5 Tips On How To Stay Fit While Pregnant

Pregnancy is an exciting time in your life! With it comes many milestones and memories, as well as lots of changes. This can be especially true for your health and fitness routine. 

I know so many of you want to continue exercising and are keen to know how to stay fit during your pregnancy.

Jump to: 

• How to stay fit while pregnant
• Don't stop exercising
• Listen to your body
• Healthy eating habits
• Stretching during pregnancy
• Aim to stay hydrated

Today I want to share some simple tips that you can use to continue with good habits. Pregnancy can be quite demanding on your body, so these tips are focused on keeping you in good overall health! 

How to stay fit while pregnant

If you are anything like me, you might want to stay fit and healthy during pregnancy. Fitness has always been a part of my life, which I know is the case for a lot of women. So, to help you out, I’ve put together 5 tips to help you keep up your fitness in a safe way!

1. Don’t stop exercising

Provided you have been given the okay from your doctor, you don’t have to stop exercising if you don’t want to. Exercise has so many benefits for your mental and physical health, so if you want to be active during pregnancy (and you are able), that is fantastic! 

You might be wondering how to stay fit while pregnant if you are used to doing high-intensity workouts or weight training. Let me help guide you!

If you’ve been doing high-intensity cardio:
High-intensity cardio can be very demanding on your body. Now that your body is focused on nourishing your baby and helping it to grow, the stress of a high-intensity workout can be a bit much. Especially if you’re dealing with morning sickness too!

Try to make the switch to lower impact cardio exercises instead of high-intensity workouts. You could give my pregnancy-friendly BBG workout a go — it uses lower impact BBG exercises and you can get it done in just 28 minutes.  

Swimming or walking are also great low-impact styles of training because they reduce the amount of stress going through your body due to the impact of the movement. If you are feeling up to it or wondering if you should skip running while pregnant, then slow, steady-state jogging is also a good substitute. 

If you’ve been doing weight training:
For any women who have been doing weight training and want to be fit and pregnant, you can do this by tweaking your weight routine. Select lighter weights and complete a higher number of reps (such as completing 20 reps instead of 15). Avoid pushing to failure.

If you want to try something gentle
As I mentioned above, lower impact exercise can be really beneficial. Aim to go for a walk of at least 30 minutes each day to get your blood flowing. 

You might also like to add in some gentle exercises, such as prenatal pilates. These often incorporate pelvic floor exercises, which are really important during pregnancy as these muscles can become weak while you are carrying a baby. 

Whatever choice you make in regards to exercise, remember that it is important to get clearance from your medical professional regarding how much exercise you are doing and what style, to ensure you are making the best decisions for your health and the health of your baby. 

2. Listen to your body

You don’t need me to tell you that regardless of whether this is your first pregnancy or not, there will be lots of changes happening in your body. Everyone experiences pregnancy differently but the important thing to remember is to listen to your body. 

Even if you are doing your own research to find out how to stay fit while pregnant, be mindful to make choices based on how YOU feel. For example, if you have morning sickness, don’t push yourself when you’re feeling unwell. Stick to exercise that you enjoy and try to get outside for some fresh air when possible. 

It’s not uncommon to feel lethargic during your first trimester and to want to rest, which is totally okay! Often, during the second trimester, you will notice your energy levels increasing again. Don’t force yourself to work out if you simply aren’t feeling up to it — fitness should still be fun, not a chore. 
 

3. Continue with healthy eating habits

Maintaining healthy eating habits during pregnancy is really important. Your body is going to need extra nutrients to ensure healthy development for your baby and for you. 

With that in mind, don’t be fooled into thinking you need to eat twice as much food! That’s right — ‘eating for two’ is a bit misleading! We all want to give our baby the best start in life, so make sure you focus on the quality of your diet. 

On that note, try not to fall into the trap of letting pregnancy be an excuse to sideline your healthy eating habits either. While you might be tempted to indulge all of your cravings and eat junk food, remember there are healthier ways of doing this! Eating something like my Chocolate and Raspberry Chia Pudding is a great way to have something sweet while also providing your body with key nutrients. To help make it easier to make healthy eating choices, I've put together a list of some of the best foods to eat while you're pregnant.

4. Stretching During Pregnancy

While a lot of women focus on how to stay fit while pregnant, they may not know where stretching fits into that routine. In fact, a daily stretching routine can help with any muscle pain or cramping you might be experiencing. This is particularly helpful as your body changes — stretching can help to improve your posture and this can work to give the baby more space. 

If you want to try out a stretching routine, try some prenatal yoga. These routines are specifically designed for pregnancy, so they are safe and gentle enough to perform through most stages of your pregnancy. 
 

5. Aim to stay hydrated

I’m sure you already know all of the reasons WHY it is so important to drink water throughout the day, especially if you are working out. When you are pregnant, you want to make sure you continue to drink adequate amounts of water, especially if you have been dealing with morning sickness or constipation. 

If you are exercising, make sure you are drinking water during your rest breaks and once you are done working out so that you are replenishing the fluids that were lost. 

That’s how to stay fit during pregnancy

Ladies, I know that trying to balance being fit and pregnant sounds confusing but it really isn’t. Pregnancy doesn’t mean you need to completely change your exercise routine or your meals. Adjusting the habits you already have in place can make this time easier, particularly when you already have a lot going on!

Don’t put too much stress on yourself worrying how to stay fit while pregnant — just aim to continue your healthy eating habits and do some gentle, safe pregnancy exercises when you can. 

Love, Kayla xx