Top 5 pregnancy workouts for expectant moms

Both doctors and fitness trainers agree that working out while pregnant is highly beneficial both for an expectant mother and her baby. Despite the old myth that exercising, especially during the first trimester, may harm the baby and even lead to miscarriage, recent studies prove that pregnancy is rather an important reason to start/continue working out than to blend in with your couch for 9 months straight. The other thing is that you need to come up with safe pregnancy workouts to follow while expecting.

Balanced pregnancy workouts and regular mild exercise help pregnant women to maintain their shape, keep their energy levels up, control mood swings and blood pressure, reduce the possibility of pregnancy complications, ease pregnancy pains in lower back and pelvic area, increase appetite, which can be quite low during the first trimester, improve the quality of sleep and prepare the mother’s body for safe and easy delivery. On top of that, according to another study regarding the influence of pregnancy workouts on babies, explained that lower chances of diabetes and obesity, better brain health and stronger heart are among the benefits pregnancy exercise gives to the baby in the mother’s womb.

Thus, being actives and making a conscious effort to exercise is just as important as eating healthy and taking prenatal vitamins while pregnant. Even if you’ve never worked out too much prior to getting pregnant, you should not be afraid to get started now. Just be aware of the basic rules of pregnancy workouts, avoid risky exercises, listen to your body and don’t push it too far when you feel uncomfortable. And, if you’re quite worried about your and your baby’s safety, a personal trainer qualified in prenatal fitness from HireRush.com will help you find a perfect routine for different trimesters and make sure that you’re doing everything right not to harm your baby. Leave your request here

Best pregnancy workouts

1. Swimming and pool aerobics

   Swimming and different classes that involve exercising in water are the best and the safest workouts for pregnant women, as they’re gentle on their joints, make all muscles work, minimize any discomfort, and are generally easier on your body while still providing it with the necessary amount of physical activity.

2. Yoga

   Pregnancy yoga is probably the most famous kind of pregnancy workouts, as it’s proven to promote easier delivery, as it makes the core muscles stronger, keeps them toned, relieves back pain, makes them a bit more flexible, helps them relax and get their bodies ready for labor.

3. Cardio pregnancy workouts. Walking, dancing, jogging, running.

   It’s especially important for pregnant women to do cardio workouts to strengthen their hearts, as those have to pump a lot more blood than usual. Walking in comfortable shoes and jogging is the safest pregnancy cardio exercise. Getting out of the house, breathing fresh air, and distressing come as a nice bonus. Dancing without going too crazy and doing different tricks is great as well, as it will give you a nice cardio activity, tone your muscles and boost your mood. You may even joing a prenatal dance class if you have one in your local area.

   If you’d like to hit the gym while pregnant, don’t be afraid to use treadmills and cardio machines as well. Just make sure to take things slowly and exercise under the personal trainer’s supervision and preferably stay away from machines while being far along into the pregnancy. If you were a passionate runner before you got pregnant, you shouldn’t give up on running while pregnant as well. Slow down a bit, go for the shorter distances, don’t run up/down hills or use a treadmill at home/gym.
   No matter which kind of cardio activity you choose, remember to warm up your body and stretch it a bit to prepare your joints and ease your heart into the major exercise.

4. Aerobics and Pilates

   Mostly cardio, but also general muscle toning pregnancy-safe workouts will keep you active, happy and energized. At the same time, it’s important to avoid too much jumping during the last months of pregnancy not to cause major discomfort and back pain. Low-impact aerobics are great for women who didn’t work out too much before pregnancy or don’t have too much energy for heavier workouts.

5. Prenatal workout routines

   Pregnancy workouts consist of various expert-approved exercises (stretching, muscle toning and building, cardio activities, pelvic floor exercises, strength training) beneficial both for the pregnant woman and her baby. These routines are aimed at helping expectant mothers feel better during pregnancy and strengthen their bodies for delivery. Prenatal workouts are trainers’ and pregnant women’s faves – they’re safe, effective and adjustable.

Pregnancy workout don’ts

1. Contact sports. Those are too risky cause fast running, falling down or getting hit will put you and your baby at risk.
2. Activities that require maintaining balance. Those are obviously banned due to the risk of falling down and hurting the bump. No biking, skiing, snowboarding, skating, horseback riding, and other fun stuff while pregnant. Such sports like tennis should be beyond the ‘allowed’ range if you’ve never played them before getting pregnant, as the rapid movements may disturb your balance as well.
3. Don’t exercise on an empty stomach and make sure to keep your body hydrated when you exercise not to put your pregnant body into more stress and make sure that enough blood is reaching the baby’s placenta.
4. Exercises that involve lying flat on your back. Stop doing those right after the first trimester, as in this position the weight of your uterus (and your baby, of course) puts too much pressure on the vena cava vein, reducing the blood flow and causing harmful side effects.
5. Hot yoga, advanced abdominal exercises (full sit-ups, excessive leg lifts), backbends, too much stretching, exercises involving balance standing motionless for a long time, headstands, etc.
6. Don’t keep exercising if you feel dizzy, too short of breath, if you experience any cramps or abdominal pains. Moreover, if the latter continue well after a workout, tell your personal trainer and doctor about it and pay attention to how you’re feeling for a while to make sure that the baby is all right.