Pregnancy and exercise - advice please!

[HaggisMuncher]

Morning mumsnet

I'm 14 weeks pregnant and broke my foot five weeks ago. Whilst I was exercising regularly before my mishap, five weeks of enforced sitting down combined with a ravenous hunger has not done me any favours. Cast should hopefully be off in another week when I would like to get active again.

Any recommendations for how I can get back into some sort of shape and better health while pregnant? What sort of exercise would be ok to start after 6 weeks off. I feel like a blob already 😞 Help please!!

Swimming is good in pregnancy. Unless you were playing contact sport before though there shouldn't be anything stopping you going back to your old routine or close to it. The main thing is not to jump back in at the intensity you could before but build back up slowly & listen to your body.

I would suggest spin classes. I'm at 18+6 and do 4-5 spin classes per week and have done throughout pregnancy. I'd say just start slowly, don't push yourself hard but just use it as 45-60 minutes of cycling/movement (that's how I started pre-pregnancy). Just be sensible and don't do anything that hurts, makes you feel uncomfortable or completely exhausts you. Walking is also great, especially with spring on the way.

Jeeeeez spinning whilst pregnant fair play to you. Midwives will tell you to carry on doing any exercise you did pre pregnancy but perhaps reduce regularity or intensity but don't take up anything new.

I stopped rowing about 16 weeks as I was too heavy for my boat and found bending difficult. Plus I found it frustrating to reduce the intensity in order to stay awake for the rest of the day.

I've been walking the dogs and swimming gently a bit but really now, at just before 26 weeks, I won't be taking anything else on- I danced two dances at a ceilidh last night and that was too much.

Cross training is good, and can be done even when you're massive - it is very gentle on the joints and ligaments, plus it won't hurt your foot like running might do.