How active should i be during pregnancy

In this video, a midwife describes things women can do during pregnancy to help make giving birth easier. Sign up for Start4Life's weekly emails for expert advice, videos and tips on pregnancy, birth and beyond.

Page last reviewed: 20 January Next review due: 20 January Home Pregnancy Keeping well in pregnancy Back to Keeping well in pregnancy. Exercise in pregnancy. Exercise tips for pregnancy Do not exhaust yourself. Remember that exercise does not have to be strenuous to be beneficial. Exercise tips when you're pregnant: always warm up before exercising, and cool down afterwards try to keep active on a daily basis — 30 minutes of walking each day can be enough, but if you cannot manage that, any amount is better than nothing avoid any strenuous exercise in hot weather drink plenty of water and other fluids if you go to exercise classes, make sure your teacher is properly qualified and knows that you're pregnant, as well as how many weeks pregnant you are you might like to try swimming because the water will support your increased weight.

Some local swimming pools provide aqua-natal classes with qualified instructors. Find your local swimming pool exercises that have a risk of falling, such as horse riding, downhill skiing, ice hockey, gymnastics and cycling, should only be done with caution. Falls carry a risk of damage to your baby Exercises to avoid in pregnancy do not lie flat on your back for long periods, particularly after 16 weeks, because the weight of your bump presses on the main blood vessel bringing blood back to your heart and this can make you feel faint do not take part in contact sports where there's a risk of being hit, such as kickboxing, judo or squash do not go scuba diving, because the baby has no protection against decompression sickness and gas embolism gas bubbles in the bloodstream do not exercise at heights over 2,m above sea level — this is because you and your baby are at risk of altitude sickness Exercises for a fitter pregnancy If you are pregnant, try to fit the exercises listed in this section into your daily routine.

Stomach-strengthening exercises As your baby gets bigger, you may find that the hollow in your lower back increases and this can give you backache. These exercises strengthen stomach abdominal muscles and may ease backache, which can be a problem in pregnancy: start in a box position on all 4s with knees under hips, hands under shoulders, with fingers facing forward and abdominals lifted to keep your back straight pull in your stomach muscles and raise your back up towards the ceiling, curling your trunk and allowing your head to relax gently forward.

How to do pelvic floor exercises: close up your bottom, as if you're trying to stop yourself going to the toilet at the same time, draw in your vagina as if you're gripping a tampon, and your urethra as if to stop the flow of urine at first, do this exercise quickly, tightening and releasing the muscles immediately then do it slowly, holding the contractions for as long as you can before you relax: try to count to 10 try to do 3 sets of 8 squeezes every day: to help you remember, you could do a set at each meal As well as these exercises, practice tightening the pelvic floor muscles before and during coughing and sneezing.

Find out more about incontinence. How and when should I do pelvic floor exercises? Media last reviewed: 27 February Media review due: 17 March Fitness refers to your stamina, strength and flexibility. The best way to get fit is through regular physical activity at an intensity that pushes you to work at a moderate pace, but not to the point of being out of breath.

Weight gain and altered posture are two obvious physical changes that happen during pregnancy. Other changes are less visible. To meet the increasing demand for blood supply to your growing baby, your heart enlarges and also pumps faster. This means you are already doing an aerobic workout just by being pregnant. It also means that you should moderate the intensity of your exercise as there is a smaller range between your resting heart rate and the safe maximum heart rate.

The volume of your blood increases as your baby grows. A softening of the walls of your veins and the weight of your uterus in later pregnancy can affect the flow of blood to your heart, allowing it to pool in your legs. Calf raises and walking on the spot while you are exercising in a standing position will encourage the flow of blood back to your heart and help to prevent light-headedness.

Support stockings can also help if you are prone to feeling light-headed or if you have varicose veins. After 16 weeks of pregnancy, it is best to avoid exercises lying on your back as the weight of the baby can press on major blood vessels returning blood to the heart and also cause you to feel light-headed or nauseous.

It is also recommended to sleep on your side in the second half of your pregnancy. If you wake to find yourself on your back, trust that your body has woken you in order to move to a better sleeping position. Intensive exercise may cause your core temperature to rise to an unsafe level for your baby.

Take these simple precautions:. Pregnancy hormones cause a change in the structure of the ligaments that support your joints so that they are softer. This, along with changes in your posture and weight gain, can increase the need to protect your joints during pregnancy, especially when you exercise. Talk to your doctor about getting active during your pregnancy. Reviewed by: U. Topic navigation Browse Sections. Before you start