How to bump up your exercise during pregnancy

Pregnancy is the time to take it easy; indulge in that extra slice of cake and sack off the gym – or so says popular wisdom. In fact, new studies show that keeping active during pregnancy leads to a range of benefits, from lessening tiredness and nausea, to reducing the chances of an emergency caesarean.

But until recently, prenatal exercise has meant pregnancy yoga or swimming. While both have health benefits (there’s nothing like the feeling of weightlessness when you are two stone heavier than normal), for fit women used to chasing an endorphin high, life in the exercise slow lane is unfulfilling.

Step forward a new wave of boutique fitness offerings aimed at fit women who happen to be pregnant. One of the first on the scene was Bumps and Burpees, a PT programme for pre- and post-natal women. “The clean-living lifestyle has taken off in the last few years – young women who are pregnant don’t want to lose what they’ve been working on,” says Charlie Launder, who co-founded Bumps and Burpees in 2014. This month she has introduced free YouTube videos of key exercises to try at home.

Charlie Launder

Recently, Frame, the London-based gym chain, launched a service called MumHood. As well as offering prenatal fitness classes across their gyms, they have launched online workouts costing from £8 per week. “Five years ago, when I had my first baby, nothing like this existed,” Joan Murphy, co-founder of Frame, says. “We’ve had so much amazing feedback from mums. When you’re used to working out you need to keep it up – it’s part of your identity. But we understand busy new-mum life, so that’s why we took it online.”

While there are a few medical reasons why pregnant women shouldn’t or can’t do exercise – check with a doctor first – keeping fit makes sense for the majority. Recent studies espouse the benefits of relatively high-intensity exercise, including resistance training, to both mother and child.

Researchers at the University of Gothenburg found that resistance training reduced “pregnancy discomfort”, including fatigue, nausea and insomnia; a report published in the International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology said women who exercised were less likely to develop gestational diabetes. Scientists at the University of Granada reported that moderate-intensity exercise three times a week halved the risk of babies being born with a high birth weight, thus reducing the need for a caesarean.

A seminal report by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ACOG) recommended pregnant women aim for 20-30 minutes of “moderate intensity exercise on most days of the week”. It even said that women who were not previously active should take up exercise, albeit slowly. “That’s the rule of thumb with any exercise, but especially during pregnancy,” Charlie says. “Don’t jump in at the deep end, build up slowly.”

But it’s not an excuse to stop pushing yourself. There’s no need to keep your heart rate to below 140bpm – the ACOG report says the talking test (maintaining a conversation while exercising) is the best gauge. But stop at any signs of dizziness, pain or if you get too hot.

And while it used to be thought that pregnant women shouldn’t run or lift weights – in fact, they can do both. The US report lists jogging and strength training as ‘safe’ activities. Some women can run throughout their pregnancies, others find it uncomfortable – This Mum Runs has running programmes online for pregnant women. And weightlifting? “Of course you can lift weights – if you’ve got another child then you will be picking them up all day,” says Charlie.

Another myth is that pregnant women can’t do abdominal work. “You absolutely should keep working on your core to support your bump, just not doing crunches, as they can lead to an increased risk of abdominal separation,” Charlie says. Instead try mountain climbers or press ups with your hands on a bench.

Modifications like this are the key to pregnancy fitness. Increased production of the hormone relaxin relaxes ligaments, so women have to be careful not to overstretch. And while lying on your back is not an automatic no-go (hip bridges, for example, are excellent), it can cause breathlessness as the baby weighs down on your main artery, so keep lying-down time low.

Charlie sees pregnancy as a key time. “Nearly everything about your body changes in such a short amount of time, so it’s vital to remain strong. Then there’s the mental aspect: you’re doing something for you. It’s so important to get your adrenalin and endorphin levels up and feel positive.”