Best Pregnancy Exercises - Dos and Don'ts

Hey guys, and welcome back to Our Blog and welcome if you are new. I feel like I'm in some like TV set up because this isn't

normally my useable spot to do Blogs. And I'm just going to put it out there. I am 35 weeks pregnant currently, and I am sweating because once again,

It's super-hot here in Lisbon. It's the middle of August and yeah, it's just a joyous time to be pregnant cause you're

already sweating out anyway. And then you've got the temperature, and I've had to close all the windows. So you guys don't hear the noise outside. (laughs) But let's dive into this Blog on the do's and don'ts of exercise during pregnancy.

Now, just as a quick disclaimer, guys, before we do get into the whole Blog, I just wanna make it super clear to please always make sure that you get your doctors or your physios consent before you do any exercise, and also take on any advice I'm giving. I'm not actually trained to prenatal, but I do well with the physio and everything that I've done, I've got her consent to move forward in

When I'm doing my exercises. Every woman is different. Every pregnancy is different. So it's always best that you get yourself checked out before you take on any advice. Now, as a general rule of thumb before we dive into the

exact do's and don'ts, one of the general things that, I learned when I got pregnant was, you can continue to do the exercises that you have previously done,

But just don't take up any new sports. So, for example, I am not a runner. I never have been and I

probably never will be that's because I am terrible at it. But now that I am pregnant, I'm not going to start taking up running, and go and do a marathon

because that's something that my bodies not used to, and it's not going to help the child. So it's best to stick to things that you have done prior

Getting pregnant than normally okay to do as you're in your pregnancy. But, as you go along in your trimesters, you will have to do certain modifications. But again, it's always best to get

yourself checked out. Now let's dive into those do's and don'ts. So let's just start with the... Oh my God! My baby is kicking. Let's just start with

the don'ts to begin with. So number one is, don't

exercise to exhaustion.

Now, these means don't exercise to the point that you're pushing yourself. You're completely out of breath and you feel tired. They normally say that when you exercise, you wanna take it to about 60, 70%. That should be your absolute capacity. And then you should

bring it down. Now, one of the things that I learned when I

was doing my research when I got pregnant,

When I was exercising, was the breath test. Now, if when I'm doing a routine, say for example, at home, if I could still manage

to hold a conversation and talk with my partner or a friend, it means that I'm actually at a good pace. If I'm finding it very

difficult to breathe and I'm going (gasps) trying to catch my breath, it means that I'm taking it too far

And you need to bring it down a notch. So, like I said, don't exercise to exhaustion. Tip number two is, don't do any sports where there's a risk of falling. So, for example, I mean like horseback riding or skiing. The chances of you falling are a much higher probability than you're doing something

like yoga or Pilates. And obviously, we don't want to put any risk to yourself or the baby.

So it's best not to do exercises with those risks. Number three is, don't do anything jerky or bouncy movements. Now, this is something

that I learned when I got into probably about the second trimester. So that was doing exercises where I could not physically jump anymore. And that's because of the pelvic floor. Now, not only is it

gonna get uncomfortable as you get bigger anyway, trust me,

You're probably not going to want to move around that much cause, I know, I certainly don't. You don't want to

be jumping too much because of your pelvic floor anyway. So just make sure that

you're avoiding any sort of jerky movements or jumping routines. Also, I was told to

avoid too much twisting of the abdomen because

you don't obviously want to stretch your Linea alba too much. I don't know the exact ins

and outs of this exactly,

But I have to just show that I have completely avoided any of those types of exercises. Anyway, and now I just make sure that I just do smaller upper movements to help mobility and my back. And the last one is, don't lay on your back for too long. Now, this is something

that I learned when I was doing my research and I did speak to my prenatal physio about this. Now the reason being is

Because we have a long vein that runs down the back of our spine. And when we lay, on our back, the baby puts pressure on it. And then it cuts off our oxygen supply to our heart. So this isn't saying that we want to do it for long periods. Now, when I do exercise with my physio, there might be a couple of seconds where I'm lying on my back,

But she is monitoring me the entire time. If you were on your own, I highly advise not to be laying on your back, but again, you will need to speak to a physio or your doctor about this. But the general rule of

thumb here guys is not to lay on your back for

long periods, whether that's sleeping

or whether it's exercising on the floor. You're always best to lay on your side, preferably the left.

I think it's all right

to lay on the right, but probably the left is the safest side. Now let's get into the fun stuff of what you can do and what you can do to exercise when you are pregnant. So let's dive into these tips now guys. Now tip number one. I'm just going to say again to make it blatantly obvious, always speak to your doctor or physio, when you are doing your workouts.

I get checked every week with my core physio. That's because obviously as your pregnancy progresses a lot of changes, you grow a lot in a week. I mean, my belly is growing nonstop, especially now in the third trimester. So it's good to always get assessed to make sure that you're doing things that are okay for you and your child.

So please make sure you're always getting advice from them. Second is, do you make sure that you are doing your Kegel exercises as well as breathing. Now, kegel exercises are so important for your pelvic floor. It's super easy to do. There are tons of tutorials on it online. If you guys want me to

talk a little bit more in-depth about it, more than happy to do so.

The base is, you just want to imagine that you're drawling up, everything from below, you're sucking up into your body and then you're relaxing. This is going to help to strengthen your pelvic floor and give you more of a chance after you've had your baby to get that pelvic floor stronger. So my advice is just to practice it once a day, just to begin with hold for ten seconds

And then let it go. It's honestly going to help you so much after you've had the baby. The second point within

that was making sure that you're doing your

breathing exercises. Now, this is saying that I picked up when I was in the second trimester to help not only with my core strength, especially the transverse abdominis, but it's also going to help me when I'm actually in

delivery giving birth. Now, again,

I'm more than happy to do a Blog on this, but again, in this Blog, you can see here in the demonstration, it's just about imagining that you're hugging your baby. You're sucking everything in, you're holding it as well as your pelvic floor. And then you're laying

everything dropped and rest. That's going to again, really help you guys

after you've had the baby.

And it also helps keep

those core muscles intact without having to do

any abdominal exercises. Number three, leading onto

those breathing exercises is making sure that you're breathing correctly

during your exercises. Now, this is a vital cause

you want to make sure not only are you getting

enough oxygen into your body and your baby, you want to make sure that you slowing

down your movements and make sure that your performance and your posture are correct.

Now, when I do my exercises, I make sure that

the breathing technique that I showed you, I follow along actually into my routine. So I make sure I suck everything I can, I hold the baby in, my core is nice and strong. Then I go into a movement, say such as a squat. The breathing technique is super important when you are working out

And more than ever you're just making sure that you're getting enough oxygen and air into your body. The next one guys are to

focus on your alignment and your posture. Now, again, I was skilled too before I got pregnant, of not wondering too much about, my posture and my alignment. When I was sitting in general. It was something I only really focused on

During exercise. But as my pregnancy progressed, I've seen such a

difference in making sure that my posture and my alignment are in the correct position because it makes all the difference to your exercise moves. So just make sure to

exercise maybe with a mirror in front of you. That's what I do. If I am doing say a squat exercise, I can see in the mirror

That my back's nice and straight, my pelvis is aligned, and I want to make sure that everything's in the correct position. So just practice this a few times with the mirror in front of you, and then oversee as you keep doing it and repeating it, it would just become an instinct for you to do. And my final exercise before I run out of breath speaking because the baby is so high

It's to make sure that you take it slow during your exercise. Now, this isn't about a time for you to be trying to get your best body. This is just for you to maintain and stay a healthy, sort of body weight and muscle than for your child. Now, when you all working out, take it slow and make sure that you're focusing

On those moves, especially

the mind-muscle connection. Like I said prior, you want to make sure that

your posture is correct, your alignment with

your pelvis is correct, and you want to make sure that you're breathing

through your exercise. Take it slow. Even if you don't do as many reps, it's totally fine. Sometimes when I'm doing exercises, I only managed to get six to eight reps

In now and I'm finished. That's because I'm

focusing on making sure that everything's

correct in that movement. I'm taking it slow, I'm taking my time, and I'm making sure that I'm getting enough oxygen into my body. So, guys, that is my do's and don'ts for exercise during pregnancy. I hope all this information has helped you.

I know that, when I got pregnant, it was such a struggle to find information out there. And there are so many

conflicting pieces of advice on whatnot. You just have to take everything obviously down to the

best of your ability. And always, as I said, make sure you speak to a doctor or a physio to get their opinion on your body.

What you Should Eat In Pregnancy -

Eating well in your first trimester

What's happening in your first trimester of pregnancy? It's a time of rapid
development! At four weeks, the fetus is as
big as a grain of rice. By eight weeks, it's the size
of a grape. To support healthy growth,
you'll want to stay active, sleep well, and eat healthily. That means lots of fruits
and veggies. It also means taking a daily
prenatal vitamin that includes at least 400 mcg of folic acid. During pregnancy, you'll need to
avoid certain foods like

Unpasteurized cheese, raw milk
products, and undercooked meat. Fish can be a great source of
protein and nutrients, but can also contain mercury,
which can be harmful to your baby in large amounts. This means you should limit yourself to about
two meals containing fish each week such
as canned tuna and salmon. Weight gain is a common concern. Your recommended weight gain
depends on how much you weigh before pregnancy. If you're already at a
healthy weight, we recommend you gain about
1 pound per month during your first trimester, then about 1
pound per week during the rest

Of your pregnancy. That means about a total of
25 to 35 pounds. If you're over-or under weight,
talk to your doctor about your weight gain targets. You may be wondering how staying
active bits help during pregnancy. Activity helps many pregnant
women maintain a healthy weight, sleep better and feel better
in general. It can also help you cope with
labor pain and recover more quickly after giving birth. Aim for about thirty minutes of
physical activity on most days. I went to a prenatal
exercise class and that was fun because I
got to meet other moms

And we talked about
how our joints ached and how our bellies were
big and things like that. But I found for me that the
the best part about being pregnant wasn't so much thinking about
the weight is like trying to continually listen to my
body and making sure that I felt good.

Conclusion- 

We're all different. And every pregnancy is gonna be different For every single woman. But I hope some of the advice here today has helped you. And of course, if you have any questions, please leave them below

in the comment section and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. But that is the end of the Blog guys. I hope you did enjoy this. Don't forget to share this ….