In days long passed, it was believed that when a woman fell pregnant she was “delicate” and need to rest and take it easy. While this is a semi-truth; we as women are always delicate and should be handled with care, and a balanced amount of rest is essential; the other half of this is that we are able and capable to exercise. In fact, exercising before and after pregnancy is beneficial to mom and baby in so many ways.
It has been proven that exercise during and after pregnancy not only helps the woman to stay in shape, reduces backaches, assists to ease constipation, bloating and swelling, boosts mood and energy levels, prevents excessive weight gain, assists with better sleep and so much more…. there is quite an extensive list. Personally, the benefits that I extract from exercising before, during and after pregnancy is to aid in blood circulation.
During my first pregnancy, I developed varicose veins in my legs, the left leg being worst affected. I believe that my Pilates and running program that I adhered to during this pregnancy, along with very healthy eating, did prevent it from being as bad a it could have been. Unfortunately, with every subsequent pregnancy thereafter the vein situation did get worse. Second time around, I continued running and practising Pilates, and I added swimming and weights to the regime. (It helped that I worked as a Personal Trainer in a gym). The benefits of this were enormous, yet the veins got worse as I am genetically predisposed to them, but I do strongly believe that they are not nearly as bad as they could have been!
Fast forward to my current and fourth pregnancy, and to be honest the main reason to get my sneakers on for a workout; not to even mention having to get the training bra on in this extremely cold weather… is to relieve and prevent discomfort in my legs. I can testify that if I skip too many workout days, my legs start to swell and ache! Even a quick 20 minute HIIT or cardio session makes the world of difference. Alongside that, the other physical benefits fall in line too. Happier mom, washed dishes, clothes that still fit – to mention a few.
One does need to follow some basic guidelines though. Yes, you may feel fine, not have a belly yet and be freaking out that you might be on the way to gaining 30kg. You are pregnant though, so something IS very different with you! You are growing a human being! So, before you squeeze into your tank top, pull on your sweats and tie those laces, here are some basic guidelines to follow.
# check with your doctor first if you have any underlying or previous illness, disease or injuries.
#if you haven’t been exercising before the pregnancy, start off slowly! I would strongly suggest that you get a trainer who specialises in pre – and postnatal exercises to either get you started with a suitable program that can be progressive or to work with you through your pregnancy and beyond.
#If you are an avid fitness enthusiast, and have been working out since you can remember, just remember to take it easy, you may need to bring those plyo-jumps down to a lower impact exercise or adjust other areas of your training to accommodate your growing baby and belly and the affected ligaments that are adjusting to your changing body.
#Ensure that you nourish your body with enough, and with the correct food. You will need an adequate amount of calories, but you are not eating for two! You are, however, eating for one that is growing a baby! In the first trimester you will need an additional 300 calories (dependant on your exercise routine as well), but it is essential that the nutritional content of these additional calories are highly nutritious and not empty calories. Read: No french fries. Or cake.
You can get a lot more food when aiming for an additional 300 calories while munching on fruit and veg! You can make the meals and snacks fun and exciting, it doesn’t have to be all carrot sticks and celery. One of my all time favourite snacks is lightly salted tortilla chips (the healthy kind), dipped in smashed avo.
Being pregnant is an exciting journey! It’s so much easier to enjoy it while feeling as best as you can physically. To get to this point, you will need to make some mental and emotional decisions though! Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. Find an activity that you love, that is safe and that your doctor approves of, and get moving!
