The best way to stay fit and healthy while pregnant

Staying fit and healthy during pregnancy is so important for our health and wellbeing. In this blog I will be discussing the why’s the benefits and in addition tips and tools to support you staying fit and healthy during pregnancy.

Staying fit and healthy in pregnancy

This article is all about helping you mama stay fit and healthy in pregnancy.

Prenatal times are the best times to be staying healthy. Theres loads of health gurus and professionals who’ll express exercise guidance in expecting a little one.

There are naturally some exercises to be mindful of which i’m going to be discussing below, you know your body better than anyone.

If it feels ok, it’s probably ok. If its screaming within, what are you doing lady, stop that right now! chances are you’re going to listen to her.

Your body right now is working out enough being pregnant. Help her by listening, as it makes room and grows, nurturing and nourishing your baby.

Work with her, listen to her, know when its enough and please, please, try not to compare.

Our bodies are all so uniquely capable of different tasks.

I’m not you, and you are not me, what is your body telling you?

By 7.5 months pregnant, I stopped walking to the swimming pool, walked to the bus stop instead. Cutting down my exercise substantially by this time was significant. There was no desire to do more hot yoga by 8 months, or long walks, because that’s what my body was telling me to do.

Relaxing, meditating, using my birthing ball to roll my hips, and releasing the back was necessary. Being on all fours was my favourite pose by 8 months. By then I had no feelings to do anything, other than climb the house stairs to use the toilet, and even that towards the end of my pregnancy, was enough exercise.

Its ok to rest.

Still to this day remember that feeling of total breathlessness by the time i’d reached the 13th stair and heartburn ridden, definitely looking forward to not being pregnant anymore.

Listen to your body she is very smart.

The last month of pregnancy is the hardest for most woman, as it’s usually the month of heightened emotions, of the birth nearing. A fed up feeling of fit to burst and definitely ready, for not being pregnant.

⚠️ Don’t’s in pregnancy of keeping healthy and fit

Id like to give you the cautionary’s first, because although there important in pregnancy and seem many, the do’s are so much more

• Don’t:
• Do anything that feels wrong to your body. You know your body and baby better than anyone, if it feels wrong don’t do it.
• Try to start something wildly new. Pregnancy is not the time to be adding on new pressures on top of your changing body. If headstand isn’t in your practice, don’t feel because it can help babies positioning, its a wisest of times in your life to start learning it.
• Lie on your back for long periods of time, as it disrupts the flow of blood to your baby. “It affects the Inferior vena cava (IVC) a large vein that runs along the right side of the spine. When lying on the back, the compression of the baby lying on the IVC, limits the amount of blood being pumped back to the heart. Please check out this link for further medical reasons https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.livescience.com/amp/63375-why-sleep-left-side-pregnant.html
• Twist away from your centre. Twist the same way, so you’re not twisting the belly. Open twists, rather than closed twist. Remember any twists are gentle in pregnancy. I’ve included photos to aid awareness of the difference twists. The 1st photo is not recommended in pregnancy as the torso is twisting away from your baby.

• Compress your stomach.
  • I never teach cat pose or sit ups in pregnancy because its a compression pose, very similar to a closed twist pose. The front body narrows in cat pose and ab crunches, as your back body opens. This simply restricts room for your baby. It felt very unnatural for me to do in pregnancy.
  • Your belly is a sacred place when pregnant for your future babies growth, nourish your belly and baby with space.
  • There are so many other exercises you can do, to help you and your baby whilst pregnant.

• Sleep on your right side
  • This is due to the positioning of the IVC as mentioned above running as long the right side. If laid on, it can limit blood supply and oxygen to the placenta for your baby.
• Breathing exercises not to do
  • Fire breathe (Kapalabahti)
    • constricts the uterus and compresses stomach and is a sharp short motion to the stomach area.
  • Bhastrika Pranayama
    • a rapid forced breathing technique. The force creates stress on the abdomen and create a feeling of dizziness and light headedness.
• Please Don’t worry. If you’re reading this and thinking, oh my god! i’ve done them all. There were times i’d wake on my right but I knew Sebalicious was ok because I could feel him. Simply rolling back over to the left and trying to sleep more, rather than panic and be hard on our self, is so important in pregnancy.
  • I also practiced fire breathe right up till six months, when my midwife told me to stop it. She nearly fell off her chair when I told her I’d been practicing it most mornings. When she explained why, I felt a wave of guilt and being pregnant, naturally more emotional. I then reminded myself that Sebalicious is fine and healthy, stop worrying, and breathed that non serving energy out.
• Don’t feed what no longer serves you.
  • Remember your thoughts create your feelings, which not only influence you now, but also your baby. Our babies feed from our energy.

Do’s of keeping fit and being healthy while pregnant.

Taking care of you and your baby is so key in pregnancy for being healthy and fit. Our mindset is a magical tool we can use to influence our bodies feeling.

What are you feeding yourself mentally?

Reminding yourself daily, “You’ve got this mama” at reminding your mind, at how capable your body can be, and how amazing you are, in trusting her, can be a nourishing saving grace, when the nerves can start to take over.

The list below, are the do list:

• Listen to your body and baby
  • They’ll both always tell you when they’ve had enough.
• Paranayam breathing exercises daily.
  • Breathing properly is medicinal, it will nourish and calm you and your baby and really can help you prepare for birth.
    • Mothering lotus breathe
      • Inhale through the nose and exhale through pursed lips, imagining a golden thread (your breathe). Never push the breathe, you are merely allowing the air to leave before you inhale again and repeat. Try 7 to start and work your way up.
    • Breathing in through the nostrils for 5 and out either through nose or mouth for 5. Whatever serves you best. Inhale through nose to aid calmness. If feeling fiery in emotion, release though the mouth.
    • Alternate nostril breathing- Begin with right thumb pressed on right nostril, index and middle finger on your forehead, and ring finger resting lightly on left nostril. Inhale into left nostril, then press ring finger into left nostril and release thumb on right finger, releasing the air from right nostril. Inhale into right release from left. This is one round. Try seven rounds to feel the energy magic of this exercise.

• Having a birthing ball and practicing these exercises with your ball can really strengthen your pelvic floor muscles.
• Lie on your left side as it will increase the nutrients and blood supply to the placenta and baby.
• Carry snack box with you and a bottle of water. Nuts, fruit and vegetables are wholesome, nutritious, delicious, raw foods. They are the queen for the pregnant body.
• Do walk and swim more, both great gentle exercises.
• Try to join a local pregnancy aqua swim group. It’s a great way to meet other mums and any one that can swim, can do it.
• Try to do more parasympathetic exercises like the birthing ball exercises.
  • These exercises will help and support you move with your breathe and body, in order to feel and be more healthy, fit and calm in pregnancy.
• Keep up yoga if it’s in your practice and also, if your new to practicing, its a great time to start.
  • Its gentle, calming, relaxing and strengthens your body beautifully, for birth.
• Imprint to neutral spine exercise
  • 15 times 3 times a day. Heres a link to this exercise if you’ve forgotten
• Sleep as much as you can.
  • So much magic happens to our bodies when sleeping. It’s the time to restore, reenergise, and reset our bodies ready for the next day. If you have trouble getting comfy which is very common in pregnancy, the pregnancy pillow can help you get more comfortable.
• Do treat yourself more
  • The more you love yourself the more your baby will feel this love from your energy. Whether its buying clothes, going for a massage or listening to your favourite music while boogying your butt around the house, make sure you are loving all of you and being kind towards yourself with your thoughts.
• Dance
  • Can loosen you off, and shake any unnecessaries out and help you feel in. It can help us tune in and move energy and awaken our inners. Dancing is a form of expression that words sometimes cant describe.
• Drink more water
  • When we’re pregnant we naturally need more water to help produce more amniotic fluid, carry nutrients, improve digestion and increase blood flow. It also aids at flushing away toxins and create new tissue.

• Eat more fruit and vegetables. They are full of vitamins and minerals, everything our pregnant body needs.

Tips to stay healthy and fit in pregnancy.

There are many aspects of pregnancy that can put us off exercising as we grow. What one person describes as, beautifully bigger, another might think horrendously fatter.

Maintaining a healthy positive loving mindset towards our self, is crucial in life, especially pregnancy when our bodies changing.

It can be as simple as wearing appropriate comforting clothing which flatter you and help you feel better about our ever changing self. I loved wearing Blooming Marvellous clothes as they grow and shrink with you, i’m not kidding. The most fabulous clothes that I still wear now.

Using a birthing ball especially at night and honing into your breath, can make such a remarkable difference to our mindset which can help our body.

Wearing a Fitbit watch can help you tune into tuning into you and your exercise progress and can support you, to start focusing in, to staying fitter and healthier by exercising more or less, depending on what your body says.

Having communicative relationships with close family and good friends, who you can be you around and who nourish you from the roots up, with love and support, is vital when pregnant.

Tools to help you stay healthy in pregnancy

Below, i’ve put in order of importance of what helped me, to stay healthy and fit when I was pregnant.

• Organic almond oil rubbed nightly on the perineum helps to stretch the skin effectively, preparing the vaginal area for birthing.
• A birthing ball is a necessary piece of kit every pregnant woman must have. I still use this one at home to exercise 5 years on.
• Effective comforting prenatal clothes that encourage you to remember how blooming marvellous you are. I wore Blooming Marvellous prenatal clothes as I loved them. Here’s the website https://blooming-marvelous.co.uk
• Deluxe Comfort Pillow Side-Sleeper Prenatal Pregnancy Unique L-Shaped Design-Superior Comfort-Body, White can aid sleep and your comfort.
• PharMeDoc Pregnancy Pillow can support you when sitting and lying exercising. Highly recommend placing it between your knees to create more space in the pelvis.
• Prenatal vitamins
  • Full of everything you need in pregnancy.
• Decent slip on shoes
  • Really can make a massive difference at how capable we feel, especially as the third trimester comes round. These Crocs or these Birkenstock sandals are super comfy. No fuss to get on and no frills footwear. Just what can be needed in pregnancy.
• Earplugs
  • Can enable you to lie and listen comfortably.
• Relaxing music
  • Is so fabulous for you and your baby especially classical music. I listened to Einaudi: In A Time Lapse But if I need a good shake it out exercise I love shaking my hips to Taranta Project. So much energy, emotive culture and sass, to it. Shakes those hips mama.
• A good book
  • preferably tuning you into your new parenting road ahead while you have time to read can really support new neurones grow.
  • I read How Not to F*** Them Up in the third trimester as it supported me think about the kind of parent I wanted to grow into.
• Getting a massage can really help ease and move discomfort.

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