Exercise in pregnancy.....what did you do?

[whiterose2011]

I love running but am a bit nervous about keeping it up. I was thinking about doing a pre-natal Pilates class and swimming twice a week, with one gentle run at the weekend. Does this sound sensible or am I just chickening out??

I'd love to hear others' experiences of what worked well for them in pregnancy and also whether it made a difference to your overall health during your pregnancy/birth/post birth recovery.

TIA xx

Keen runner and have scaled back a lot but still go for a little trot if my bladder isn't too squished - gone from 10ks to 2ks though with a LOT of walking in between slow jogs (at 35 weeks). Mostly I use cross trainer for cardio now tbh, easier on the joints.

Pilates and weights have helped my achey hips and sore back enormously. Pretty sure I'd be hobbling if I hadn't kept them up. My training has gone from 80/20 cardio/strength to 50/50. I thought I'd be bored but I'm loving it!

keep going! i am 24 weeks and scaling back running now but my friend carried on till almost the end and credits short labour with keeping fit. your body will tell you when you need to stop.

Thanks for the mention careergirl

I'm another keen runner who gave up in early pregnancy (nasty bleed) and adapted my regime to one which with the benefit of hindsight is a lot better for my health, appearance and fitness. It was a personal trainer who pointed out to me that endless running was doing nothing for me other than wreck my joints and burn calories as I find it easy, so I needed to stretch myself in other areas.

During pregnancy I worked on power walking (hilly terrain), squats, lunges, light weights, and worked out weekly with a personal trainer who devised a routine to strengthen and tone back, legs, arms, core. I also swam daily in an outdoor pool (usually 2km at moderate pace) until the weather meant I had to switch to more walking. I was walking approx 5 miles per day until 37 weeks, at which point SPD kicked in. I think next time round I will walk on flatter routes in later pregnancy as I think the steep hills overstrained my pelvis.

My advice is forget you are pregnant and keep up the exercise, just adjust your activities and lower the intensity. Getting hot and sweaty isn't advised, remember you are aiming for a maintenance regime. Also get advice from a qualified instructor as to what is/isn't ok. You need to consider things like protecting your stomach muscles from splitting, possible faintness in the second trimester when your blood volume ramps up, and avoiding lying on your back.

It is definitely worth keeping up the effort as there is evidence that exercise improves blood flow to the baby and gives them the best possible start. I certainly gave birth to a tough healthy little mite who was much bigger than expected given my skinny build. I also found labour much easier than I expected, and walked out of the labour room approx the same size as I was pre pregnancy. 5 weeks later I am back in a size 8, and I haven't had to lose a gram. I didn't curtail what I ate in pregnancy either - I ate loads, and was careful to get enough protein, fat and carbs. All I cared about was growing a healthy baby.

Enjoy your pregnancy.

Such great advice worseter defo recommend getting a personal trainer - or someone with an ante natal exercise specialism who can give you advice and/or an adapted workout. I have been doing the oyster (Pilates move) which has helped keep my hips mobile; though I've not suffered from SPD. Cross trainer is great machine to use because you can take the strain with your arms for an all over workout.

Thanks ladies for all your ideas and suggestions. It's good to see that others have kept going. Think I'll see how I feel over the next few weeks (shattered at the moment) and will just listen to my body!

I am feeling a bit nervy about cycling, normally cycle to work every day - about 5 miles each way. I had a MC last time round, and I suppose I want to avoid all risks (which I know is impssible). I am hoping rational brain will kick in once I am more confident that the pregnacy is sticky.

Also did badminton on Saturday - boobs weren't as much of an issue as I was expecting thankfully. Had brekkie beforehand and was fine on the court, but went shopping after and by the time I got home I was about to pass out with hunger. I definitely be packing snacks in future.

I didnt have a bloody clue but is started with some free pregnancy guides from bump2baby fitness then downloaded their trimester 3 training plan, i couldnt find anything for ages but loved their stuff i ended up buying the activewear too!!

I am a PT myself but being pregnant was really worried as i know lots of do really unsafe exercises so didnt really trust any of them.