Whether you were a workout fanatic pre-pregnancy or are looking to get started, there are plenty of pregnancy exercises you can do to keep you and your bump in tip-top condition. And while it might feel harder as you progress through your pregnancy, take it from me - you'll be grateful you stayed fit when you're giving birth. While I certainly didn't hit the HIIT workouts when I was pregnant, I tried to fit walking into my daily routine and I'm sure it helped with my pregnancies, both in terms of improving my stamina to cope with labour and my postpartum recovery.
Our expert, Mari-Carmen Sanchez-Morris, agrees that exercising throughout your pregnancy is important for both you and your growing baby and it can help make labour more manageable. She notes that "staying active during pregnancy is great for strengthening your core and pelvic muscles, which help support the extra weight and get your body ready for the physical demands of labour. Improved muscle tone and endurance can make delivery smoother and less stressful, reducing the chances of complications."
However, while it is safe to exercise during your pregnancy and won’t harm your baby, it’s important you listen to your body and don't overdo it. The NHS says: “As a general rule, you should be able to hold a conversation as you exercise when pregnant. If you become breathless as you talk, then you're probably exercising too strenuously.”
If you’re someone who worked out regularly before, remember you won’t be able to exercise to the same level as you did previously, especially as your pregnancy progresses. If you’re only just starting to get active, don’t jump in at the deep end, take things easy and start with no more than 15 minutes of continuous exercise three times a week. Also, if you take up any exercise classes make sure you tell the instructor you’re pregnant first.
The benefits of exercising while pregnant
• Physical health: Exercising while pregnant can help with back pain, bloating, swelling and constipation. It can improve your blood circulation, increase your stamina levels and help strengthen your muscles ready for birth. As Mari-Carmen explains, "regular movement boosts circulation, delivering nutrients to your baby while helping to reduce issues like swelling. Staying fit can improve posture and ease discomforts like back pain and pelvic pressure."
• Mental health: "Exercise is great for mental health, helping to manage stress, boost mood, and improve sleep quality" says Mari-Carmen.
• Preparation for labour: Childbirth can be physically challenging so exercising regularly throughout pregnancy can help get strengthen your body and improve your stamina to prepare you for labour and birth.
• Postpartum recovery: Exercise can help you recover faster after labour and Mari-Carmen notes that "staying active during pregnancy sets you up for a faster recovery. It can help speed up healing, especially after a vaginal delivery, and help your body bounce back more quickly. It may also reduce the risk of gestational diabetes, excessive weight gain, or high blood pressure, which can have lasting effects on your health."
• Pelvic Floor strength: Exercise like Pilates has been shown to help strengthen your pelvic floor. Doing this alongside specific pelvic floor exercises in pregnancy can help reduce or avoid stress incontinence after pregnancy.
Here are seven of the best pregnancy exercises you can do safely while pregnant, that will not only help keep your heart healthy and body toned, but your mind feeling great too.
What exercise should you avoid in pregnancy?
While exercise is a great way to stay healthy in body and mind during pregnancy, your body is undergoing some major changes and you should bear this in mind when you're considering exercising. Always consult your healthcare professional, especially if you're not used to exercising, as there are some exercises you should steer clear of during pregnancy.
As Mari-Carmen explains, "high-impact activities or contact sports like rugby, skiing, or gymnastics are risky because of the chance of falls or injury to your abdomen. Heavy weightlifting isn’t recommended as this can put too much strain on your core."
But even if you're doing more gentle exercise such as yoga, "it’s important that you avoid deep twisting moves or exercises that push your flexibility too much - pregnancy hormones can loosen your ligaments and joints, making you more prone to injury."
In addition, Mari-Carmen suggests avoiding exercises that push your heart rate or your temperature too high. "Excessive cardio that pushes your heart rate too high, as well as hot yoga or workouts in high-heat environments, should also be avoided to prevent overheating, which could pose risks for both you and your baby."
The NHS also recommends avoiding exercise that requires lying on your back for extended periods, especially after 16 weeks, as the weight of your bump can press on your main artery and make you feel faint.
Best pregnancy exercises
The best pregnancy exercises are ones that are low-impact and easy to adjust as your body changes throughout the trimesters. These are seven types of exercise you can do throughout your pregnancy and beyond.
1. Swimming
Your baby is enjoying life in a watery world right now, and you should be too. When you’re pregnant, a trip to your local swimming pool cools you down, supports your joints and rests your bump. Best of all, being in water helps you feel weightless: immersing your body up to your waist decreases your weight by 50 per cent and, if you wander towards the deep end and submerge up to your chest, 75 per cent. And when your bump is getting big, that’s just heavenly.
Mari-Carmen agrees that swimming is a good all-rounder. "Swimming and water aerobics are brilliant for taking pressure off your joints and working your pelvic floor. Being in the water helps reduce the weight on your body, and the buoyancy makes it easier to move around. Plus, the water resistance activates your pelvic floor and core muscles, which helps strengthen and tone the area."
2. Walking
One of the best pregnancy exercises is walking - it's the ideal exercise to start with if you're used to limited physical activity, it's easy to make it part of your everyday routine, you don't need any equipment, and it's free too! "Walking is a simple way to keep your heart healthy without putting too much strain on your body", says Mari-Carmen. Being low impact, it's something you can do right up until labour if everything feels comfortable and why not do it with friends and have a catch up at the same time? Just make sure you're wearing comfy shoes and you stay on level ground.
3. Running
If running or jogging was part of your life before pregnancy, it's perfectly safe to continue this providing you feel fine. Running while pregnant won't impact your baby and it's a brilliant way to keep your heart and lungs healthy. As your bump gets bigger and you enter your third trimester, you may feel more tired so be sure to listen to your body and make resting a priority when needed.
If you didn't run before you were pregnant, it's best to stick to walking briskly as your joints won't be used to the exercise.
4. Pilates
Similar to Yoga, Pilates is a low-impact exercise that aims to strengthen your body evenly, with an emphasis on your core muscles. Pilates is really helpful in giving your body a helping hand with carrying the extra weight that is your baby. It also focuses on strengthening your pelvic floor muscles which is helpful in birth and during your recovery.
5. Yoga
Mari-Carmen suggests yoga as one of the best pregnancy exercises which "improves flexibility, balance, and relaxation while also strengthening key muscles." Pregnancy yoga is also a lovely way to spend time with your unborn baby and there are lots of benefits to enjoy too as a result. Staying active helps to keep your body strong and flexible and research has found that it can also improve sleep and reduce anxiety and stress as well.
A lot of the skills you learn in yoga may actually prove useful when it’s time to prepare to meet your upcoming arrival, enabling you to be more in-tune with your body. Being able to stay focused and calm through deep and mindful breathing as is encouraged in yoga, can help you to relax your body and feel more confident and in control when giving birth.
6. Dancing
‘Dancing is brilliant for your wellbeing at any time of your life,’ says pregnancy dance instructor Elisa Reinerio. ‘This is especially true during pregnancy as it helps you experience what feels good as your body changes, learn how to adjust your movements as your bump grows and really listen to what your body is telling you. It’s also a form of mental release. Dancing can help you tap into what you’re feeling and enable you to sort through your emotions and let go of any tension or pent-up feelings. It does this by reducing levels of the stress hormone cortisol, leaving you more relaxed. Amazingly your baby will reap the benefits too. From as early on as around 14 weeks into your pregnancy, they’ll be able to hear the music and feel your patterns of movement, which creates a bond between the two of you.’
7. Weight training
If you did weight training before pregnancy then there’s no reason why you can’t continue, as it’s great for strengthening your body for labour. However, there are some adjustments you need to make. If you’re someone who would regularly use a barbell as part of your training, swap to dumbbells instead and opt for a lighter weight and increase the number of repetitions. Avoid lifting weights while lying on your back after 12 weeks or above your head in the last three months of your pregnancy. The best areas to focus on strengthening during your pregnancy include your glutes, ankles, upper back, hamstrings, pelvic floor and quadriceps. Always speak to a member of gym staff if you’re ever unsure.
Home pregnancy exercises
While long workouts at the gym might be out of the question during your pregnancy, there are lots of workouts you can do in your own home, either with or without fitness equipment. You might also feel less self-conscious and more comfortable working out in your living room than at the gym. If you want to have a selection of exercises you can do at home, our fitness expert has suggested five pregnancy exercises that will help keep you in shape safely.
Pregnancy DVDs are also great way to work out at home and you could also check out the wealth of pregnancy fitness workouts on YouTube. And now we’ve all got smartphones, tablets, and smart TVs, it is easier than ever to stream YouTube videos to watch straight away. We've rounded up the best pregnancy fitness videos on Youtube, from stretches to yoga and even those dreaded cardio workouts!
The best pregnancy exercises on Youtube
We've rounded up our favourite channels on YouTube that will help you to stay fit and flexible throughout pregnancy.
BodyFit by Amy
With 50 exercise videos ranging from cardio to yoga, BodyFit by Amy offers something for everyone. The exercises feature safe yet effective moves with different options depending on your fitness level. Get your heart pumping just enough while strengthening all your muscles and preparing you for delivery.
Yoga with Adriene
Adriene Mishler, actress and yoga enthusiast, provides you with safe yoga poses to practice while you are pregnant. Learn happy and healthy poses for both mum and baby with a strong focus on the breath. Take your time, listen and connect to your intuitive self.
Fit with Sally
Fit with Sally offers a wide selection of prenatal and postnatal exercise videos, including some which are suitable for specific trimesters. With everything from arms to abs, full body workouts to those targeting specific aches and pains, there's a workout for every body and mood.
Joan Murphy for Mother&Baby
With several videos to choose from, our quick workouts filmed with Joan Murphy, a co-founder of Frame fitness studios in London, show you lots of achievable exercises for pregnancy. Once you’ve had your baby, we’ve got new mum workout exercises to do with your baby too!
Sarah Campus, LDNMums Fitness
Founder of LDNMums Fitness, Sarah Campus has a selection of prenatal and postnatal workout videos, ranging from exercises to help pelvic girdle pain to low impact cardio workouts.
Katy Appleton
Yoga is well known for its beneficial properties whether you are pregnant, trying for a baby, a new mum, or just a regular Joe needing to keep in shape. Not only will yoga strengthen and tone your body during pregnancy, but it will help you stay calm and centred too. As part of Apple Yoga, Katy Appleton offers yoga classes and workshops as well as online courses. This series of pregnancy yoga videos on Tonic will ease you into yoga.
Diana Antholis
Stay healthy during pregnancy with the Pregnancy Unleashed Prenatal Series from Diana Antholis, personal trainer, best-selling author and lifestyle coach. The videos include pregnancy stretches to relieve everyday aches and pains and stability ball exercises for back and pelvic pain relief which can be used before and during pregnancy.
About the expert
Mari-Carmen Sanchez-Morris is the founder of the FIT MAMA app and a pre and postnatal health expert. After working as a Paediatric Intensive Care nurse, her own maternity experiences in 2017 inspired her to pursue a career in pre and postnatal fitness, becoming a certified personal trainer to support women in their fitness journeys. With her medical background and personal experience, she empowers women to reclaim their strength and identity. As a mother of three, she is passionate about making health and fitness resources available to all mothers.
Rebecca Lancaster is a Digital Writer for Mother&Baby, drawing on ten years of parenting her two children to help others navigating their own parenting journey. As a freelance writer, she spent ten years working with leading lifestyle brands, from travel companies to food and drink start-ups, and writing everything from hotel reviews to guides to the best British cheeses. She’s particularly interested in travel and introducing her children to the excitement of visiting new places, trying different foods (less successfully) and experiencing different cultures.