Prenatal Exercise: Your Power in Your Pregnancy

What if I told you the power you have over your pregnancy lies heavily in exercise? Or that one of the first important decisions regarding the health of you and your baby is about how much you move? What if instead of looking at it as a chore or something feared, we embraced exercise as the powerful tool it is? Hear me out...

Awareness around the importance of prenatal exercise is increasing, and moms-to-be are encouraged more than ever before to stay active during pregnancy. Gone are the days where you hear, “put your feet up, you’re pregnant”, or that you shouldn’t start an exercise program if you weren’t exercising pre-pregnancy. Health and Exercise organizations like the American College of Sports Medicine clearly state that in most adults the benefits of exercise far outweigh the risks.

In fact, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have identified the following benefits associated with prenatal exercise:

Higher incidence of:

• vaginal deliveries

• Quicker postpartum recovery

Lower incidence of:

• excessive weight gain

• gestational diabetes

• Preeclampsia (one of the most preventable causes of maternal death)

• preterm birth

• low birth weight babies

Let’s not forget about mental health benefits, with moms having reduced risk of prenatal anxiety and depression. If you have an uncomplicated pregnancy, it’s time to embrace moving more.

Exercise is your power during pregnancy. The 2020 ACSM guidelines recommend accumulating 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week. If you’re new to exercise, don’t get caught up in the numbers, take the simple approach to prenatal exercise. If you prefer structure, make a plan and stick to it. Either way, exercise is meant to benefit your health and shouldn’t be a source of stress, so try this uncomplicated approach:

• Walk for aerobic exercise: It can be as simple as going for short walks whenever you can and longer ones when you feel good. Consider just taking an extra 5-minute walk after parking your car at your destination. If you prefer structure, commit to a 30-minute walk every day after dinner.

• Address muscle stiffness: Again, it can be as simple as recognizing where you’re feeling tight and committing to moving and stretching those areas between meetings or when you wake in the morning. You can also follow something more structured like a prenatal yoga routine. Keep in mind you may feel more stiff due to fluid retention so other strategies beyond moving could be helpful.

• Strength training is key. It’s still possible to take an uncomplicated approach, but this is an area where you want to be intentional, aiming for two strength sessions per week. You can perform bodyweight exercises or use equipment like dumbbells, bands, or suspension trainers. If you’re new to exercise or short on energy and time, start with the muscles most impacted by pregnancy: core (diaphragm to the pelvic floor), glutes, and upper back/shoulders. Again, if you prefer structure, follow a full body strength routine that’s designed for pregnancy. It’s true many people can continue with their pre-pregnancy routine, but your body has new needs so to make the most of your routine, it makes sense to train to meet those changes.

• Learn how to engage your pelvic floor: The simple approach is what you’ll usually find in a Google search, to kegel when you’re brushing your teeth or sitting in the car. For a more integrative approach, you can incorporate pelvic floor training into your strength routine by using breath and intentional contractions during specific exercises. Either way, remember relaxing the muscle is just as important as contracting.

In my experience as an Exercise Physiologist working with pregnant and postpartum moms, strength training is where people get held up, specifically core training. It’s usually a matter of not knowing what’s safe or what’s the most beneficial. There are no “best exercises for pregnancy” which is why it can be confusing. You really have to find what’s right for you.

If I had to give you one general tip it would be: learn how to engage your transverse abdominis muscles with breath. These are your stabilizing muscles and you can draw on their support during exercise. Being able to engage these muscles is also a good indicator on whether an abdominal exercise is appropriate for you. The question of planks often comes up during pregnancy. If you’re able to hold the tension in your abs, while continuing to breathe, without any bulging or doming in your abdomen or feeling pressure in your pelvic floor, then the exercise is probably a safe choice. Crunches and sit-ups are the only absolute “no”.

Other tips if you choose the power of prenatal exercise include:

• Drink plenty of water

• Eat

• Wear supportive shoes and bras (so important for posture and pain)

• Avoid risky activities (risk of impact to your belly or falling)

• Avoid overheating (exercising in a hot environment, and wearing breathable clothes)

Lastly, keep in mind there is no one-size-fits-all all approach. Exercise should make you feel good. It should make you feel empowered. Choose what’s best for you and your baby. If you have access to a fitness professional specializing in prenatal exercise, I highly recommend consulting for a personalized program.

If you’re looking for a simple way to get started, try this download for 5 Tips for a Stronger Core During Pregnancy.

*This was an original blog post for MommiNation.

Advice on Prenatal Exercise: 3 Tips to Achieve 40 Weeks of Workouts

I’ve collaborated with two mamas-to-be to provide you with their advice on exercise during pregnancy. I’ve worked with both Shannon and Jen for 40 weeks of prenatal workouts. So consider these 3 tips you approach exercise each trimester.

Tip 1 from Shannon: Consistency is key. Consistent exercise feels better physically, but just as important, consistency will help you overcome that guilty pressure of needing to “get back on track”. Even if you can’t do much, do something to stay consistent. This could be a 40 minute workout, it could be a 5 minute walk. Either way check that box and get it done.

Jen and Shannon

Tip 2 from Jen: Build a relationship with your trainer. This is a great point. Any fitness professional experienced in prenatal exercise will do their due diligence to ask you about your experience, complications, history, etc. You don’t want to have to catch every new instructor up, or worse, not have them understand your strengths and weaknesses. You’ll receive better workouts and your trainer will feel more confident challenging you if you’ve built a relationship. Jen adds, “I have a constant connection with Ashley so I am more aware of how hard to push myself and/or to know what to look out for! Ashley keeps me updated as to what to watch out for if certain pains pop up. This enables me to continue my training with confidence.

Tip 3 from Shannon: Be kind to yourself. “You never know what kind of day you are going to have. Energy flow fluctuates so much throughout different trimesters and can change daily. At a certain point, your body just grows and changes and things you used to be able to do, you just can’t do. I’ve also cut back slightly on how frequently I workout as I get closer to the end, which is okay. I’m still making the time as my body feels it can. I agree with Shannon. For some the hardest part of prenatal exercise is mental. You want to challenge yourself, but you don’t want to be rigid in your goals. With hormones shifting and your body physically changing, your mentally have to be flexible and try to be OK with adapting as needed.

If you’re pregnant and ready to get started, check out 5 Tips for a Stronger Core During Pregnancy.

Ashley Reid is an exercise physiologist with the only strength-based studio for moms and moms-to-be in Philadelphia.

Your Baby Might Be the Size of a Fruit, But Your Butt is No Longer Peachy

Belly gets bigger, boobs get bigger...butt gets flatter?? Why is Your Rear Disappearing During Pregnancy

It’s true, that some of you may experience a booty gain during pregnancy. This has to do with where your body decides to distribute the additional fat that is stored during pregnancy. However, many of you will experience the opposite, your butt (your glutes) appears to flatten.

Why does this occur?

• During pregnancy, your body anatomically changes to make room for your growing baby. Weaker abs, a growing belly, and heavier breasts can cause your lower back to start to sway (increased lordosis). This position of your pelvis provides the least amount of glute activation.

• Additionally, your hips start to widen and your feet externally rotate, again causing less use of your glutes and the appearance of a flat butt. If you're fortunate to not have a deflated peach, functionally there is still a good chance that you are losing strength (even though the additional fat may not reduce the size of your glutes).

• Lastly, not all, but many pregnant women choose different exercises and activities during pregnancy or aren’t active at all. Activities like prenatal yoga or walking are great, but they don’t do a whole lot for maintaining those rear curves. Muscle strength and definition require strength training.

So what can you do about it?

During pregnancy, your goal shouldn’t be to sculpt the best glutes of your life or to PR (personal record) in the weight room. Your goal during pregnancy should be to maintain a healthy weight, stay active, and maintain strength in the muscles commonly weakened by pregnancy. Strength training twice per week is hugely beneficial. You’ll maintain strength not just in your glutes, but your entire body…hopefully providing a more comfortable pregnancy. Subsequently, you might just keep a little shape in your rear.

How can training your glutes support your body during pregnancy?

• The hormone relaxin “relaxes” your joints so that your body can adapt to the baby. This can create joint instability. Strong glutes help maintain stability in the knees, spine, and hips.

• Glutes support hip extension. Strong glutes can reduce pregnancy low back pain by preventing excessive lumbar extension or overusing your lower back.

• Pelvic pain is another common pregnancy complaint. Strong glutes can help stabilize the SI joint, reducing the risk of pain.

Tips for training:

• Train your glutes as part of a full-body strength/resistance program twice per week.

• Do more than just squats: if you have no complications or pain you can perform a large variety of exercises. There is no “one size fits all” guide to exercise. It will depend on your energy level, previous experience, technique, and intuition as to how the exercise feels. In general, as your pregnancy progresses your exercise choice may change. But recognize hip extension, adduction, abduction, standing, lying, sitting, dumbbells, bands, and bodyweight exercises are all great options.

• Prepare for caring for your baby. You’re going to do more bending and picking things up compared to pre-baby. Consider hip extension exercises like hip thrusts, bridges, kickbacks, quadruped hip extensions, and deadlifts as good additions.

• Eat a healthy pregnancy diet, including sufficient protein (.8g per kg of body weight is the general recommended daily amount, but if you are strength training/active, that range can increase to 1.2-1.7g/kg. Although it’s harder to find pregnancy-specific guidelines, one study showed the need to intake 1.2-1.5 g of protein per kg of body weight.

So as you keep getting those What to Expect While Expecting fruit and veggie updates, don’t forget your peach needs a little love too!

If all of this information feels a bit overwhelming, and you want someone to guide you, try the Self-Paced, Mom Butt: Glute Essentials Program!

Getting to the Core of Pregnancy

Three ways beyond exercise to promote a healthy core during pregnancy.

The body’s “core” is a system of muscles that support the spine and pelvis, with the ceiling being the diaphragm and the bottom of the cylinder being the muscles of the pelvic floor. The shift of the pelvis and the separation of abdominal muscles during pregnancy can result in weakness and instability. This may lead to pain in the lower back and pelvis during pregnancy. Women without any contraindications are advised to counteract the instability and weakness by strengthening abdominal, back, butt and pelvic floor muscles through exercise

However, beyond exercise, pregnant women shouldn’t overlook these 3 strategies to encourage a healthy pregnant core.

Image from http://www.fitnessnetwork.com.au/resources-library/aqua-pelvic-floor

Tip 1 for a healthy pregnant core: perform diaphragmatic (belly) breathing

Why? The diaphragm is a thin muscles that separates the chest from the abdomen, forming the roof of the core. A 2013 article in The Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare discusses the functional relationship between the diaphragm and the pelvic floor, indicating the diaphragm has a role in core function and pelvic stability. The diaphragm and pelvic floor muscles should work together, meaning as the diaphragm contracts and moves down during an inhale, the pelvic floor muscles should relax and lower. The opposite is true on an exhale, with the diaphragm relaxing and rising while the pelvic floor is contracting and rising

From https://bebrainfit.com/breathing-exercises-anxiety/

How to perform diaphragmatic breathing: Women should lie on their back with knees bent or for pregnant women beyond 16 weeks, sitting is appropriate. Inhale slowly to the count of 3, letting your belly expand outward. Exhale slowly to the count of 3, allowing your belly to relax. Repeat this 5 times. As the belly grows this will become more difficult and “chest breathing” will become more natural, however women can still be deliberate about the mind body connection between the diaphragm and pelvic floor. This type of breathing may also be useful in the first stages of labor as a relaxation technique and is a safe postpartum exercise to begin rebuilding the core after baby.

Tip 2 for a healthy pregnant core: Rise up with a side roll

Why? There are three groups of muscles that make up the abdomen. During pregnancy the rectus abdominis group (6-pack muscles), can separate due to increased hormones and tension placed on the abdominal walls due to the growing baby. A study by Sperstad JB, Tennfjord MK, Hilde G, et al. 2016; found that approximately 33% of women at 21 weeks pregnant will experience separation and that number rises to 60% when looking at women 6 weeks postpartum.This separation is called Diastasis Recti Abdominis. Anything that increases the pressure within the abdominal wall can widen the separation of the muscle (sneezing and coughing included). One factor that women can control is the pressure exerted on the abdominal wall while rising up from a lying position.

How to create less pressure while rising:  Women can rise up to sitting or standing by performing a side roll, rather than coming straight up and putting excessive pressure on the abdominal walls. From lying on the back, first bring knees to a bent position then roll to the side. Using both arms, push the body up. If lying in a bed, then drop both legs over the bed and stand. If coming up off of the floor, push up on both arms and then come into a kneeling position to rise and stand.

From http://brochures.mater.org.au/brochures/mater-mothers-hospital/pregnancy—information-for-women-and-families

Tip 3 for a healthy pregnant core: Avoid bearing down or breath holding

Why? As already discussed, increased abdominal wall pressure can lead to further separation of the abdominal muscles.

How to avoid bearing down or breath holding: women should exhale through any strenuous movements that might cause her to bear down or hold her breath. This might include bowel movements, lifting objects or other children, and movements during exercise.

Although these 3 strategies work to improve core function and decrease abdominal wall pressure, more research needs to be done on the risks and preventative factors related to pelvic and back pain, as well as abdominal separation during pregnancy.

Ready to learn more? Download 5 Tips for a Stronger Core During Pregnancy.