4 Myths About Pregnancy and Exercise

If you’re pregnant, then you know that pregnancy is one of the greatest physical changes you will ever experience. If your body has not started to change, it will soon enough.

To support these physical changes and your growing baby, eating healthy is definitely important, but so is staying physically active. A lot of people get confused about what’s safe to do when pregnant and what they should avoid when working out while pregant.

I wanted to debunk four of the most common myths I often hear floating around pertaining to pregnancy and working out.

1. You don’t need to change anything in your exercise routine 

You don’t need to baby yourself, but it is important to note that yes, your body will change, and with that change means some limitations and things to take into consideration.

For example, the weights you use in the first trimester will be different by the third trimester. You will need to scale down on the heavy weights and priorize more mobility and floor work. Also, your balance will be affected as well so by the third trimester you shouldn’t be doing anything to put you in risk of falling (i.e high step ups). You also should avoid crunches and anything that diagonally rotates across the stomach. 

2. You shouldn’t start lifting if you weren’t doing it before you got pregnant 

This is a theory that used to be upheld but the reality now is that you can start resistance/strength training while pregnant, even if you’re new to it. You will just have to take it slow and ease yourself into your new routine. Always priortize form over everything else. 

3. You should keep your heart rate under 140 BPM

I love this one, only because I’ve heard it so many times before and it makes me chuckle. It's the one thing a lot of overly-cautious (and old school doctors) regurgitate to their patients. The truth is that It’s actually healthy to get your heart rate up and perfectly safe to do so while pregnant.

There is no magic heart rate that puts you in a safe zone or danger zone. Use your best judgment, avoid getting overly heated, avoid hot classes, gyms, stay hydrated and scale things back (like weights andintensity) as you get closer to your due date. 

4. There is no way to train your core while pregnant

Training your core while pregnant can certainly be done, the exercises have to change up a bit. The most important thing to keep in mind is that your core consists of your entire midsection. If you were to chop off your arms and legs (weird thought I know but bear with me), that would be your core. So it includes your spine as well as your front abs. Which means we can absolutely still train it while pregnant! A few of my favorite core exercises to do with my pregnant clients consist of pallof presses, planks, dead bugs, bird dogs. cat/cow, bridge variations and suitcase carries. Being pregnant doesn’t mean you have to stop doing core exercise, it just means you should change up your routine and choice of exercise to train core. You’ll get back to the sit-ups and rotational exercise once the baby comes. Until then, stick to these effective but safe movements. 

If you need help designing a strength training program while pregnant, fill out this form and I’ll get back to you ASAP!