How to stay active during your pregnancy!

Why? 

It is safe and helps achieve the best possible health for both you and your baby.  

• Increases strength and energy, which can help reduce fatigue 

• Improves common pregnancy symptoms including back pain, shortness of breath, varicose veins, and calf cramps 

• Helps control weight gain, gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, and hypertension 

• Boosts self-esteem and reduces anxiety/depression during pregnancy  

• Prepares for childbirth and reduces complications during labour

Who and how? 

Most women can perform physical activities during pregnancy.  

If you did exercise before pregnancy, you can continue throughout your pregnancy. Choose low-impact sports (avoid trampoline, boxing, etc.). Exercise intensity goal = be able to  maintain a conversation while exercising.  

If you did not exercise before pregnancy, start in the second trimester under medical supervision. Choose low-impact sports (avoid trampoline, boxing, etc.). Exercise intensity goal = be able to  maintain a conversation while exercising. 

Start with 

15 minutes of continuous exercise, 3 times per week, with 10 minutes of warm-up and cool-down. Gradually increase to 30 minutes, 4 times per week. 

• In either case, make sure you don’t exercise in hot and humid environments, especially in the first trimester. 

• If you are stretching, avoid excessive or ballistic stretches as your body is more prone to musculoskeletal injuries with the increased level of the relaxin hormone. 

• Performing a good warm up and cool down will reduce the risk of injury. 

There are a few cases where pregnant women shouldn’t exercise:  

• Persistent vaginal fluid loss (ruptured membranes), premature labor 

• Unexplained persistent bleeding 

• Placenta previa after 28 weeks of gestation 

• Pre-eclampsia (pregnancy-induced hypertension) 

• Cervical incompetence 

• Triplets or more 

• Uncontrolled type 1 diabetes, uncontrolled thyroid disease, or uncontrolled hypertension 

• Severe cardiovascular, respiratory, or systemic disorders 

• Intrauterine growth restriction 

*If in doubt, consult your doctor and/or midwife. 

A bit more about running... 

Running is safe during pregnancy if you were running before pregnancy. Pause your running and speak to someone if while you are running, or after your run you experience any symptoms of incontinence, perineal heaviness, or abdominal pain. 

After pregnancy, talk to someone about the right timeline to return to running. This will likely be about 3-6 months after giving birth and will depend on whether you have any symptoms like those listed above. A follow-up with a Pelvic Physiotherapist after 6 weeks is highly recommended to help you create a plan to get back to any sport, especially running. 

When to stop? 

If these warning signs appear, it is time to stop the activity you were doing and to consult a doctor, a midwife or a physiotherapist:  

• Excessive shortness of breath 

• Chest pain 

• Calf pain or swelling 

• Painful uterine contractions 

• Dizziness, fainting or headache 

• Muscle weakness affecting balance 

• Amniotic fluid leakage 

• Vaginal bleeding 

Questions? Not sure what you should do next? Give us a call and we would be happy to help! 

References:  

Running and pregnancy. The Running Clinic - Prevention of Running Injuries. https://therunningclinic.com/runners/blog/archives-anglaises/running-and-pregnancy/ 

Bo et al. Exercise and pregnancy in recreational and elite athletes: 2016/17 evidence summary from IOC Expert Group Meeting, Lausanne. Parts 1-2-3. BJSM 2016, 50: 571-589 + 1297-1305. BJSM 2017, 0: 1-10. 

Physical Activity Readiness Medical Examination for Pregnancy (PARmed X for pregnancy) © 2002, used with permission from the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, Inc. www.csep.ca/forms.asp