Want to restart exercise in pregnancy - Any ideas of what to do??

[BigMomma3]

Am 6 weeks pregnant and have not exercised properly (apart from about 30 mins cycling in total on school run) since August. Before that I was going to the gym approx. 4/5 times a week for 90 mins doing 30 mins cardio and about 60 mins weight machines. I did that for about 6 months.

Really enjoyed it and got up to quite a good level if fitness and lost 2 stone!! Then went on holiday and got lazy and regained a stone .

Need to sort myself out again and want to go back to the gym and do a similar routine for as long as I can. Any thoughts on this??

I went to the gym a lot before I got pregnant, but afterwards I just couldn't face it. So I swim instead, which has worked out great. I do a cartain no of lenghts (less and less as I get bigger, sadly), and try to make it interesting by using a kickboard for 10 lenghts, a pull buoy for another ten to give my arms a workout, etc. It feels like good cardio exercise and I've put on a lot less weight this time than the last. Having said that I know lots of women continue to go to the gym throughout their pregnancy, so maybe just adjust your routine to what feels good and stop if you feel it's too much? Also any gym should have people there to advise you on what to avoid doing etc. And maybe chat to your GP too if you're unsure.

At my gym (Virgin) they have pre-natals aerobics... quite good and tailored to our needs!
what about yoga for pregnancy? Though not much of a work-out, it is really nice.

If you're quite fit you can probably do similar to what you were doing before - see a trainer at your gym (make sure they're qualified to deal with pregnant women) to discuss what your programme should be - the aim is maintaining fitness rather than going for the burn and sweating lots. |I wouldnt recommend starting any new exercises in pregnancy other than swimming or yoga/pilates (which are great for strengthening back/muscles needed for active labour). Went to gym throughout both my pregnancies until the last month when I resorted to walking and yoga/pilates only. Its a good idea to keep fit and active as much as you can throughout your pregnancy.

Wow, am very impressed you've got the energy to think about exercising at 6 weeks pregnant, I could barely get off the sofa.

I think you can do moderate exercise within your body's limits throughout, although you should be careful not to overheat.
Also be aware of ligaments being lax due to hormone changes so need to be extra careful with back and joints.

IME swimming was great in pregnancy, as you get bigger the buoyancy of the water supports your bump.
I swam until the day before DS was born and like to think it helped with his easy birth

You should be able to do similar to before, just at a lower level of intensity. Take it easy and see what your body is comfertable with. I did not do gym through pregnancy but did cycle, run and play squash. I also have an indoor row machine I used. I just got very tired the last few months of second pregnancy so scaled right back and rested. I got straight back into it as soon as I could.