Follow the Big 12 Pregnancy Workout Recommendations for uncomplicated pregnancies.
#1 - An hour before exercise, eat a snack with complex carbs, protein and a little fat. Drink about a cup (eight ounces) of water for every 15 minutes of exercise. This is in addition to daily fluid intake.
#2 - Guage your level of intensity by using Rate of Perceived Exertion or the Talk Test.
#3 - Aim for exercise less than 45-50 minutes at a time. Avoid hot and humid environments. If you exercise more than 50 minutes, please check out the Fit Pregnancy suggestions.
#4 - Exercise at least 20-30 minutes most days a week and adjust as needed. Include aerobic and strength exercises.
#5 - If you have a moderate exercise routine, keep it up! If previously inactive, don’t suddenly start an aggressive exercise routine, but adapt slowly. And exercise veterans should be able to sustain the same amount of working out with some modifications.
#6 - Exhale on the effort of each exercise. Don't hold your breath!
#7 - Your body is smart—it bears a child —so listen to it. Do only what you are comfortable with. There is no one-size-fits-all exercise for pregnant women, and you will be more tired on some days than on others. Which also means your RPE (your effort level) will be different on different days, especially in the first trimester.
#8 - If just beginning exercise – or coming from a sedentary lifestyle – start with low intensity, short periods of exercise and gradually increase. Ideally start with 15 minutes of walking or swimming three times a week. And gradually increase to 20-30 minutes four times a week.
#9 - Each trimester, the way the body, especially the circulatory and respiratory systems, reacts to exercise is different, which is why you should make modifications as pregnancy progresses.
#10 - Avoid lying on your back, standing still for long periods of time, and repetitive, strenuous movements. Contact sports are off-limits, as is hot yoga and hot Pilates and activities that carry a risk for falling. Avoid humid or hot environments.
#11 - If diastasis recti—a separation of the right- and left-side muscles of your belly—occurs, then it’s recommended stay away from most twisting motions, planks, quadruped positions, and any movements that add stress to the tissues during pregnancy (the intra-abdominal pressure is present). Our pregnancy workouts are modified for this condition.
#12 - See Absolute & Relative Contraindications (reasons a women should not exercise during pregnancy), plus warning signs to discontinue exercise in ACOG Committee Opinion 650.
