Pregnancy exercise expert centre

Received comments about your fit pregnancy? Or negative opinions during pregnancy workouts? Read on to see why exercise during pregnancy isn’t selfish

Have you received negative comments about exercising during your pregnancy?
From your mother-in-law’s disapproving looks and recommendations to ‘take it easy’,your fitness instructor who is unsure about safe pregnancy exercise or a passer-by commenting that running during pregnancy is ‘just selfish’. Partners can be concerned about whether it’s ‘good for the baby’ and even health professionals often err on the side of caution when it comes to giving advice about pregnancy exercise. None of this is helpful if regular, sweat-generating exercise is fundamanetal to your happiness and well-being!

We’ll put the record straight with our top 10 pregnancy exercise myth busters!

‘Exercise during pregnancy is selfish’
Wrong! It’s good for you and good for your baby, offering a raft of benefits from improving your circulation and easing heartburn to minimising the risk of pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes. Exercise improves your mood and helps combat stress and anxiety – if exercise makes you happy that’s all the more reason to keep on enjoying it!

‘The gym is no place for a pregnant woman’
Wrong! Working out in the gym is a great way to exercise during pregnancy. Listen to your body and adapt your exercise routine as your bump gets bigger but controlled weight lifting can be a safe, suitable exercise for expectant Mammas. Go for more reps, lighter weights and aim to maintain rather than improve your fitness.

‘You definitely can’t run when you’re pregnant!’
Wrong again! If you love running, there’s no reason to stop – running when pregnant is a fantastic and beneficial cardio exercise. Just not so far and not so fast – remember the ‘talk test’ – you should still be able to hold a conversation.

‘You can’t exercise your abs when you’re pregnant’
Wrong! Keeping your core muscles strong during pregnancy can help to prevent diastasis recti and will help during labour too. Avoid exercise routines that involve lying on your back but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t work on your core muscles right throughout your pregnancy.

‘You’ll wear yourself out with all that exercise – you need to rest!’
Continuing to workout when pregnant will improve your blood flow, increase your supplies of oxygen and IMPROVE your energy levels – not reduce them! Listen to your body and slow down if and when you need to – which for some women means easing up in their third trimester and for others it can be a final spinning class on their due date.

‘Exercising during pregnancy will harm your baby….and what if you fall over?’
Your womb is a secure place, tucked in between your hips and supported by your pelvic bones. Your baby is comfortably cushioned by the amniotic fluid, protected by the placenta and the thickened wall of your uterus. Be aware of your changing body shape and the difference to your centre of gravity and you are no more likely to fall over than you would normally.

‘Bouncing around like that will upset your baby’
Research has shown that foetal stress levels are actually LOWER for women who exercise during pregnancy – it seems that increased movements are soothing for baby. And regular pregnancy yoga demonstrably lowers your blood pressure too.

‘Tuck in – you’re eating for two!’
Eating for two doesn’t mean eating twice as much – it’s easy to pile on the pounds with a cake for you and one for the baby! You won’t need more than around 300 extra calories per day …and only in the 3rd trimester. Good nutrition and regular exercise during pregnancy will help you manage a healthy weight gain and make it easier to lose any excess weight after your baby is born too.

‘You need to keep your heartbeat down when you’re pregnant’
Lots of people will tell you that you should keep your heartbeat below 140 when pregnant. The amount of blood you have increases by up to 50% during pregnancy and your heart has to work harder to push all that blood around your system, including circulating it through your placenta. But that gives you MORE reason to keep your heart strong and working well. There isn’t a precise heart beat rate during pregnancy that works for everyone – we’re all different. Just don’t push yourself so hard and make sure you can carry on a conversation.

Exercising during pregnancy will make your baby under-weight at birth’
Studies have shown babies born to exercising mothers have similar head dimensions and length as babies born to more sedentary mothers – but can weigh slightly less. Which basically means they’re the same size but less chubby. Not under-weight….just leaner.
Healthy active Mammas are more likely to raise healthy families – and who doesn’t want to be a good role model for their children? With so much concern around childhood obesity and lack of exercise amongst children of all ages be proud to set a good example and encourage your family to stay fit. Even if you’ve never exercised at all there’s no reason why pregnancy should deter you from starting – and if you already exercise regularly, don’t let naysayers put you off!

Stay supported, look good and feel great – wearing well-designed maternity fitnesswear will improve your confidence and increase your motivation.

Looking for a pregnancy workout guide? Read our reviews of the best complete guides to Pregnancy Fitness and nutrition and for how they can help your fit pregnancy

Sorted: THE ACTIVE WOMAN’S GUIDE TO HEALTH by Dr Juliet McGrattan
‘This is a truly useful and inspirational book for ALL women, not just during pregnancy’
As a GP a mother of three and a marathon runner, Juliet McGrattan really understands the issues facing all women when they exercise, whether it’s the initial motivation to find time to get up off the couch and get started or stress incontinence and protecting your nipples when you’re combining exercise with breastfeeding.
It’s really easy to find the information that’s especially relevant to you and your stage in life – there’s lots of friendly, helpful advice about exercise during pregnancy and getting back to exercise after your baby is born, delivered in a tone that motivates and encourages without judgement.
Dr McGrattan’s sound (and well-illustrated) medical advice provides a reassuring approach to subjects that many might find embarrassing, addressing a whole raft of issues in a down-to-earth way, with helpful guidance about when to seek professional advice
Real life case studies gives the book a personal touch, sharing stories of women who have overcome health issues and benefitted from exercise.
This is a great book to keep on hand and dip into whenever you need support – it will inspire and inform long after you’ve had your baby.
Published by Bloomsbury Sorted is available from all good bookshops, price £16.99 or as an eBook for £14.99

Aqua Exercise for Pregnancy and Postnatal Health by Sarah Bolitho & Vicky Hatch
‘An excellent book for anyone interested in pregnancy fitness!’
Sarah Bolitho is a qualified pre & postnatal fitness professional – she and Vicky Hatch run Exact Training, developing courses and qualifications to train instructors.
Aimed at fitness instructors and midwives involved in prescribing aqua exercise programmes for pregnant or postnatal women, it’s a great resource including practical skills, information on planning and motivation and advice about working with clients with health concerns such as obesity or diabetes.
It’s also useful for anyone who would like a greater understanding of how pregnancy affects the body, the benefits of activity and exercise during pregnancy and in particular the benefits of water based exercise in pregnancy.
The exercises are clear and easy to follow, with options to adjust the intensity of each exercise. Aimed at instructors it’s easy to follow the exercises as an individual if your local swimming pool doesn’t offer Aqua Exercise classes for pregnant women.
The Complete Guide to Aqua Exercise for Pregnancy and Postnatal Health

Food for Fitness healthy pregnancy diet guide by AnitaBean
‘A great source of inspiration for your pregnancy diet’
Whilst this book is aimed at ‘anyone who is serious about sport or fitness’ it’s a fantastic source of information to help with your healthy pregnancy diet, especially if you’re continuing to exercise whilst pregnant.
The ‘Nutrition Essentials’ section explains what you need, why you need it and what foods are most appropriate – providing deeper understanding about what you should be eating to fuel your fit pregnancy.
Anita Bean’s advice about eating for exercise is relevant and interesting, with lots of easy bite-sized fact boxes and Q&A columns. The recipes section is excellent too, with lots of easy, no nonsense recipes complete with nutritional notes – it’s a good source of inspiration for healthy pregnancy recipes that all the family will appreciate.
Food for Fitness How to eat for maximum performance

The Complete Guide to Pregnancy and Fitnessby Marc Coulson & Sarah Bolitho
‘When it comes to judging a book by its cover (or at least it’s title!) this one will meet your expectations!’An excellent reference manual that should be on the reading list for any fitness instructor working with women, providing comprehensive information on pregnancy & exercise. The book ably covers subjects such as planning safe and effective exercise programmes,motivation and goal setting combined with a programme of more than 40 easy to follow pregnancy exercise options.
This book will be of great value to anyone who would like a deeper understanding about how to exercise during pregnancy, the benefits, contra-indications and physiological changes to consider.
Simple, easy to assimilate tables list provide information about subjects such as thermoregulation, respiration and WHY women suffer from niggles such as heartburn in pregnancy or varicose veins!
A very useful reference book that is relevant to a much wider audience than the fitness professionals it is intended for.
Published by Bloomsbury The Complete Guide to Pregnancy and Fitness is available from all good bookshops or direct from Bloomsbury

Pregnancy Yoga by Samantha Magee
‘Pregnancy Yoga’ by Samantha Magee is one of the best yoga guides we’ve come across!
Yoga during pregnancy is an excellent way to keep fit, improve your strength and flexibility whilst also calming your mind and promoting breathing techniques to help during the birth of your baby.
This book follows a straightforward and comprehensive format. It details why the yoga postures are especially relevant for pregnant women, explaining how to adapt the poses if you’re not able to do them easily and offering advice if you have any physical issues such as SPD or a low-lying placenta.
You’re guided smoothly through pregnancy yoga for each trimester, followed by poses for postnatal yoga with separate chapters on relaxation, breathing and mediation.
The book provides a full range of yoga postures including stretching, strengthening, bending, twisting, balancing and relaxation – all specifically written for women who want to practise yoga when pregnant. Relevant for all levels of experience, especially useful if you can’t find a suitable pregnancy yoga class.
Samantha Magee has been practising yoga for over 10 years and is an experienced Bikram yoga teacher as well as a Vinyasa yoga teacher, trained by Max Strom. She is also an experienced children’s yoga teacher and a Reiki Master.
Published by Bloomsbury, Pregnancy Yoga is available from all good bookshops