Pregnancy exercises at home • Exercise Anytime Anywhere

Pregnancy and what is happening to my body.

There is so much pregnancy exercises guidance out there on the web. From what pregnancy exercises to do, to what pregnancy exercises not to do. This page is here to support you mum, on your journey through pregnancy. As the pregnancy symptoms that come with the territory of being pregnant, there are exercises that really can help you through these growing times.

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Exercises in pregnancy

There is so much exercising in pregnancy guidance out there on the web. From what exercises to do in pregnancy, to what exercises not to do in pregnancy. What yoga kit is needed at home and what is additional

All I ever say, as a teacher is,

You are your best teacher.

You know your body better than anyone else. If it doesn’t feel right for you and your baby, ask yourself

Why am I sticking to my morning exercise routine if it isn’t feeling right?.

Now, more than any time in your life, its vital you can listen to your body which holds your answers.

There are so many amazing meditations to soothe you in pregnancy, but only you know if it helps you.

What helps you to stay fit and healthy in pregnancy?

Exercises in pregnancy, is great and so good for our baby and us.

There are so many benefits of exercising especially on the birthing ball in pregnancy.

But its like anything, we’ve got to find balance with it, while our body adjusts to our ever growing, changing body and babies needs.

Be gentle on your glorious self as a mom. I discuss this very subject here

We are all so wonderfully different, our capabilities are varied, our lives are diverse, but we have to be honest with our self by listening to our body and baby, at what they are saying to us.

Heres 5 exercises to increase your intuition in pregnancy.

Hot yoga was out for me by 8 months pregnant, rolling my hips on a birthing ball was necessary to feel more space. Meditation was crucial, as the body and mind became much more inward at this time, preparing for the birthing date mentally.

Being so gentle towards our body, is key, by the third trimester and by this stage eating more to, in order to provide the body with more vitamins and mineral foods, preparing for the birthing stage.

As pregnant and as proud as we can be, and as beautiful and glowing you are growing with pregnancy, remember your body is working hard enough, to create your amazing baby.

With this in mind there are some exercises in pregnancy to be aware of.

Exercises not to do in pregnancy ⚠️

Exercising in pregnancy is great but there are some cautions to be aware of.

Do not start any exercise that is physically radically new, in, pregnancy. For instance running up a mountain when you’ve never run before, or weightlifting when the only thing you’ve lifted is a tin of tomatoes.
Do not be overly enthused with any exercise, especially in your first trimester. Like running a marathon or practicing hot yoga. I will not advise exercise in the first trimester apart from gentle exercise like walking and swimming. Let your body balance out and grow gently, with the pregnancy changes.
Do not push your body. If it doesn’t feel right, ask yourself why you are doing it? You know your body better than anyone, listen to her. Your pregnant body is working hard enough. Never underestimate the power of your intuition ladies.
- Here’s a guest blog by Colette a teacher of over 20 years experience, who runs Infinity Yoga in Glasgow. She discusses Exercise guidance in expecting a little one
Do not turn away from your baby (your midline). Exercises like twisting away from the torso and back bends really don’t support the baby.
- I firmly believe my baby was in a great position until I did a cartwheel at 7.5months pregnant in a hot yoga class and Seb turned completely round. Felt fine, at the time, till I had to deliver a back to back vaginal birth. Highly would not recommend it.

Pelvic floor exercises in pregnancy

Exercising in pregnancy of your pelvic floor muscles in pregnancy is vital.

I am so tired of seeing tenor lady ads of a new mum as a representable face of it. Why is this the norm of pregnancy and having a baby? It really doesn’t have to be, if we get in tune, by exercising our pelvic floor muscles in pregnancy.

⚠️ A top tip for exercising during pregnancy, get in tune with your pelvic floor muscles now, because these are key to preparing you for the birth and postnatally. I understand some woman need to wear tenor pads for understandable health reasons, but a lot of these health issues stem from not practicing pelvic floor exercises.

Practice your pelvic floor exercises now, three times a day in pregnancy, it will not only help you in birthing your baby, but beyond. Heres a more detailed blog on how to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles.

What I love about these exercises, is they can be done anywhere, anytime, sitting on a bus, driving your car, waiting for an appointment, cycling.

So simple, so strong and so subtle in their strength through our breathe, to draw in our pelvic floor muscles.

Three times a day, 15 reps. Gentle guiding breathe work, that encourages us to tune in to our body and calms our nervous system down, by slowing our breathe down and using it to draw in your pelvic floor muscles, whilst giving our baby 45 hugs a day.

Medicine for you, medicine for your baby.

By focusing on your pelvic floor muscles now, you are giving your body a stronger chance to find the connection your body needs, to birth your baby and draw in your pelvic floor muscles, by exercising through time, and after pregnancy.

I assure you, it will not only serve your sanity in motherhood, but it’ll save you money on not having to buy tenor pads!

Breathing exercises during pregnancy

Breathing is an art form for the abdominal muscles and reenergising and calming your nervous system and key for exercising in pregnancy.

If you regularly practice yoga, you’ll know the better you breathe, the more space is created to move.

Pregnancy is no different in that the gentler you can be with your big belly breathe in allowing the breathe in, the more room you can create for you and your baby.

It’s uncomfortable being pregnant at times, so learning breathing exercises as the hormones heighten and everyone and everything starts to irritate you and especially in labour. Breathing is really important in finding a bit more room, within and supports birthing your baby better.

Connecting your breathe into your belly, with every inhale, and using all four diaphragms in a Pranayama, Prana (breathe) Yama (control) can bring focus, vitality, mood changing results.

Padma Mudra 3 meditations to try is a number one breathing exercise for pregnancy and throughout motherhood. Its a heart opener connecting our mind and leading with our heart full of love and light for yourself and others.

Another fantastic pranayama is anulom vilom also known as alternate nostril breathe. This techniques brings your body into your parasympathetic nervous system calming and soothing emotions. Sprinkle a bit of magic in you.

I’ve got loads of breathing techniques to teach, but only you can breathe it.

Check out here a more detailed description of breathing exercises to do and not to do in pregnancy in how to stay fit and healthy in pregnancy.

The best present you can give you and your baby, is your breath.

Breathing pregnancy exercises not to do

Although pranayama is great for the body there are a few breathing exercises not to do in pregnancy.

These are kapalbhati as it can rupture the placenta and is a very foreceful breathe which isnt effective when your babies brewing.

Breathing exercises that hold the breathe are also not advised. Your baby needs as much oxygen as they can and restricting it isn’t healthy for either of you.

Exercises to help common symptoms in pregnancy

Common pregnancy symptoms are often necessary in pregnancy. However there are specific pregnancy exercises that can help ease discomfort through the pregnancy stages:

Stages of pregnancy and exercise guidance

Each stage of pregnancy changes dimension, the rants retract and redirect their roar, because its that roar that helps our baby come out.

First trimester
- First 12 weeks. The baby grows fast and it is a fragile time in pregnancy with many hormonal changes. The body can experience many different symptoms. Not a time for intense exercise, please be gentle with your pregnant body, as it becomes more familair with the changes.
Second trimester
- 13-28 weeks
- This is a time of quicken growth for the baby with nails and skeleton development. Pregnant mums can usually feel the baby moving by now and the baby belly starts to show. Symptoms of 1st trimester lessen, and change into different form. In general this stage feels more energising. This is a great time for starting prenatal yoga and tuning into your parasympathetic nervous system and mindset.
Third trimester
- 29-40 weeks
- For many, the experience of the 1st trimester symptoms return and a time of rapid weight gain for mum and baby, as the body prepares for birth. As your baby builds up fat storage, ready for the world of extra cuteness with those wee chubby cheeks. This is the time in pregnancy that heartburn and, swelling of the ankles face and fingers is most common. Sleeplessness due to baby’s room restriction and naturally hijacking the bladder means many nightly visits to the toilet, just such an uncomfortable, how can my body get bigger, feeling. But it does and my, does the body amaze me. But guys there’s a lot of exercises you can do in this month, at home to help with these feelings and lessen these symptoms.

Solid support network

When were pregnant we can feel really vulnerable and its so important we have a solid support circle. A network of people we can rely on if needed.

A simple chat with a close friend, and those we can really speak with, can help make a massive difference to our holistic self, when we’re pregnant and as a parent.

Remember your olive branch.

Having strong relationships with your partner and exercising together can strengthen both of you.

Having immediate family is fabulous, but if you’re not blessed with having this, close comrades to converse with, can be as good.

It’s understandable to feel nervous about the birth when pregnant, you are not alone.

Everyone, I felt when pregnant, around me, was telling me everything that could go wrong with the birth “oh let me tell you about” and literally my mind would go to a beach of crystal clear water, with music blasting my mind with, “one night in heaven, one night in heaven, yeeeeah” M People track for those of you who haven’t a clue, what i’m talking about!

Upbeat, positive, boogy on down tunes.

I had to switch off from listening to this dramatised style of chat, because of how it made me feel the, ‘what if, drama’ of the, unknown labour, ahead.

It wasn’t their intention to create this feeling, their just chatting. They’re also excited, nervous and omg there’s so many emotions as the due date comes, but nobody except mama bear, can help baby birth best.

I used to remind myself, on a breathing meditation while hugging Seb gently with pelvic floor exercises, “everything is going to be ok, we’ve got this, your coming out somehow and whatever happens, were going to be fine, breathe”

Being a calm, collected, ‘we’ve got this‘ mindset character, is going to help a more positive, grounded attitude, towards the birth and beyond, to breathe better, breathe deeper and breathe stronger. However the support network around us as mums, is going to continue to nourish us both, from the roots up.

Know in your heart and remind your ego, no matter how many pregnant mums, or mums with six kids, who seem to breeze through pregnancy and motherhood say, “I never have any bother with mine” we all struggle as mums at times, and that is ok.

Reach in, to find your way out for support, and find your mum olive branch, because we are all, just figuring it out, day by day.

“Takes a village to raise a child”

We all need more love in life.

Breathe mama, you’ve got this.

Food and diet in pregnancy

Your midwife or health care nurse will guide you to what you specifically need. What we do in terms of exercise and what we eat are crucial to our pregnant body feelings. Our why has to be bigger than our why not in terms of what we choose to eat.

“We are what are eat.”

Eating a balanced diet, high in vitamins and minerals is going to influence our mind and body and encourage good mental habits to grow.

If you make smoothies nows the time to create more and learn different smoothie recipes. High in vitamins minerals and anti-oxidants all power houses in pregnancy.

Have you ever heard a pregnant woman say, “I’m eating for two” it simply is a myth and medically not advised.

As pregnancy enters the third trimester, foods high in vitamins and minerals is encouraged to be increased to 300 calories more. I found this great article which discusses the issues surrounding this topic, in more detail.

Most pregnant woman are connected with healthy starts intuitive, if you haven’t heard of them, details can be found here http://www.healthystarts.nhs.uk

In general in pregnancy an increase in

Vitamin D
- for those of darker skin, not getting out into sunlight as often, or covering of skin for cultural reasons.
Folic acid (400mg) your midwife/doctor will advise
Iron supplement if vegetarian
Vitamin C to be taken with iron supplement, as vitamin C is needed to absorb iron and also works at reducing constipation. Alternately use a glass of fresh fruit juice, high in vitamin C like I did.

⚠️ Do not eat and take

Alcohol
Tobacco
Limit caffeine
Vitamin A supplements
Liver or pate which are high in vitamin A
Ripe moulded soft cheese
raw eggs
raw meat
- both raw foods can create risks of salmonella and listeriosis, bacterial infections in the body which can be life threatening for baby and could affect babies development.

If you are in any doubt ask your midwife or doctor.

Nesting in pregnancy

“She’s just buying everything and acting coo coo” ring a bell? Nesting times here, it usually arrives by the 3rd trimester and sometimes by 2nd.

Woman nest differently, for me it was buying lego for a five year old that still had five years to get there.

Buying unnecessary products can be suddenly vital and please people don’t argue, just let us build our nourishing nest, as this is the time the body and brain is preparing for giving birth.

Gentlemen you get the fun bit, we woman have to do the hard bit.

Big job were about to undertake, let us be wild in our non sensical thinking, its the hormones. Its nurturing us in, by encouraging us to create our nest to make sure were ready for anything.

Some clean, some buy completely unnecessary products, some rearrange the whole house, some move draws, its nesting, the preparation period. We are all so wonderfully different in our nesting nuances.

There’s so much stuff to think about, and heres a sneak peak into my thought process of what do i need baby carrier or stroller

Questions like what are the pros and cons of having a sling vs a stroller

Aswell as what are the pro’s and con’s of using a moby wrap to help you decide which to buy, and plan ahead of babies arrival.

Some of you may even want to investigate using an osprey poco carrier once your baby is 1.

Precious time of life being completely different, bonding with your new baby and making sure they’re ok. From feeding, to weaning, to eating, to sleeping, or not sleeping, to teething, too potty trained and omg are you dressing yourself now. The time flies in and adjusting to motherhood, can be a massive change in lifestyle.

“Your so little, yet you take up all my time” it still amazes me. This is why finding exercises around being a mom is vital for health and wellbeing freedom.

Being patient and enjoying this very small one to one time with your growing up so quickly baby is gold dust. You will never get these years back.

There are so many loving positive ways, we can help and support our pregnant partner.

Birthing plan

Its great to have a birthing plan and if your unsure of what birthing plan you would like or where to begin. I read this really useful article, on how to create your birthing plan found in this WHICH article

But and this is a big but, please be ready and willing if necessary, to change and flow with it.

Try to always keep in your mind, as obvious as it sounds, thee most important part of your birthing plan, is having a healthy baby and mum afterwards.

If that means, changing the birthing plan to help your baby and you, can you let go and grow with it?

There is so much unexpectedness that can happen out with our birthing plan. Sure we want it to be as perfect and pretty as it can be, but the reality doesn’t always fit.

We don’t know what is going to happen.

Our ability to be flexible as mums, and ride the waves, starts now it will help to strengthen good mental habits.

By not having to hold on to what we want and know what we need, it’s a beautiful time to acknowledge transitions in us.

Stressing out because we are not getting what we wanted in our birthing plan, (can you see the toddler in you?)isn’t going to help our baby, or us. Stress full stop, doesn’t help any human, especially a little human.

How we respond to the contractions is unpredictable.

Preparing for labor through exercise can support your body to open and be better prepared.

Looking to induce labour through exercise?

All the breathing exercises and meditations help of course, but until we’re there, we don’t know how we will react. Having positive labor affirmations you’ve internalised throughout your pregnancy will help support guide you when birthing.

What we want and what we need, can be completely out of our control, once labour starts.

I wanted to have a home water birth, which was never an option considering the high risk category we were. No hospital, no drugs, I intended to give birth solo. My birthing plan given my pregnancy story went completely out the window, once labour started.

But what a beautiful gift can await us all at the end.

Breathe mama you’ve got this.

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