Healthy Habits: Working Out While Pregnant!

“Christina, I’m pregnant. Should I keep working out?” I always answer with a question, “Is this a high risk pregnancy?” If yes, I tell the client to quit immediately. Thankfully, the answer is usually no, but sometimes the client is still hesitant. Allow me to ease some of your fears with a list of proven benefits that come from exercising while growing a human being on the inside:

• Your body will be better prepared for delivery 
• You'll be able to control your weight gain 
• Better control over balance and coordination 
• A decrease in normal pregnancy aches and pains 
• Higher chance of having a smoother faster labor 
• You'll bounce back to your pre-pregnancy size more quickly 

If you’re already taking a DBF Boot Camp it should be easy for you to continue until about 20 weeks. After 20 weeks we will readdress your physical state on a case-by-case basis. You will know when Boot Camp has become too much. I had one unique client continue Boot Camp until she was well into her 8th month of pregnancy. (I literally had to kick her out to take the Hot Mama’s class!) Most clients tend to switch over around five or six months into the pregnancy. The ultimate decision will have to be made by you and your doctor. After all, you know your body better than anyone else.  

The good news is the transition into our Hot Mama’s class will be an easy one for you. Our qualified instructor, Laurie Weber, follows the same DBF Boot Camp format, but makes low-impact modifications for our mothers-to-be. The following are some great modifications to start you with:

1. Working out your back is extremely important; largely due to the amount of stress it will endure while supporting your growing belly. Continue working out with resistance bands. Creating your own row machine while seated on the floor is a great back exercise. 

2. Instead of lower back exercises like Super Heroes try Yoga style Cat/Cow stretches. Check out our DumBell Yoga class for more explanation. 

3. Instead of Swimmers to target the lower back, combine abs, lower back, and glutes by starting on all fours and reaching out with your right arm and left leg. Then bring them in and stretch out the opposite side limbs.

4. Planks are still a great exercise to use for the abdominal region.

5. Instead of using weights for resistance, just use your body’s resistance while doing leg exercises like squats and lunges.

6. All cardio burst should include one foot on the ground at all times. Goodbye jumping jacks, hello half jacks!

Remember to listen to your body. If an exercise seems too intense or too strenuous, simply step back and try a modified version of it. (Yes, there is a modified version of Burpees for pregnant women. So, don’t take it too easy on yourself!) You can find many more ideas related to working out while pregnant and clean eating ideas for baby once they arrive on our DumBell Fitness Pinterest account.

So get out there, keep moving, and we’ll see you back in Boot Camp once the little ones are six weeks old!