Prenatal Exercise, No More Excuses

Countless studies confirm that exercising while you are pregnant is not only good for you but your baby as well.  As moms-to-be we know it is important, but knowing and doing are two different things.  How do you drag yourself off of the couch to go for a walk when you are so nauseas you can barely move, or you have to stop to pee every 5 minutes or your back hurts so bad all you want to do is soak in a tub?  The answer: you change up your workouts.

In most cases you can workout even with the worst of the pregnancy symptoms.  You just need to change your routine.  It is important not to allow yourself to make excuses about why you can’t exercise or to say you will do it when you feel better because it might be a LONG time before you “feel better”.  Below are some examples of how to change up your routine.

Exhaustion:  Being pregnant can definitely take it out of you, especially by the end of the day.  For me it was every day at 3pm, that  is when I would hit a wall and need to nap.  If you are able to, take the naps when you can so you have more energy throughout your day.  You can also try breaking your workouts up by doing 15-30 minutes in the morning and 15-30 minutes in the afternoon/evening.  Save the cardio for when you energy is at its best usually earlier in the day.

If you have nausea:  Try to pick the time of day that you feel the best and do your workout then.  If you feel more sick in the afternoon try to fit in an AM walk.  If exercising for the entire hour makes you feel more sick try to break your workout up into 2 30 min sessions. 

Frequent Peeing:  Lets face it there is no way around this one!  Working out to a prenatal DVD (My new one will be released in 2 weeks stay tuned for details.) at home is a great option because you can always hit pause to run to the bathroom.  Taking a prenatal yoga class or exercising at a gym where there are restrooms is also a great option.  If you prefer to be outside for a walk or a run go to a local park, scout out the bathrooms and try not to venture to far away from them.

If you have lower back pain:  Instead of taking a spinn class or group fitness class, try water aerobics or yoga.  Being in the water will take pressure off of your joints while still giving you an amazing workout.  You can also try prenatal yoga, the stretches will help relieve tension without putting you in any danger of pulling muscles.

These are just a few solutions to the most common pregnancy discomforts.  The biggest point I want to stress here is that you CAN get a workout in even when you don’t feel great.  As long as you are only experiencing normal discomforts and your doctor says it is ok.  No more excuses, we know it is good for us and we know it is good for our baby so lets go for it.