Do you have a little bundle of joy on the way? If so, you might wonder whether you can — and should — work out while expecting. While you should check with your doctor first, many women continue their typical exercise throughout pregnancy, with some modifications.
Your body undergoes many physiological changes during this time, and they will impact your workout intensity and, perhaps, format. However, if you know what to expect, you can make adjustments to your techniques to compensate for your changing body. Learn about the following five ways pregnancy affects your exercise routine, and make the recommended modifications today.
1. Your Center of Gravity Shifts
When you first discover you have a baby on board, you might not feel many changes other than fatigue. However, as your pregnancy progresses, your center of gravity will shift as your belly grows. This shift accentuates the curvature of your spine and adds stress to the spinal joints, so you might experience back pain more frequently. Many pregnant women experience a loss of back strength during this time, so increase your repetitions on the lat pulldown machine.
Additionally, your body produces a hormone called relaxin as you get closer to your delivery date. This substance enables your hips to loosen sufficiently to give birth, but it loosens other joints as well. You could find yourself more prone to losing balance and falling. To protect your baby, use extra caution when running or performing other activities where tripping poses a hazard.
2. Your Uterus Puts Pressure on Your Vena Cava
When you’re pregnant, your growing uterus puts pressure on your inferior vena cava, a large vein in the abdomen that carries blood back to your heart from your lower extremities. Lying in a supine position increases this pressure. As you enter your second trimester and beyond, you should avoid movements like the happy baby pose in yoga because these require you to lie on your back. You’ll want to pass on any exercises that require you to lie down in this position.
Lying on your back can create severe health consequences for you and your unborn child. Up to 15% of women have a condition called supine hypotensive syndrome, which can decrease cardiac output by as much as 35% to 40%. You could lose consciousness in this position, and in extreme cases, fetal death can occur from an insufficient blood supply.
3. Your Joints Become More Sensitive to Impact
Because your body produces more of the hormone relaxin, your hip joints — and every other joint in your body — grow looser. Additionally, you’re going to start carrying extra weight as your pregnancy advances. Both of these factors combine to make your body more sensitive to impact. Even if you previously logged many miles weekly with no problem, you may find the same level of intensity causes your knees and hips to ache.
Consider making the following adjustments to your routine:
- If you run: Consider using the run-walk-run method as your pregnancy advances. You could also switch to walking — doing so in a pool increases resistance while decreasing pressure on your joints.
- If you bike: You may find that your growing belly gets in the way of leaning over the handlebars. Consider switching to a recumbent bike — this takes the pressure off your back.
- If you do any high-impact cardio that proves troublesome: Consider taking your workout into the water. The buoyancy supports much of your body weight, and the additional resistance of the water still elevates your heart rate.
4. Your Heart Rate and Blood Volume Increase
Your baby needs a steady supply of oxygen and nutrients that they get through your blood. As a result, your cardiac output increases by 30-50% during your pregnancy. What does that mean? It means your ticker is beating harder and faster than ever.
What this means for your workouts is that you may feel fatigued, even at levels of intensity you previously mastered with ease. Remember, it’s okay to back off — pushing too hard could potentially harm you or your child. Dial back the intensity and listen to your body. Use the scale of perceived exertion in conjunction with a fitness monitor to stay in the safety zone in terms of heart rate.
5. Your Energy Levels Fluctuate
Finally, the specific trimester of your pregnancy impacts your energy levels. During the first trimester, you may experience significant fatigue, particularly if you also have morning sickness that lasts all day. As you enter your second trimester, your nausea and vomiting should ease, but other physiological changes become more apparent.
The critical factor is, again, listening to your body. If you feel unusually tired on a given day, switch to a gentler form of exercise, like yoga, or dial back the intensity or length of your workout. You still get some benefits from a 15-minute walk, so don’t throw in the towel entirely if a 3-mile run seems akin to scaling Everest.
Adjust Your Exercise Routine to Enjoy a Healthier, Happier Pregnancy
Most women can continue to exercise throughout pregnancy, and doing so can improve your overall well-being. If your obstetrician gives you the okay for activity, use a few simple tips to modify your routine. Start your search for health and wellness professionals for your pregnancy here.
