For active and inactive mums alike, the most important thing for a new mum is the health of her baby and a close number two is her own health (and of course her waistline!).
Many mums have great concerns before, during and after pregnancy about their body shape and weight and wonder if they need to give up skinny jeans for good.
Not so!
If you already exercise regularly, it is both recommended and great to continue and if you’re not, gently introduce activity into your days of pregnancy. If your pregnancy is going well without any contra indications, there is really no excuse not to exercise.
The key is to understand pregnancy and what happens to our body. The best way is to learn the three main stages of pregnancy: 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimesters and then modify things to maintain safety, ALIGNMENT, comfort and good health. In addition to my tips, I recommend all mums-to-be and post natal, to make sure your doctor has given you the all clear to follow any exercise routines or diets.
1. Drink lots of water – this will help you stay hydrated and it’s vital for optimum functions of your organs and your baby. It also helps curb cravings for an extra calorie or two, as you will feel fuller. Two litres of water would be a good start, and if you aren’t a big fan of pure water, try 1/3 fresh fruit juice and top up with water. My favourite!
2. Avoid overheating - the body temperature rises when you are pregnant to, amongst other things, make the environment for foetal growth more favourable. There have been some guidelines in the past for watching the max heart rate for women who exercise, but this is difficult to apply, as there are many variables as to why everyone has a different heart rate to start with. This is a bit like saying that all of us should wear size 4 shoes- one size doesn’t fit all! It is also pretty difficult to raise the core temperature for a woman, as the body is cleverly designed to keep it regulated by perspiring, so pregnant women are often feeling hot either way. The infamous pregnancy glow is due to our superficial veins being closer to the surface of the skin, to allow for the heat expenditure. However, do ensure you don’t overheat by avoiding exercise in hot conditions and unventilated facilities. Wear breathable clothes, stay hydrated, take regular rests and as always, make sure that you stop if you are feeling too hot.
3. Always use the stairs! – whether we like it or not, using the stairs and even adding a few stairs extra, will most certainly help with energy expenditure. If you can, walk even when using the escalators on the tube- you will be faster and keep active at the same time. A great tip home workout is to use the stairs if you have them for 10—15 minutes a day. This may be boring but effective if you don’t want to leave your house. If you don’t have stairs, buy a Reebok step!
4. Walk walk walk – everywhere – make sure you do this all the time. Walking is fantastic, as it does not put too much strain on bones and joints but is still a weight bearing exercise. Make the walk into a semi workout by speeding up and involving the arms. Perhaps wear a back pack, or 1kg weights in your hands to increase the difficulty. This is a fantastic option if you normally enjoy running but find that ‘it just doesn’t feel right to run’.
5. Yoga and Pilates – these are both a great way to keep your mobility and a good fitness routine going. Pilates will lend support in strengthening small muscle groups in and around your core, focusing on the pelvic floor, postural muscles and abdominal work. Pelvic floor ‘work-outs’ are a must, as the pelvic floor’s muscles stretch during the nine months of labour (just to be torn at the birth in many cases). The weakening of the pelvic floor can be very problematic afterwards causing incontinence and additional stress to the new mum. On the other hand, yoga will offer a lot of relief in back pain, allow you to de-stress and induce calmness to your days and weeks by working with your breathing. The stretch poses can be modified to suit any stage of pregnancy, but it’s by far best to have special one to one yoga sessions, or in small groups so that the teacher is able to help you and modify the poses according to your needs and ideally with a pre and post natal yoga teacher.
6. Strength training- there is no problem at all if you are keen to keep weight training up but as always, you need to check with your doctor/nurse. This is especially important if you intend to begin this form of training when pregnant and haven’t done it before. Strength training enables us to have more lean muscle tissue, and the more lean tissue you have the less likely it is that you will struggle to control the weight gain and lose it much easier post pregnancy. When using weights, make sure you get sound advice from a trainer, ideally one that is pre-post-natal trained. Make sure you ONLY do what you can and never force yourself to do too much, especially if you feel exhausted or unable. As your pregnancy progresses, cut down on the sets and lower the weights and make sure you breathe easily through each rep and set. The golden rule to remember is to always stop if you feel discomfort or extreme fatigue.
7. Cardiovascular training – though you may not be Paula Radcliffe there is no real reason to stop jogging when pregnant. All you need to do is listen to your body and lower your expectations. Again, following medical advice you need to listen to your body- if it’s too hard then slow down and if you are absolutely exhausted at the end of the day you need to cut down on the time. Ensure adequate shoes, lots of fluids, and breathable clothing to prevent overheating. If you are able to jog in the 2nd trimester, you should make sure that you are watchful on the road for uneven surfaces as they can cause ankles to twist and worst case scenario, can cause you to fall. The rule of thumb though is that if it just feels un-natural or painful, then don’t do it! You will have plenty of time to jog once the baby is born. A great alternative is to replace this with power walking. It has the same overall effect, without as much pressure on your joints. Finally, you should also be aware of your posture whilst running, as you may experience back pain as your posture changes and your bump gets bigger.
8. Nesting – not only is it cosy and makes you long for the baby to arrive and is somewhat unavoidable for most mums but it’s also a GREAT calorie burner. Replanting flowers is a no-no, due to some bacteria in soil that is not recommended for pregnant women. Also be mindful of some strong cleaning chemicals as there are many chemicals that you can breathe in that aren’t good for you, or the little ones. Best thing to do is keep the room well ventilated and avoid the strong stuff for now. However some good old fashioned dusting, vacuuming, re-decorating and many many other chores require a lot of energy and as such, will keep you moving and expanding lots of calories.
9. Prepare your meals! – this is a big one. Don’t underestimate how hungry you can become from one minute to the next. Ravenous mums often reach for convenience foods which are laden with fat, salt and sugar. Though some cravings may be hard to control, there is a great lot you can do to avoid the worst of them. Preparing a box with nicely cut variations of vegetables with a hummus dip is a great example of how you can make snacking not only healthy but essential. As it becomes harder to have big meals as the pregnancy develops, this is a great way to ensure you never have a bad mood or food day.
10. You are NOT eating for two- more like 1. 25! – this is possibly the biggest misconception. Many mums let themselves go, as they think they eat for two and after all, surely the baby needs it?! Well the baby does need about 1.5 slices of toast with butter a day extra – that’s it! That’s only around 250-300 calories, which is less than half a Mars Bar. Disappointing? Yes. Unfortunately, any more than that will be a matter of strong will, lots of time and hard physical work to get it all off again. That’s not to say that you need to watch the scales, as there is an inevitable weight gain that goes with the territory, but a lot of that is the baby, amniotic fluids, increased blood volume, placenta and much more that make you feel and look heavier. All of these functions will return to normal once you’ve given birth.
There is so much to say about pregnancy and endless research but the bottom line is that it’s your body, your baby and your wellbeing that is on the line. You are pregnant for nine long months, so you should do things that make you feel good and exercise does just that. Increased sense of well being = happy mum = happy baby!
So put the weight on, but not the pressure on yourself, and enjoy it with some general health and fitness routines, knowing that you should be able to wear your skinnies again!
Good luck and enjoy!
Joanna
