FAMILY HEALTH
CHARLIE BARKER SHARES THE DOS AND DON’T S OF PRE-NATAL AND POST-NATAL EXERCISE.
IT’S every mother’s instinct to protect her baby, and some believe taking it easy is part of that protection. But safe exercise can be good for mums and babies both during and after pregnancy.
The Government recommends pregnant women and new mums get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week and the NHS advises mums-to-be to keep up their normal physical activity or exercise for as long as they feel comfortable – unless advised otherwise due to their individual health.
As well as improving or maintaining fitness, exercise during and after pregnancy can help reduce blood pressure, improve sleep, help lower the risk of pregnancy diabetes and post-natal depression, strengthen tummy muscles after childbirth, and improve mood.
Of course, caution is necessary. Pregnant women are advised, for example, not to ‘bump the bump’ – and to be aware of the potential dangers of sports where there could be a risk of abdominal trauma.
And mums-to-be, who were not active before they got pregnant, should not suddenly take up strenuous exercise.
Similarly, while new mums who have had a straight-forward birth can usually start gentle exercise once they feel up to it, it’s normally advisable to wait until after the six-week post-natal check to start any high-impact exercise, like aerobics or running. Those who have had a more complicated delivery or C-section will have a longer recovery time.
New mums can face a (small) obstacle too – working out how to look after their bundle of joy at the same time. One way of tackling that is to exercise while baby is in a carrier on mum’s chest, following the CARiFiT (carifit.co.uk) workout programme.
CARiFiT’s founder, Vern Hill, says exercising while babywearing helps create a bond between mums and babies, and explains: “Throughout a session they’re next to your heart, warm, safe, secure and engaged or, for the younger babies, asleep peacefully, while you’re enjoying the headspace of a satisfying and peaceful workout.
PERSONAL TRAINER
Other mums will choose to work out solo, while baby sleeps, watches them, or is cared for by someone else.
Charlie Barker, who specialises in pre and post-natal fitness and is the founder of the health and fitness community for mums and mumsto-be Bumps & Burpees (bumpsandburpees.com), says: “Many women ask if it is safe to exercise during pregnancy, and the short answer is: yes, unless it is against medical advice.”
Here Charlie, who’s a new mum herself and has written the pregnancy and post-partum exercise guide Bumps & Burpees, outlines the dos and don’ts of exercising while pregnant and after childbirth.
DO
Your body is your best guide to knowing what’s wrong and right for you. “Don’t worry about what your heart rate is compared to your friend, or what exercise programme they’re following,” she advises. “See what feels right for you.”
LISTEN TO YOUR BODY
DON’T
In both pregnancy and motherhood, there are going to be plenty of days when you don’t feel up for exercising and that’s totally normal, says Charlie.
“You’re probably sleepdeprived, full of hormones and your body is doing an awful lot, so let yourself off the hook when you’d prefer to choose sofa over squats. Whether it’s morning
PUT PRESSURE ON YOURSELF
sickness, exhaustion or just not feeling up to it, we all have those days and if you rest when your body needs it, you can feel ready to go next time.”
WORK ON YOUR STRENGTH
DO
In pregnancy you’ll be getting heavier and changing shape over the nine months, not to mention welcoming lots of extra hormones.
“If you work on building and maintaining your physical strength,” says Charlie, “your body will cope far better with the change in centre of gravity as your bump grows, the extra kilos it needs to carry around, and most importantly support joints as the ligaments surrounding them become slightly less elastic thanks to the hormone relaxin.”
DON’T PUSH YOURSELF TOO HARD
“As much as I encourage women to continue to exercise throughout their pregnancy if they can, it’s important to remember the intensity might need to change depending on what you’re used to,” she says.
“No more training so hard that you collapse in a heap, struggling to catch your breath – this is not the time for that.”
She advises pregnant women and very new mums to aim for a seven out of 10 effort level, making sure you can talk and breathe comfortably while you’re exercising. New mums should build exercise back up slowly and steadily.
DO WORK ON YOUR PELVIC FLOOR
Charlie says: “Imagine your pelvic floor as a hammock that holds up all your organs and your growing baby, it makes complete sense that it might weaken under all that pressure, so remember to do your pelvic floor exercises.”
DON’T PRESSURE YOUR CORE
During pregnancy it’s important to maintain good core strength to help support your growing bump and stabilise you, explains Barker. But she says mothers-to-be need to swap traditional ab exercises, like planks and crunches, with exercises like Bird Dog or Side Plank Twist.
“There are plenty of ways to keep the core strong throughout your pregnancy without putting too much pressure through it,” she says.