One of the most common topics I get asked about by women who come in to see me during their pregnancy is around exercising safely during pregnancy. Here is your guide to exercising during pregnancy!
Can I exercise during pregnancy?
As long as you are healthy and experiencing an uncomplicated pregnancy - yes, you can exercise. As always, it's recommended to discuss this with your medical team (e.g. OB, GP, midwife) for guidance as to what is best for you.
What are the benefits of exercising during pregnancy?
Maintaining your fitness
Minimising/prevention of excessive weight gain
Helps with improving mental health
Lowers risk of conditions such as gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia
Can improve birth outcomes
What are the recommendations for exercising during pregnancy?
Frequency: aim to exercise/be physically active on most, if not all days of the week.
Note: if you are someone who hasn't done much exercise in the lead up to your pregnancy, you may need to start on a reduced frequency of exercise. For example, try starting with exercising 3-4 days per week on alternative days - this gives you a rest day in between!
Duration:
150-300mins of moderate intensity exercise OR
75-150mins of vigorous exercise OR
A combination if the above two
In an ideal world, you would split this over most, if not all days of your week, for at least 30mins per session. How long you exercise for in any given bout is up to you, and depends on what you are used to as an individual. If you aren't used to exercise, start off with a shorter period and build up from there.
Intensity: is highly dependent on what you are used to in the lead up to and during your pregnancy.
If you are 1) used to moderate intensity exercise or 2) were inactive prior to becoming pregnant, it is recommended to to maintain a moderate level of intensity of exercise.
If you are used to vigorous intensity exercise, RANZCOG reports that there is no evidence to say that continuing vigorous intensity of exercise is harmful - providing that you adjust your regime based on any changes to your comfort and how well you tolerate the exercise.
One way to monitor your exercise intensity is via the talk test:
Moderate level of exercise: you should be able to to comfortably hold a conversation
Vigorous level of exercise: you need to pause for breath during conversation
Type of exercise
The general guidelines encourage doing both aerobic and strengthening exercise as part of your exercise. However, it also depends on what type of exercise you're used to, what you enjoy, as well as what you have time for. Otherwise, it won't get done! Ideally, it shouldn't be a type of exercise that is completely new. Pregnancy is also not a time to be hitting PBs!
Reasons to STOP exercising and seek medical attention include:
Reduced fetal movement
unexplained shortness of breath
dizziness or feeling faint
Severe headache
chest pain
calf pain, swelling or redness
muscle weakness
sudden swelling of ankles, hands or face
Vaginal bleeding or ongoing fluid loss
References
Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care (2021, May 21). Physical activity and exercise for pregnancy. https://www.health.gov.au/topics/physical-activity-and-exercise/pregnancy
RANZCOG ( 2020, March). Exercise during pregnancy. https://ranzcog.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/Exercise-During-Pregnancy-Guidance.pdf
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