Now if you were a regular exerciser before you got pregnant then, as long as the Doctor’s have not said otherwise, you can continue to exercise throughout your pregnancy at a lower cardiovascular effort. Now, this may be great news if you are very fit and wanted to keep training, but for those of us who wanted a rest, it doesn’t have to be that way!
There are a number of things that as a cardiff personal trainer I would like to highlight to you before you continue to exercise. Do you have any medical problems with either this pregnancy or any in the past? Was exercise a regular part of your life before pregnancy? Are you feeling good about yourself, generally healthy and are you keen to exercise? If you are new to exercise it is imperative that you seek medical advice BEFORE you begin any exercises. If, whilst exercising, you experience any loss of blood/fluid have any pains through the pelvis, feel dizzy or faint, pains in your abdomen, headaches or severe swelling then it is important that you stop immediately and seek medical advise.
Now lets get some of those myths cleared up. Exercise does not increase your risk of miscarriage as long as your pregnancy is a low risk pregnancy. However, if you are not low risk you will already have had advise from your Doctor regarding pregnancy and exercise. There is research that actually proves that runners and dancers have a lower rate of miscarriage than those women who don’t exercise or have stopped exercising. Exercise can take essential nutrients away from your baby. If you are sensible when you exercise and only work up to a maximum of 60% (so you can speak fine) then no nutrients will be taken away from your baby.
You can exercise your abdominals in a different way when pregnant. The best way to proceed is to train with a personal trainer cardiff. One of the techniques is called ‘Abdominal Hollowing’ and can be done standing or on all fours. As you breath normally try and tighten your navel (belly button to spine, I like to call it) and hold it there for 3-6 seconds then totally relax. You can then progress to lifting one hand off the floor whilst holding the stomach tight and lifting one knee off the floor whilst the abdominals are tight. Ensure that you are comfortable with the first exercise before you move onto these.
During the first trimester you may find that you are able to warm up for running in a similar way to how you did before you became pregnant. Just make sure that you are being sensible and not trying to work to the same levels as you were before pregnancy. During the second trimester you will most probably be warming up for longer with a lower intensity and a longer cool down. In the third trimester your running will comprise of mainly walking and faster walking with a little amount of gentle jogging and the cool down will be a slower walk. If you find running too much at any point in your pregnancy then try swimming as it is an excellent alternative as it is less impacting on joints and bump!
Wear a heart rate monitor so you can constantly monitor how hard you are working. You can work out your target heart rate, which will be 60% from the following equation: ((220 – x – y) * 0.70) + y, where x is your age and y is your resting heart rate. Your resting heart rate is the rate at which your heart beats whilst your body is at rest. You can take your resting heart rate first thing in the morning by finding your pulse (wrist) and counting the beats for 60 secs, counting the first beat as zero. Alternatively seek some help from Vitality Fitness personal training cardiff.
Good luck and enjoy!
To ensure that you are training to your best potential train with a personal trainer cardiff at Vitality Fitness.
As it is rather complicated to work out your target heart rate your best bet is to seek help from Vitality Fitness personal training cardiff where they can easily point you in the right direction!
As a professional Cardiff personal trainer come and talk to us for easy, fun and effective workouts.
