What about Cardio during pregnancy?

Many women live a very active lifestyle, especially before their pregnancy. Maybe you attended regular gym, did High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) weekly or sometimes daily, joined classes, jogged regularly and more. What about when you’re pregnant? The first thing you hear when you get pregnant is “be careful now, take it easy,” At the same time you read everywhere how important exercise is during pregnancy. It is confusing isn’t it? How much exercise should you do? How intense? What if I am quite a fit athlete?

Our advice is very simple:

1. The “talk test”- you can push yourself up to the point where you can continue a conversation without being completely breathless. It’s good that your heart rate and breathing rate increases but only up to the point where you can still talk.
2. Numerical Scale  6 to 7 on 10- Let’s say one is the easiest, being relaxed on a sofa and 10 is the hardest, being out of breathless and not managing to utter a few words. Your intensity during your pregnancy should not be more than  6 to 7, this means that you “pass” the “talk test.”

Whether or not to use weights depends on the individual. Using light weights in the arms is ideal to strengthen the upper body which is very important for posture in general and in preparation for the regular lifting of the baby. Always monitor yourself, if it gets tough, remove the weights and progress slowly. Start with light weights such as a small bottle of water and increase gradually.

The same reasoning applies with speed. The person doing the video might be too fast or too slow for you. Maybe she is used to doing those exercises more, maybe she is not as far along as you, or she is having a better pregnancy day today, we all know how different it is from one day to the other right? Whatever the reason, you should never push yourself excessively just to keep up. Find your own comfortable pace and if you need to rest, hit the pause button and take a few deep breaths. REMEMBER, exercise during pregnancy is not to become an athlete or win a competition, but to stay healthy and support your little human. Here’s a short cardio workout which you can fit easily in your busy day. Enjoy and remember to listen to your body!