jogging if you are conditioned. Cross trainer and bike are also fine. You may find the recumberant bike more comfortable as it supports your back and concentrates on strengthening the legs. Rowing machine is fine to use up until the 3rd trimestar as long as you are using correct form, again if you find it uncomfortable stop. You can carry on with the resistance exercises try chest presses on the incline bench instead of flat, and make sure the reps are high and the weight not too heavy. Carry on with squats (use light weights) as they will keep your lower back, glutes and legs strong. Stiff leg deadlifts with a light barbell are okay and also great for strengthening the lower back. dumbell shoulder raises, triceps and bicep exercises can still be performed as normal and there are several variations of these.

2nd Trimester 2nd stage (20-28wks)

Cardio exercises such as the stepper, treadmill walking, cross trainer, stationary bike are fine. If you have these at your gym avoid them at this stage - (Ski machine, Versa climber, Air walkers).  
Ideally you need to avoid doing any exercise lying on your back where possible. Also avoid any exercises where you are lifting weight abouve your head and avoid any exercise that domes or stresses the abdominal area. Remember the rectus muscles will have split and be very stretched at this stage therefore will be weaker than normal. Avoid using barbell weight behing the neck and switch to light dumbells for exrcises such as squats.
Switch to cat stretches on all fours for lower back, and the same position for supermans.

3rd Trimester  (28-40wks) 
Cardio exercises that are still suitable at this stage - treadmill walking, stepper - (with caution), upright and recumberant bike also okay. Cross trainers depending on the machine are okay, but check first with a qualified trainer.  Avoid the rowing machine which at this stage would be pretty uncomfortable to use anyhow.
Avoid all exercises that involve lying on your back now.  Reduce pelvic tilt work now and don't overdo it with repetitions.
Whereas weights are concerned, you should ideally have someone supervising at this stage. You can comfortably continue to do exercises such as shoulder raises, tricep pushdowns, bicep curls, machine seated chest presses etc but reduce the weight at this stage. Remember no exercises raising the arms above the head as this will raise your blood pressure. You can adapt upper back exercises such as the lat pulldowns to straight arm pulldowns so that you aren't taking your arms above your head. You can also stand doing these which may be more comfortable for you. Don't forget your ball squats against the wall, these are very beneficial for strengthening your lower back glutes and legs.

Post Exercise Stretching 

Chest, Back, Arms, Calves, Hamstrings, Quadriceps, Hip Flexors,  

1st Trimester - Stretch as normal providing you do not have hyper flexible joints

2nd Trimester  - Stretch as normal but avoid the following: splits,hurdles stretches, crab stretch, touching toes standing or sitting, flinging arms or body from side to side. Do not hold the stretches for too long up to 20 seconds is plenty. Make sure your body is supported, hold onto something when doing standing stretches your balance will be compromised and also remember that as mentioned earlier relaxin will be present in your joints making them more prone to breakage.


3rd Trimester -  Try to avoid wide leg stretches especially if it causes you pain down the front of your pelvis. Chest muscles hamstrings and hip flexors need attention as they tend to get tighter as you get towards the end of your pregnancy.


Good Luck to all of you mums-to-be and remember... be kind to your body its amazing.


Sherry X

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This article has been updated and broken down into 3 seperate articles, so to view please go to Exercise and Pregnancy, Exercise During Pregnancy, Post Pregnancy Exercise