Once you have clearance from your LMC and you understand where to be cautious it’s time to get busy with the five focus points for exercising during pregnancy.  

The five focus points support the body in counteracting the weight gain at the front.

The first is moderate intensity cardio exercise which helps with weight management and gives strength and endurance for labour and delivery.   It improves circulation and promotes heart health for both mother and baby.   There is no type of cardio exercise that’s off limits as long as it’s it’s comfortable and without the risk of impact to the bump.  

The second focus area is the lower body.   Leg strengthening exercises help the lower body support the weight of the bump.    Squats are particularly helpful to build up muscle strength for labour.  

Weight gain affects posture so the third focus area is upper back strengthening.   You’ll need strong postural muscles for the many hours you’ll spend holding your baby.   Without them you’ll find yourself slumping forward when you’re tired which can create neck pain and general discomfort.    Exercises such as the cable row or dumbbell row are comfortable ways to build strength in the upper back and stability in the core.   

The forth focus area is balance, which can be compromised when centre of gravity changes.  Exercises done on an unstable surface in a controlled environment, for example sitting on a swiss ball, encourage you to keep a sense of where you are in space and use your stabilizer muscles to stay balanced.   These are important skills if you lose your footing out in the street.   


The fifth important area is the core.    You need to be gentle but light cable twists and kneeling alternate arm / leg work are safe, appropriate and useful addition to the standard pelvic tilts and kegal exercises.   

The gym is a great environment for a pregnant person.  You’re close to all the stuff you need – cold water, snacks, bathroom, fans, seats, medical attention and lots of chit chat!    

Pregnancy is not a time to push through pain.   It’s a time of gentle exercise, ideally a little and often, always mindful of the primary purpose which is to build a strong incubator.     Always keep the most important goal in mind – a healthy baby and a healthy Mummy through pregnancy, birth and beyond.     Check out my tips for recovering from birth and returning to exercise.  

Exercising through pregnancy has many great benefits for mother and baby.   Once you have clearance from your LMC you’re good to go, as long as you observe the five key safety principles.  

The most important thing to avoid is overheating. The baby can’t cool itself in the womb so it’s critical to avoid over-exerting yourself, stay hydrated and dress for success with cool comfortable clothing in removable layers.     

Changes in blood pressure can also be a challenge. It’s important to warm up and cool down thoroughly and change positions gradually. Avoid exercises that position you on your back after the first trimester because this position can hinder blood flow to and from the heart. Standing still for prolonged periods is not recommended, especially beyond 20 weeks.   

The third area to be aware of as pregnancy progresses is increasing levels of the hormone relaxin. It softens muscle fibres and ligaments in preparation for birth. This makes it easy to overstretch and tear muscles so it’s important to avoid high impact activities, quick direction changes and over-enthusiastic stretching.

Abdominal exercises are another area to watch. Avoid any exercise that places significant load on the abdominals or pelvic floor including abdominal curls and hovers.  

The fifth important safety point is to keep an appropriate intensity. When I first trained 20 years ago the rule was that pregnant women were not to elevate their heart rate over 140 beats per minute. We now understand that everyone is different and appropriate intensity depends on the individual, her level of fitness prior to the pregnancy and of course health and mood on the day which can be extremely variable! It is ok to start an exercise program in pregnancy even if you were inactive prior to pregnancy but the intensity must begin at a low level and progress very gradually. Intensity, pace and volume of all exercise should be set according to your ability to keep good form, core stability and regular breathing.  

Once you have clearance to exercise and you’re confident with the safety requirements you can move on to consider the five areas to focus on during pregnancy.

This week is Arthritis Orange Appeal week.   Arthritis is the inflammation of joints and it’s one of New Zealand’s greatest causes of disability.  There is no known cure for arthritis so the main goal of treatments is to reduce symptoms and manage pain.  

Exercise has a huge role to play both in the prevention of arthritis and the treatment of symptoms.   The two main causes of arthritis are heredity, which you can’t do anything about, and your weight, which you certainly can.    Being overweight predisposes you to arthritis because of the extra pressure your weight puts on your joints.  For example, studies have shown that overweight women are almost four times more likely to get knee osteoarthritis than women at a healthy weight.  So exercise can help with arthritis prevention in two ways.    Firstly it helps keep you in a healthy weight range.   Secondly, exercise strengthens the muscles around the joints which takes stress off the joints.   This protects joints from the wear and tear that can lead to degeneration and inflammation.  

For people already suffering from arthritis light exercise can be part of a treatment plan to help relieve the symptoms.     The types of exercises that are best will depend on the type of arthritis and which joints are involved.    Your doctor can liaise with a trainer to create a plan that gives you the most benefit with the least aggravation of joint pain.    Flexibility exercises relieve stiffness and increase your ability to move your joints through full range of motion.   Light weight training improves bone density and creates lean muscle mass to protect joints.  Low impact aerobic exercise helps with circulation and stamina.    

Arthritis can be a hugely debilitating condition but including appropriate gentle exercise in your treatment plan can reduce symptoms and improve quality of life.     Take care of your health and look out for the collectors in orange today.  

If you’re a regular exerciser it’s likely you have developed a strong immune system and will be less vulnerable to lurgies.   But it is hard to stay well 100% of the time.     How do you know how sick is too sick for exercise?

The best way to assess if you’re “Good to Go” or should “Lay Low” is the “Neck Check”.    

If the sickness is above the neck you’re generally safe to exercise.   Above the neck includes mild headache, sore or scratchy throat, nasal congestion, sneezing or teary eyes.   

In this case a little light exercise can stimulate the immune system.  I start my clients off gently.  We begin with an intensity of 6 out of 10 with lots of breaks and water stops.    If they start feeling better as they exercise I gradually increase the intensity and stop if necessary.    It’s important that you go extra cautiously if you have taken medication to relieve your symptoms – without your symptoms to guide you it’s hard to tell how sick you really are and if you overdo it you risk making the illness more severe.

If you choose to go to the gym don’t forget your manners!    Bring your sweat towel (you always do, of course!) and wipe everything down with antiseptic spray after you use it.

If symptoms are below the neck you should definitely take the day off.  This includes chest congestion, stomach cramps or vomiting, diarrhea, general aches and fever.    Some illnesses require all of the strength of the immune system and can be aggravated by the dehydration and muscle fatigue that occurs with exercise.   Best you stay home and have the illness sideline you for 2 days rather than being a hero and having it sideline you for 2 weeks.

Rest does not mean sit on the couch and indulge in comfort eating!   The best thing you can do is take your vitamins, drink loads of water and go to bed early.    “I’ll put on weight if I miss the gym” is a bad excuse.    Eat the way you know you should when you are sick.  If you’re serious about healing your body you need to be eating lots of fresh food and good quality protein.   Most importantly, consider how many treat foods are appropriate when you are temporarily sedentary.     While you’re stuck at home with limited food choices you might even lose a little weight.   

Neither your body nor your friends will thank you for coming to the gym when you’re ill.    Exercise regularly when you are well and be sensible when you aren’t.    Your fitness is very important but if you try to put it ahead of your health when you are sick you will end up losing both.

Resistance training is any type of exercise that contracts muscles to build strength and lean muscle mass.    The main reason my clients want to do resistance training is that it builds lean muscle mass and speeds up metabolic rate.  Basically it turbo-charges all your other weight loss efforts by building muscle.   Muscle is “metabolically active tissue” which means the body has to expend energy to maintain it.  As you age lean muscle mass reduces which causes metabolic rate to slow and weight to creep on.    Resistance training can increase metabolic rate up to 15% which is super helpful for weight loss and long-term weight maintenance.   The more toned your muscles are the easier it is to lose weight, a very happy upwards spiral.      And of course all the calories you burn while performing your resistance training help with weight loss too.

Resistance training improves stamina and muscle endurance, making aerobic exercise easier.    Strong ligaments and tendons support the joints and reduce the likelihood of injury.    As well as physical stamina, resistance training has been shown to have positive effects on cognitive function.    Some of these benefits will come from improved sleep and reduced stress that exercise creates.    However studies have shown that resistance training can boost brain function to the degree that it can delay the onset of dementia and alzheimers.

There are many other long term benefits of incorporating resistance training into your fitness regime.   Being strong enables you to continue to perform daily activities that require lifting, pushing and pulling.   When you are young you take these skills for granted but as you age they are not a given.   Mobility and functionality are keys to independence and important to protect.   Strength improves posture and balance, reducing the risk of falls and injuries.   Resistance training can reduce the risk and symptoms of many conditions including back pain, arthritis, heart disease and diabetes.   For women resistance training is particularly important for re-building bone density and reducing the risk of osteoporosis.  

Some women are concerned that strength training will cause them to “bulk up”.   This is a myth.  Even women trying to put on muscle often struggle to do so because women have less testosterone than men.   Most women come to the gym wanting to drop a dress size or two.   Incorporating an appropriate weight training program as part of a fitness and nutrition regime will not only drop the centimetres away but leave a leaner, firmer and more toned body.

Resistance training is a key component of fitness for all ages.   You’ll manage your weight with less effort and improve your health and wellbeing at the same time.