There are few things I have experienced in life more fear-inducing than pregnancy. Yes, its absolutely amazing and exciting but all of a sudden every one of my actions affected this fragile, growing being inside of me – intense! As a physical therapist, I knew how important it was to stay healthy and continue to exercise during pregnancy, but how? Some gynecologists tell patients to do whatever they want or fear-monger patients into avoiding exercise altogether. And don’t get me started on all of the many opinions the array of baby apps provide. Now come on, pregnancy is already crazy enough, no need to add more confusion on top of the many physical, mental, and emotional changes we are already feeling.
My goal with this post is to give 3 major recommendations as a Doctor of Physical Therapy on exercise during pregnancy that align with the latest recommendations from the APA, ACOG, and CDC. First off, there are minimal risks associated with exercise during pregnancy and MANY benefits such as higher incidence of vaginal delivery, lower risk of gestational diabetes and hypertension, decreased risk of low birth weight for baby, and improved recovery post-partum for mom. Beyond the medical benefits, women who continue to exercise during pregnancy also report lower rates of depression, pain, and disability.
So let’s start with an easy one – EXERCISE! The Department of Health and Human Services recommends 150 min of moderate intensity aerobic exercise per week for all Americans and this does not change during pregnancy. Exercise can be walking, jogging, biking, elliptical, rowing, etc. I encourage you to find what you enjoy and you will be much more likely to stay compliant. If you don’t feel like you can do a continuous 30 minutes, break this exercise up into 10 minute sessions. Use your breathing and ability to hold a conversation as an indicator of your intensity. Resistance training is recommended 2-3 days per week and this is also applicable to pregnant women. Strength training is often avoided during pregnancy but is majorly important to prepare you for the birth experience and post-partum. Labor, delivery, and motherhood is like a triathlon – it is physical and requires strength, stability, and endurance. Squats and hip strengthening are crucial along with core, pelvic floor, and midline stability activities. And don’t forget about your arms because guess who gets to carry that precious baby around!
Recommendation number two is MODIFY. Recognize that your body is changing from the moment you start growing your little one and it will not always be able to perform the same functions in the same way as it did before. This may mean more rest breaks during cardio training, decreased weight during strength training, and focusing on longer holds and slower movement to help increase your stability work on combating the increased laxity in your body due to the increased relaxin hormone that comes with pregnancy. Understanding the appropriate modifications can be difficult and I encourage you to contact me or another physical therapist to allow an expert help you figure out how best to modify your routine to most benefit you and baby.
Finally, LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. With all the body changes happening during pregnancy, it is so important to continually check-in with yourself. If your body is telling you no – whatever you are doing is probably not right for you. Every woman is different in how her body responds to pregnancy and there is nothing wrong with avoiding activities that don’t make your body feel good. Muscle soreness and fatigue are fine but if you ever experience extreme shortness of breath, overheating, bleeding, cramping, pain then STOP and talk to your OBGYN. Pregnancy is NEVER a time to start a new vigorous exercise regimen that you have never done and are not familiar to your body. Our bodies are amazing but there are limits to pushing yourself during pregnancy. Give yourself grace and remember movement will benefit you and baby most, NOT setting records.
Although it barely scratched the surface, I hope these recommendations can help guide your exercise during pregnancy. Remember physical therapists are the movement experts and we crave nothing more than helping you figure out how to safely continue to move and function to best benefit you and baby during this special time. Please contact Life Changes Physical Therapy if you would like to know more or would like to figure out an exercise regimen that fits you during your pregnancy!