Pregnancy isn’t an excuse to put your feet up!

Health experts agree that staying active during pregnancy has many positive benefits for you and your baby. 

We all know that exercise is good for us but many women are unsure about how much exercise they can and should do when they’re pregnant. Maternity fitness experts FittaMamma are committed to inspiring women that exercise during pregnancy is not only safe but beneficial. They say, ‘Maintaining fitness whilst you’re pregnant helps both physically and psychologically, helping to reduce many common complaints such as tiredness, backache and swollen ankles.'
 
Regular exercise during pregnancy will release those feel-good endorphins, lift your mood and make it easier to sleep, reducing stress, anxiety and depression. Giving birth is a very physical process - increasing your strength and fitness levels can make all the difference when it comes to labour and it will help with your recovery period afterwards as well.  Let’s face it, no-one would enter a marathon without any training! Most mums who carry on exercising during their pregnancy regain their pre-baby figure much more quickly. Staying fit during pregnancy is good for your baby too.  Research has shown that babies born to active mothers have a healthier birth weight, learn more quickly and are less prone to childhood obesity.  What’s more, if you’re feeling good about yourself, you’ll have more energy for your baby too – it’s win-win all round!
 
It’s a view backed by The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists who recommend that ‘Healthy pregnant women should engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most if not all days of the week’.  The NHS agrees, stating, ‘Being active during pregnancy means you're likely to maintain a healthier weight and be able to cope better with the physical demands of pregnancy and labour. It also reduces the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, birth defects and diabetes.’ 
 
You don’t need to invest in an expensive gym membership, or commit to regular classes, it can be easy to incorporate exercise into your daily routine. Even walking for half an hour a day will help to raise your heart beat. There’s no reason why pregnant women shouldn’t enjoy a whole range of activities such as running, cycling, swimming, yoga and Pilates or working out at home or in the gym. If you’re not sure where to start the FittaMamma website (www.fittamamma.com)  has been developed to offer a useful free resource for health, well-being and exercise in pregnancy. Working closely with pre and post-natal fitness advisors the site offers extensive information about exercise during pregnancy,  including guidelines about safe exercise and pregnancy workouts that can easily be incorporated into a busy lifestyle without the need for special equipment. There are also simple exercise routines to help you regain your shape after the birth. 
 
FittaMamma’s guidelines for safe pregnancy exercise

• Make sure you warm up before you start and cool down when you finish

• Listen to your body – if your workout feels too intense slow down or stop.   Don’t overdo it, if you haven’t trained before build up slowly, maybe 15-20 minutes a day to begin with.

• Carry on talking!  If you’re exercising so hard you can’t easily continue a conversation - ease up!

• Pregnancy isn’t a good time to join a netball team or sign up for your first marathon – but that doesn’t mean you can’t start walking regularly or join a yoga or prenatal exercise class.

• Remember to stay hydrated – keep a water bottle handy.

• Stay cool!  Pregnant women can overheat quite easily so exercise outdoors if possible and choose clothes with a ‘CoolDry’ content to draw moisture away from your body.

• Dress comfortably.  Stretchy well-fitting exercise clothes that support your bump, back and breasts - such as the FittaMamma range - are ideal.

• Avoid exercises that involve you lying on your front after the first trimester and avoid lying on your back after 12 weeks.

• Stay fuelled – don’t exercise on an empty stomach and keep a few energy snacks handy -  a banana, dried fruit or nuts are ideal.

• Ask your doctor or midwife before you start any regular exercise routines or if you have any concerns about your health or your pregnancy

• Stop exercising if you feel any pain, dizziness, excessive weakness or fatigue, or bleeding 

 Check out www.fittamamma.com for free exercise information, prenatal yoga  and pregnancy Pilates routines,  useful nutritional advice and  recipes as well as the FittaMamma range of clothes.