Exercise for pregnancy?

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What do you recommend? What are you doing if pregnant? I'm around 18 weeks. Walking and yoga is about all I've tried so far.

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  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
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    Have you talked to your doctor? When I was pregnant, I was cleared to continue the exercise I was doing before I got pregnant which included heavy lifting and cardio.
  • serapel
    serapel Posts: 502 Member
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    Firstly, congratulations!!!

    What were you doing before you were pregnant? My doctor told me that I could continue lifting weights and working out as before. You may wish to ask your doctor what is best for you after getting a check up and ultrasound of the baby...just to make sure all is a green flag for exercise :smile:

    Avoid lying on your back bc it slightly obstructs air flow through the placenta. If you do lie on your back, put a folded towel under your left hip just to turn your body slightly. Cable weight training can be your best friend bc most of it is done horizontally and your body will stay in great shape with the weight resistance training.

    In my third trimester, I modified my workouts both times and did lighter weights and stopped doing ab exercises. I listened to my body and modified as I went along.

    After both babies, my body bounced right back bc I worked out during both pregnancies right until the day I delivered. When my water broke with my second, I had just finished a workout, cleaned my house and threw a Christmas party for my 2 year old daughter.

    I was able to push my son for 2.5 hours from 6:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. bc I was so strong and in such great shape. I didn't get tired of pushing him out and my doula was really impressed by my strength and she credited it to staying fit while pregnant.
  • angelicalong81
    angelicalong81 Posts: 2 Member
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    Hi! In my case I was lifting and doing HITT before getting pregnant, I continued, but just stopped doing the high impact stuff. I avoided laying flat on a bench and didn't start nothing new. In my case it was hard to do walking lunges, some women are ok doing it their whole pregnancy,but I couldn't at all because It would hurt around my pelvic area. So, my advice as a second time mommy is, just watch for those little signs that your body will send you. Sleep, eat healthy, drink lots of water, take your prenatal, ..did I say sleep? lol Anyway, I wish you the best in your pregnancy. God bless you and your family.
  • misschip1983
    misschip1983 Posts: 67 Member
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    Before falling pregnant I did zumba videos ,hitt and aerobics . for the first two weeks I managed to do gentle exercise bids but then sickness and exhaustion kicked in. I'm nearly 15 weeks and only just started to exercise again last week . I do pregnancy workouts off you tube. I'm trying to do at least 20mins a day 4 times a week x
  • deluxmary2000
    deluxmary2000 Posts: 981 Member
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    Agreed with everyone else - you can and should keep doing things you were doing before you were pregnant. However, if you weren't active before, don't start a new exercise program (walking and light yoga are fine).
    And keep in mind that even if you were super active before, you will likely have to scale back at some point.
    Talk to your doctor!
  • julie_broadhead
    julie_broadhead Posts: 347 Member
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    When I was pregnant I was doing moderate intensity circuit training, strength training, pregnancy Pilates, and walking. I was asked to change my fitness programing as I was Olympic lifting and doing higher intensity training pre pregnancy. Here is an article on exercise during pregnancy from ACOG. Talk to your care provider about any type of exercise you may be interested in starting during your pregnancy.
    http://m.acog.org/Resources-And-Publications/Committee-Opinions/Committee-on-Obstetric-Practice/Physical-Activity-and-Exercise-During-Pregnancy-and-the-Postpartum-Period?IsMobileSet=true
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    The general rule is to do whatever exercise you used to do before you go pregnant. Don't try anything new