What to Include in a Prenatal Fitness Program
Disclaimer: Please always check with your health care provider to make sure that exercise is safe for you during your pregnancy.
Gone are the days when exercise was considered unsafe during pregnancy.
It’s now widely understood that not only is prenatal exercise perfectly safe in any low risk pregnancy, but there are SO MANY BENEFITS. These range from improved sleep and mood, less aches and pains, shorter and less painful labours (umm yes please!) and less risk of developing pregnancy related complications like hypertension or gestational diabetes.
But this leads to the question - what makes a safe and effective prenatal exercise program?
In this blog I’m going to show you how I structure a prenatal fitness program, and get you started IMMEDIATELY, with a pregnancy specific workout, that can help you feel good in your body.
Let me start by saying that if you already have a movement practice that you love, there is nothing wrong with moving the way you’ve always been moving, adapting and adjusting as your pregnancy progresses (assuming it feels good in your body and isn’t causing you pain or discomfort).
I’m also here to tell you that there ARE ways to be a bit more strategic and targeted with your prenatal exercise training. So you’re not just throwing a bunch of exercises together that make you tired but instead, using your time wisely to get the most bang for your buck with movement that is specific to this phase of your life.
3 Components to a safe and effective Prenatal Fitness Program:
1) Manage the unique demands of pregnancy.
Pregnancy affects every single organ system in the body. That’s right, and if you need to, read that again to let it sink in. It’s no secret then, that pregnancy can be hard on your body.
One of the main goals of exercise during pregnancy is to help your body manage the changes occurring. Note, I didn’t say PREVENT the changes, as these are necessary adaptations as you grow an entire human being, a whole new organ and then prepare to birth them both. Yup, your body is pretty epic.
But… changes are occurring and they can sometimes cause some discomfort in the body.
A good prenatal exercise program will strategically combine movements that:
Decrease or manage common aches and pains experienced during pregnancy (like SI joint pain, SPD, low/ mid back pain etc etc)
Build strength and resilience in muscle groups that are relied more on during pregnancy
Help the core canister adapt to and manage the increased pressure in the system due to the growing uterus
Respect your changing energy levels, cardiovascular changes, respiratory changes and hormonal changes as they shift throughout your pregnancy.
2) Prepare your body for Birth
Prenatal exercise can help your body prepare physically and mentally for the demands of birth. Regardless of the birth you are planning.
We have research suggesting that during labour contractions, maternal heart rate can elevate to that of moderate to heavy exercise. That is pretty wild! If you aren’t used to feeling your heart rate rise to this level, it can feel really uncomfortable and could contribute to anxiety or fear during birth.
As a birth doula, I talk a lot about the importance of relaxation and comfort during labour to help cope with sensations of pain. If you are anxious and scared because your heart is beating faster than you’ve ever felt it beat before, it’s probably not going to help with that calm, relaxed feeling.
By integrating strategic interval based exercises that mimic those of labour contractions we can actually prepare your body and mind for the physical demands of labour.
From a biomechanical perspective, we can also use different positions to help your body prepare for a smooth and easy descent of baby through the birth canal. Different movements can help open up different levels of the pelvis. During prenatal exercise sessions, we can get our body comfortable with moving into various positions that could be useful during labour.
3) Prepare your body for Postpartum
Once your body has birthed your baby (in whatever way that happens!) the demands on your body do not end. In fact, in many ways they are just beginning.
And if you already have another child you’ll be expected to do this while caring for them too. Suffice to say, postpartum is no walk in the park, HOWEVER, prenatal exercise can help you move into this intense and wild time, with strength, resilience and reserve.
During any prenatal fitness program I make sure to integrate movements that mimic those common to this time. For example:
Picking up and putting down a baby into a crib or bassinet
Carrying a carseat in one hand
Doing daily movements while babywearing
Bending and extending from the hips
It’s helpful if these movement patterns are already familiar in your body, so that when you need access to them, you can use them with ease. All of these can contribute to an easier postpartum experience.
General Principles to a Prenatal Fitness Program:
When programming any prenatal fitness program, I use these 4 guiding principles:
Leaves you feeling energized rather than depleted. The most common symptom of pregnancy is FATIGUE. We want to make sure your exercise program is leaving you feeling more energized than when you started, and isn’t depleting your already limited stores of energy.
Respects your body’s unique needs during this phase of life. Pregnancy is not the time to try to push at the limits of fitness. Your body is doing that as it grows a human. We want to ensure that your movement practice is supporting your needs during this unique phase of life (which I can promise you won’t last forever!)
Allows for adequate rest periods, as your body is already working at a harder rate pumping increased blood volume throughout your body, to your baby and placenta.
Is mindful of any pelvic health symptoms you may be experiencing. Core and pelvic floor work are very important parts to any prenatal fitness program however they can benefit from being adapted or modified. Pregnancy is a time where the pelvic floor muscles are already working very hard, supporting the weight of your growing baby. It’s essential to adjust these movements to allow for adequate rest and relaxation in the pelvic floor and core while continuing to build strength and resilience.
Example of a Prenatal Fitness Session:
Below is an example of a SAMPLE prenatal fitness strength session I might program for one of my clients.
A note before you jump into the workout:
I do not believe in any exercises being ‘off limits’ during pregnancy (yup, even crunches have a place in my programs!). I do however, think that certain exercises work better for some folks, and others work better for others. Some might feel good one day, and horrible the next. For example, if you are experiencing a lot of pain in your pubic symphysis, lunges might not feel great for you. This isn’t because there is anything inherently bad or dangerous about lunges. Pregnancy however, is a time when folks often experience increased sensitization to certain movements or inputs. Awareness and attunement to what your body is telling you become ESSENTIAL in prenatal fitness.
And, at the end of the day nothing beats individualized support, and because I am not providing you with that (hello big wide internet!) here are a few ways to know if any of these exercises aren’t working for you.
If you feel any pain or discomfort while doing any of these exercises, stop and modify.
If any symptoms worsen after doing this prenatal strength workout, stop and modify.
If you feel any sensations of heaviness in the pelvic floor, any pain or pressure, stop and modify.
If you’re looking for more individualized support in your pregnancy consider 1:1 personalized fitness coaching.
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