Exercising and non-exercising women who are pregnant or plan on being pregnant in and around the Shire (Woolooware), Bondi Junction and Cammeray, listen up...

 

Why is exercise during pregnancy important? 

Exercise in pregnancy is recommended and like every other time of our life is important for reducing cardiovascular disease, diabetes and some cancers. Specifically, during pregnancy exercise is also needed for weight management, to maintain physical fitness, reduce the risk of gestational diabetes, enhance psychological well-being, minimise potential perinatal complications for mother and baby, reduce pain e.g. low back pain, and ease constipation.  

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How much exercise should I do during pregnancy? 

It is recommended to do 30-60minutes of exercise every day.  

What kind of exercise should I do during pregnancy? 

You should incorporate a mix of strength-based exercise like weights or pilates, as well as cardiovascular exercise like walking, cycling or swimming.  Stretching is also essential for maintaining mobility which will ultimately assist with birthing. 

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Considerations for exercise during pregnancy: 

• Seek advice from a doctor, midwife of women’s health physio (our clinics are in the Shire (Woolooware), Bondi Junction and Cammeray) before commencing exercise during pregnancy to ensure it is safe for you. Some women have medical conditions that prevent them from exercising during pregnancy including placenta previa, preeclampsia, ruptured membranes, severe anaemia.  

• During exercise you should only be working hard enough so that you can still maintain a conversation. 

• Exercising on your back is not recommended beyond 16 weeks' gestation. Limit time exercising on your back to under 5 minutes at a time.  

• Pelvic girdle pain is often exacerbated by single leg tasks or tasks which involve uneven weight bearing. Consider reducing these tasks towards the end of your pregnancy, particularly if you have pelvic girdle pain 

• Pelvic floor: exercise in pregnancy guidelines recommend pelvic floor exercises; however we believe an individualised approach is best. Some women need to strengthen, others need to learn to let it relax and should avoid strengthening. Have your pelvic floor assessed by our women’s health physio in the Shire (Woolooware), Bondi Junction and Cammeray to work out how you best approach this. 

• Abdominal wall: as your pregnancy progresses, exercise causes increased intra-abdominal pressure which may be too much for your abdominal wall muscles and therefore may be doing more harm than good. Like your pelvic floor, it is best to get this assessed by our women's health physios in the Shire (Woolooware), Bondi Junction and Cammeray so that exercises for you can be accurately prescribed.