There is a lot of confusion surrounding exercising while pregnant and postpartum, and understandably so, because there is so much conflicting information out there. I did not have all the information I needed when I was pregnant with my first. I continued to do the same exercises I was doing prior to pregnancy which at the time I thought was fine. I found out later that some of the exercises I was doing put too much strain on my core / abdominals and probably caused more muscle separation pain than was normal and hindered my recovery postpartum. I also had no idea how connected breath is to deep core and pelvic floor muscles! These were things I didn’t find on google or even learn from my prenatal care providers.
Thankfully, I came across Real Fitness for Mums on Instagram after the birth of my second baby. Ali is a women’s health personal trainer who practices a holistic and full body approach to health and exercise during pregnancy, postpartum and beyond and is backed by up to date research by leading women’s health physiotherapists. I have learned invaluable information from her Ultimate Core Restore Program which I did after my second baby was born and I wrote a whole post on it! Now that I am pregnant again I’m using her Complete Prenatal Program and am absolutely loving it! The program takes you through ALL stages of your pregnancy and is broken down into trimesters and weeks. Ali has chosen each exercise carefully, taking into account all the physiological changes and contraindications a woman’s body experiences during each trimester. She has graciously offered to give my followers 10 percent off her programs through the end of the year with discount code HELLOWF10. Also keep in mind her site is in AUD not USD so it is cheaper for those of you here in the states.
Keep scrolling to read the most important lessons I have learned from Ali. I hope they can help you make decisions that are right for YOUR body and YOUR situation so you can have the healthiest pregnancy and birth possible and don’t cause unnecessary harm like I did.
1) Just because you did a certain exercise prior to pregnancy does not mean it is beneficial during pregnancy (it can even be detrimental). I’m sure most of you have heard, “if you did it before pregnancy, you can do it during pregnancy”. It’s definitely true you should not be doing any new high intensity exercise programs during pregnancy if you haven’t done so previously, however, your body is going through drastic physiological changes during pregnancy. Your body is moving and shifting, muscles are in different places, hormones are changing even more than normal and there is a lot of extra pressure on your core and pelvic floor. For instance, just because crunches are good before you were pregnant, doing them after 14-16 weeks doesn’t serve your expanding body at all. They’re not going to serve you postpartum either until you have established a foundation of proper breathing and muscle firing patterns including your deep core muscles. Unfortunately I had to learn this the hard way. Ali has written a great article on running (or insert high intensity training) during pregnancy here.
2) Look at the big picture, there are so many factors that come into play during pregnancy. Fitness during pregnancy (or any time) should not be solely focused on the way you look. If your muscles are firing and working properly, the aesthetic you want to see will come naturally. I love something personal trainer Sarah Smith said, “don’t add load to a dysfunctional movement pattern.” Just because you see someone lifting heavy weights or doing high intensity exercise or running marathons during pregnancy, does not mean it’s right for you. Each and every pregnant woman is different and your exercise routine should reflect that. In Ali’s prenatal program she addresses many different factors that impact pregnancy like posture, the pelvic floor, the hormone relaxin, obesity, pelvic organ prolapse (and what puts you at risk for it), pelvic girdle pain, diastasis recti, assisted birth in previous pregnancies, and core breath.
3) Pregnancy is not the time to beat PR’s or push through pain. I realize that if you are already highly conditioned before pregnancy, you are used to pushing your body and this concept will be hard for you to grasp. If you are experiencing severe morning sickness or Hyperemesis Gravidarum, take it easy, don’t exercise until you feel well enough to do so. I wasn’t able to exercise until 20 weeks in all of my pregnancies because I was so ill the first half, and I was ok with that because I knew it was best for MY situation. Exercising while pregnant should be focused on keeping your body strong and preparing it for birth. Ali says aerobic and strength conditioning are beneficial, however, core strength and stability are imperative during pregnancy when the integrity of your core is compromised. Her program has made me feel more empowered than ever because she equips you with all the information you need to make the best decisions regarding prenatal fitness for YOU.
