How to look after your body during pregnancy
How we feel during pregnancy is completely bespoke to each individual woman and there is no ‘one-size-fits-all' when it comes to how to approach exercise.
What is so important - and this is what I encourage of my Personal Training clients and Natal Fit members to do - is to listen to your body.
How to take care of yourself during pregnancy
1. Take things one day at a time
There is no ‘one size fits all’ plan in prenatal exercise. Everyone is different, every body is different and each woman's needs are different. Yes of course there is general guidance fitness and health professionals can give you such as do some strength training, maintain some cardiovascular fitness, get your body moving regularly, focus on your core strength etc. However, putting pressure on yourself to do all of these things ‘perfectly’ can be stressful. (And trust me, no one trains perfectly in the real world anyway!). There are lots of exercises you can do during your pregnancy, but I always advise for you to take each day one step at a time. If you feel full of energy one morning, do a strength workout. If you need something gentler another day, go for a walk. If you need to take a nap and rest up, do just that! It's likely that each day is going to be different and it's OK to slow things down a little when you need to.
2. Find exercise which you enjoy
As mentioned in the point above, there are many types of exercises and activities you can do when pregnant, and there are lots of things that would be helpful for you to do (such as strength training and mobility). But, the most important thing is that you enjoy it and can do it regularly. Because it's from doing something consistently that helps you see progress! If you really dislike the gym (and I tell people all the time that this is OK!), then why not try a strength workout using resistance bands at home? If you hate running (again, more than OK!), then how about going for a swim? Or going out for a walk every day? Exercise should be something that enhances your life, even during pregnancy. It doesn't have to be a chore and something that makes you feel guilty if you don't do it. Find something you actually enjoy and it becomes easier to do, I promise. (Apart from pelvic floor exercises…you should do those whether you enjoy them or not ).
3. Be flexible
One thing I always want to remind you is that context is key. If you find yourself thinking “but before pregnancy I could lift XYZ in the gym and now I lift half that" or “I could run 5km under 30 minutes and now I have to keep stopping”…then you need to put things into context. Your body is doing an incredible thing by growing a baby and it's going to be functioning differently to how it was before. Not only do you need to listen to how your body feels, you also need to respect what it is doing internally and make sure you are flexible in your approach to exerting yourself. Exercise is hugely beneficial during pregnancy however it needs to be adapted and changed depending on your needs and your situation, and that's absolutely OK.
The main message I am trying to get across here is that you need to do you and give your body and mind what it needs during your pregnancy.
In an ideal world, when pregnant we'd all feel full of energy, with no aches and pains, and lots of motivation (and time!) to exercise. Unfortunately that's not necessarily real life and we have to respect that. By knowing our limits, putting things into context and adapting to our current needs, we are more likely to find an exercise routine which makes us feel good for the duration.
I'm always happy to chat further if you're unsure as to what types of exercise you could try during your pregnancy. Also, don't forget there's a free Natal Fit taster on our website that you can try anytime if you want to see what our sessions are like!