Staying active during your pregnancy is good for you for so many reasons. If you’re healthy and exercised before you became pregnant, it’s usually safe to continue your activities. Check with your health care provider at your first prenatal visit to make sure. You may be asked to fill out Get Active Questionnaire for Pregnancy.

Here is what you need to know about new recommendations for physical activity in pregnancy:

• All women should be physically active throughout pregnancy, unless they have health concerns or pregnancy complications.
• Each week, try to do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise to get health benefits. It is best to be active every day. But try for at least 3 days per week to get your 150 minutes in.
• For more health benefits, do:
  • Aerobic exercise to get your heart pumping and your sweat on!
  • Strength training to prevent lower back pain and build stamina for labour and delivery.
  • Yoga and gentle stretching help you breathe and relax which can help you adjust to the demands of pregnancy, labour, birth and parenthood.
  • Kegel exercises help to strengthen your muscles that support your bladder, uterus and bowels. When you strengthen these muscles you learn how to relax and tighten them. This helps with “pushing” during labour and delivery. Talk to your health care provider or a physical therapist for information on how to do Kegels.

Safety tips:

• Do not lie on your back while exercising. This can cause shortness of breath, low blood pressure and decreased blood flow to your heart and your baby. This happens because your abdomen is resting on your intestines and major blood vessels (the aorta and vena cava).
• If you are training for a competition or exercising at a level high above the recommended guidelines, discuss your plans with your health care provider.
• Stay hydrated. Drink water before, during and after being active.
• Include a warm up and cool down
• Stop physical activity immediately and talk to your healthcare provider if you have:

• • excessive shortness of breath that does not go away with rest.
  • severe chest pain.
  • regular and painful uterine contractions.
  • vaginal bleeding.
  • persistent loss of fluid from the vagina
  • dizziness or faintness that does not go away with rest.

Activities to avoid during pregnancy

Some activities are not recommended during pregnancy as they put you at risk of injury and could harm the baby. These are:

• activities that require quick stops or changes in direction
• physical contact sports (example basketball, volleyball)
• activities that increase your chance of falling (riding a bike, roller blading)
• exercising when it is very hot, especially if the humidity is high
• scuba diving
• physical activity at high altitude

Is exercise safe for everyone?

Every pregnant woman should consult with her healthcare provider before beginning an exercise program.

If you have any of the conditions below, talk to your health care provider about the risks and benefits of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity.

• history of miscarriages
• high blood pressure in pregnancy
• having had premature delivery
• mild/moderate cardiovascular or respiratory disease
• symptomatic anemia
• undernourished
• eating disorder
• you are expecting twins and are more than 28 weeks pregnant

When exercise is unsafe

During your regular prenatal appointments, your health care provider will do regular testing and screening. If one of these conditions develop, your health care provider will let you know and discuss your plan of care.

If you have one of these conditions, do not exercise.

• when your water breaks early and/or you go into labour before 37 weeks of pregnancy
• vaginal bleeding
• placenta previa after 28 weeks’ of pregnancy
• pregnancy- induced high blood pressure
• weak cervix
• fetus is small for gestational age
• expecting three or more babies.
• uncontrolled: Type I diabetes, high blood pressure or thyroid disease
• other serious cardiovascular, respiratory or systemic disorder
• other significant medical conditions

References:

Canadian Guidelines for Physical Activity throughout Pregnancy (2019)