Whether you’re already exercising, or have yet to begin, it can be overwhelming trying to determine what activities and exercises are appropriate to do during your pregnancy. At Fitmama Strong Durham, we’re here to help you sort through all of the conflicting information you might find on the internet and provide you with the most current and up to date recommendations and guidelines to keep you healthy, active and safe as you exercise throughout your entire pregnancy. In a typical, uncomplicated pregnancy there is usually no reason to avoid exercise. In fact, many health care practitioners recommend that even if you weren’t active prior to pregnancy, you can still begin an exercise program when you become pregnant (in an uncomplicated pregnancy, the best time to begin is today!). And if you’re contemplating becoming pregnant, starting some form of regular fitness before becoming pregnant is fully endorsed.

Q: ARE THERE ANY EXERCISES I SHOULD AVOID DOING WHILE PREGNANT?

For those of you who are already active, there isn’t much you’ll need to change in terms of your exercise routine during the first trimester. If you’re a runner, you can continue running. If you attend group fitness classes, you can continue with them and you won’t have much to worry about in terms of finding modifications. You might however, find yourself feeling a little more tired and nauseous than before you were pregnant, so just listen to your body and consider shortening your workouts on days you are feeling more tired and avoid any movements that make you feel nauseous. Sometimes eating a small snack about 90 minutes before you exercise can reduce those feelings of nausea. In our Prenatal Fitness classes, we’re often asked:

• What exercises are safe for me to continue during my pregnancy?

• What exercises should I avoid while I’m pregnant?

• Can I still play xxx sport?

So, we thought we’d share our answers to these common questions!

Q: Can I still train my core during pregnancy?

A: Of course! In fact, you should. However, you are likely going to need to make some adjustments to HOW you train your core during your pregnancy. It’s best to avoid crunches and prone plank after your first trimester, to minimize any abdominal separation that is beginning to occur. Instead, try incorporating more functional breathing, often referred to as the Core Breath, to keep your deep core functioning well through each trimester. We also love pelvic tilts with core activation and superwoman in table top, to keep the backside of your body strong. As your pregnancy progresses, or at any point if you feel like your belly is being pulled to the floor you can do your superwoman standing.

Q: Can I still do high-impact activities like running, cross-fit or plyometrics during pregnancy?

A: If you were running before you were pregnant, it’s usually fine to continue running throughout your first trimester and into your second trimester of pregnancy. As your pregnancy progresses, you might want to run less frequently and go shorter distances to conserve your energy. As your joints begin to loosen up to prepare for the birth of your baby, your risk of injury increases due to instability in your joints and ligaments. You’ll want to stay away from running on uneven surfaces and avoid other activities that require excessive jumping, skipping, hopping or bouncing to reduce the risk of injury due to looser joints and ligaments. Instead, we encourage you to include low-impact movements (no jumping, feet stay on the floor) like walking, using the elliptical or swimming for cardio and body weighted exercises. As well, incorporating light weights into your fitness routine will help build strength and maintain your muscle tone. We think our Prenatal Fitness programs some of the best ways to stay active and strong throughout your pregnancy.

Q: Can I still play “x” sport when I am pregnant?

A: If you play contact sports like softball, baseball, hockey, basketball, ultimate or soccer, where there’s a high likelihood of colliding with another player, it’s a good idea to take a break during your pregnancy (your opponents will thank you as well, since they want to play their best but don’t want to hurt the pregnant person on the field!). It’s also a good idea to avoid any sports that have an increased risk of falling (skiing, horseback riding, etc). Instead, your pregnancy might be a good time to try out a prenatal yoga class so that you can focus on keeping your body better aligned during your pregnancy and learn some beneficial relaxation skills that will likely help you both in labour and in parenting! Of course, we’ll always encourage you to check out prenatal fitness classes as well! As your pregnancy progresses there may be some modifications or adjustments you find you need to make to your exercise routine. Regular check-ins with how you are feeling and making small adjustments each time you exercise are the key to staying active throughout your entire pregnancy. If you can, find a prenatal specific fitness class, like our Prenatal Fitness programs (bonus if you can find something in-person, in your area). Not only will you find that a prenatal specific class is a rich resource of information, it’s also often the start of your new community that includes other people that are in the same stage of life as you are. A good prenatal fitness program will help you maintain your posture, improve your balance, remember to stretch, and improve your cardiovascular endurance and muscular strength.

Interested in joining us? Our community is a great way to meet other new parents. Fitmama Strong Durham has been operating in-person classes in the Durham Region since 2010 and we’ve been offering Online classes online from our virtual studio since 2020. Our community is a thriving and welcoming space for you and your littles.

We offer Prenatal Fitness and Prenatal Yoga classes, on-demand from our virtual studio through a special series. Our 30 minute live, online Express classes include a Prenatal friendly Yoga class.

If you’re new to Fitmama Strong Online, try one of our 3 Class Passes! You can use them at any of our Express classes on our live, online schedule. It doesn’t matter if you’re pregnant, your baby was born 6 weeks ago or 6 years ago, we have something for all of our members! Already been to Fitmama Strong classes? Attend and in-person series or grab a monthly membership and keep moving with us. Please note that our New to Fitmama Strong 3 Class Pass cannot be used at our in-person series of classes.

Finally, we offer in-person Stroller Fitness and Babywearing Fitness in the Durham Region and Ottawa locations. We can’t wait to have you join us!

We can’t wait for you to #startwithus and #growwithus. Join us Online or at one of our in-person classes!