Health and Fitness Tips for Pregnant and Post-Partum Women

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One of the best ways to promote a healthy pregnancy for both you and your baby is by maintaining a consistent fitness routine. Exercising while pregnant, or shortly after birth, promotes increased energy levels, reduced bloating, and enhanced recovery. However, with a child on the way or a newborn to take care of, most moms are extremely busy and don’t have time to spend hours on end at the gym, aimlessly exercising without a plan in mind. This dilemma raises the questions about not only what pregnant and post-partum women should be doing for their fitness, but how to perform this routine in an efficient and practical manner that leaves plenty of time to focus on what’s really important.

Here are three tips to help you get started on your fitness journey. 

1. Know Your Limitations

Pregnancy changes a lot of things, not the least of which is your bodies function and capabilities. Even if you are currently at peak physical fitness, exercise should be structured around the fact that there’s a child either inside, or recently, inside of your body. Avoiding workouts where blunt trauma may occur is crucial and includes activities where loss of balance is a possibility. While unlikely, a fall does carry a severe risk for injury and complications. Additionally, the duration and intensity of your exercise routine should be adjusted as your pregnancy progresses.

What feels okay at first will certainly be more difficult in the later months or immediately afterwards. The mantra “no pain, no gain” absolutely does not apply in this scenario. Aim for a medium-level burn or sweat, with a heart rate not exceeding more than the 150 beats per minute during cardio. Dizziness, chest pain and headaches are all signs that you could be exerting yourself too much and need to tone it down.

Create a consistent routine by working out three to five times a week in a comfortable intensity range lasting between 20 and 60 minutes. 

2. Do It at Home  

For most moms or moms to be, the number one preventer in developing a consistent fitness routine is the time commitment. Simply put, most people are too busy or have too many responsibilities to get to the gym multiple times a week. However, with the internet at the tips of your fingers, you never need to leave the comfort of your living room to stay in shape.

A cheap set of dumbbells and well-designed at home workout guide can help you safely exercise without the time or financial commitment of a gym. There are thousands of affordable at-home guides specifically for pregnant and post-partum women available. When choosing one, it’s important to look at the credibility of the authors and ensure that they are licensed personal trainers, physical therapists, or some other type of medical practitioner.   

3. Posture Focused Classes

Yoga, Pilates, and other posture focused classes can be very beneficial for pregnant and post-partum women as they promote core stability and strength. By learning and training proper engagement of the core, you will find that you have fewer aches and pains as a result of improved posture.

Keeping a strong core increases pelvic stability which can, in some cases, make for easier delivery and recovery. Additionally, most posture based classes are low impact and therefore present low risk for injury. However, it should be noted that the body produces a hormone called Relaxin during pregnancies, which promotes more flexible muscles, specifically in the pelvic region which assists in the birthing process.

As such, it’s incredibly important that the instructor of the class has knowledge on how to specifically tailor your workout. Too deep of stretching or quick changes in directions can prove harmful because of Relaxin’s presence. As long as your instructor is aware of how to adjust your program, posture focused classes are a low-risk way to stay in great shape throughout and immediately after a pregnancy.