Tips for fitness during pregnancy

Pregnancy is an incredible journey but it also comes with its fair share of aches, exhaustion and unexpected cravings (pickle-flavored ice cream, anyone?). Staying active during pregnancy can boost your energy, improve your mood and help you to feel comfortable in your body as it adjusts to its new cargo. But with all the changes happening during pregnancy, you might be wondering what exercises are safe and beneficial. HyperLuxe Dunsborough’s Vanessa sat down with personal trainer and mum Shelby from The Movement to get the low down on how to stay healthy and fit during pregnancy.

In the early stages of pregnancy, expecting mums often feel run down and sick. How do you recommend keeping up with workouts during this stage?

I was lucky enough not to get any sickness during pregnancy but I became the ‘Queen of Naps’, especially after a workout! I highly recommend listening to your body - you’ll know when you can and can’t push through a workout. On the days when I felt great, I did a workout in the gym. On the days where I couldn’t push my body I took a walk on the beach. Having a Garmin fitness tracker or some kind of sports watch definitely helps, no matter how I was feeling I tried to get those 10,000 steps in; then I took a nap!

How did your fitness regime change when you found out you were expecting?

My mindset changed from wanting to be the fittest and strongest to wanting to be the healthiest person I could be for the baby and for me. It’s so important to stay healthy during your pregnancy with exercise and nutrition. I would take a greens powder drink every morning (like WelleCo’s Super Elixir) and I knew when I was having it that it was so good for the baby and for me! My strength training dropped to 50% of the weight it was and I increased the amount of cardio I was doing. I also did RPM twice a week as I found this was a great way to be able to push myself safely.

In your opinion, what are the key shifts to make in your training when you are pregnant and are there any particular exercises to skip?

During the first 12 weeks you just want to keep your baby safe so it's not smart to go testing your one rep maximums! I continued to do classes at The Movement, keeping my heart rate steady and dropping my weights back. As you enter the second half of your pregnancy you will likely have more energy to exercise daily but may want to pull back on core exercises such as kipping pull ups and sit ups to protect against separation of the abdominals. It’s also a great idea to explore some gentle pilates movements and put aside time to stretch.

Should a woman change her exercise routine as her pregnancy progresses?

Absolutely. I encourage pregnant women to continue exercising like they were doing prior to falling pregnant, however as the pregnancy progresses we have to listen to our bodies and keep our babies and our bodies safe. In the first trimester it’s just important to pay attention to the new energy limits you have. Even if you have morning sickness or other discomforts, getting up and moving will often make you feel better. As you enter into the second trimester it can be time to pull back on the high impact core exercises such as sit ups and kipping movements to protect the abdominals. Just try to move your body when you have the energy to.

Other than training at The Movement South West, what other types of fitness did you enjoy throughout your pregnancy?

While pregnant I developed a new love for long walks, especially on the sand. I tried to start each day with a 5km beach walk, listening to positive pregnancy podcasts. It was the best way to start the day! My bike also got a lot more use; I tried to ride around Dunsborough as much as possible to get the body moving some more!

Did you experience many cravings while pregnant?

The cravings were REAL! I definitely wanted salt, especially in the first few months! I am not going to lie, there were a couple of days where I ate things I hadn’t eaten in years. But as crazy as it sounds I had to have a good chat with myself about how I was going to deal with them. I set myself some nutrition guidelines which included:

• I started using MyFitnessPal to keep myself accountable for the food I was eating each day. I set macro nutrient goals to ensure I was getting the goodness and energy my body needed to grow a healthy baby.

• I made sure I had vegetables or a hearty salad with every meal. 

• I had a greens drink every morning to help get nutrients first thing.

Do you have any non-fitness related advice for expectant mums you’d love to share?

The biggest piece of advice I have is to create your own pregnancy stories. You get given 1001 different pieces of advice and it usually all comes from a good place, however no one is you and some women can’t help but share their negative stories, like “you are going to be SO tired and sick - oh just wait for the morning sickness.” 

I decided my story was going to be my own. Each day I would tell myself “I have woken up with all the energy I need to get through my day; I am healthy and happy to be pregnant.” Or when people started to talk to me about labour, and there were some horror stories, I decided my story was going to be mine. I didn’t have a plan on how I wanted it all to go and instead of allowing them to instill fear into my pregnancy I started to draft my own positive story.

I would think: I am excited about going into labour! It is going to be the most incredible experience of my life! If  thousands and thousands of women before me have done it, I can do it too!

Instead of taking on the fear of other women - do it your way! Oh and listen to your body, it knows you better than anyone else - push it when you can and slow down when it needs you too. Naps are life!