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If you’re looking for an excuse to get out of exercising during
pregnancy, hurting the baby is not going to be your get out of
gym free card. Sorry ladies. Get out of your head the myth that
exercise can shake your baby loose. The baby is safely cushioned
by amniotic fluid inside your body and when done properly,
exercise does way more good than harm during pregnancy. You
must however, remain smart about the types of workouts you do.
If you’re afraid that exercise will rob your growing baby of their
essential nutrients, then you’ll be happy to know that babies
generally take what they need from you, meaning that it’s you
that might be left with a depletion of nutrients not the baby.
Exercising does give you a green light to consume more calories,
but before you head to that bag of crisps, the calories should be
healthy ones. And don’t worry about giving birth to a too-skinny
baby either. While babies of mamas who are physically fit may be
born leaner, their organ size and head circumference are normal.
Will I hurt the baby if I exercise?
Getting your body moving, as long as you’re not a high-risk
pregnancy and your doctor gives you approval, is a good thing
throughout your pregnancy. I can remember walking down the
street at the end of my third trimester and needing to stop every
few hundred metres to take a break because the baby was
pressing against my pelvis. But walk on I did. You can continue a
regular fitness routine up until you’re birthing in the labour room,
but use common sense and if things feel off, then just use walking
or some light yoga as your main form of exercise.
Keep in mind that getting in some exercise doesn’t have to be as
formal as gearing up in your spandex and hitting the gym. You
can count doing the dishes, taking the stairs and walking from
your car’s parking spot into the supermarket as exercise. As long
as your body is moving, it counts. There’s a reason fidgeters are
generally skinny people, as all that constant moving of their limbs
helps to burn calories and speed their metabolism up.
However, if you start feeling not-so-great during your exercise
session, then use your head and stop. Red flags that something
is not right while you’re working out include: dizziness, headache,
vaginal bleeding, chest pain, contractions or any sort of pain
or swelling. These are serious warning signs and should be
immediately reported to your doctor.
When should I stop exercising?