Exercising While Pregnant Is Safe — Here’s What to Know

When you become pregnant, some changes are expected. You might need a new wardrobe of stretchy maternity pants or to cut your favorite sushi rolls from your diet. But there’s one activity you don’t need to phase out: your workout routine.

It’s a common misconception that it’s dangerous to exercise while pregnant. Not only is it safe, but it can also be healthy for both you and your baby. So, no, you don’t have to cancel your registration for the upcoming Seattle Marathon or break up with your personal trainer, but you may need to incorporate some modifications as your belly gets bigger. Here are some tips for how to stay active during your pregnancy.

Exercising while pregnant is safe, but take it slow

Dr. Catherine Albright, an OB-GYN and fetal medicine specialist at UW Medical Center - Montlake, says that physical activity and exercise during pregnancy have minimal risks and have been shown to actually benefit most pregnant people. You probably won’t be working out exactly the way you did before, though.  

“Some modification to exercise routines may be necessary because of normal changes in the pregnant person’s anatomy and physiology,” says Albright.  

These adjustments might include running fewer miles, changing your weight load or more closely monitoring your heart rate.  

Albright recommends starting slower if you don’t already have a workout routine and you’re hoping to start while you’re pregnant.  

“You may have to start at a very different level,” Albright says. “Walking is plenty of exercise at the very beginning and then you can continue to increase from there. Activities like yoga and barre are also really helpful.”

If you hope to continue your already-established routine, you can keep doing what you’re doing (again, with reasonable limitations).

Avoid activities with risk of contact or falling while pregnant

Whether you’re already a frequent gym-goer or hoping to stay active during your pregnancy, Albright says you can start exercising as early as the first trimester.

“The duration of exercise should maybe be between 30 to 60 minutes, three to four times per week,” Albright says. “If your workout can be supervised, great.”

However, most people can’t (or don’t want to) have someone watching them exercise. So, if you’re exercising by yourself, here’s what to avoid:

• Contact activities with a high risk of abdominal trauma: This means it’s probably time to stop your martial arts routine or Krav Maga — being kicked in the abdomen, well, isn’t great for your developing baby.
• Activities that bring a high risk of losing your balance: Many of us love skiing or snowboarding in the Pacific Northwest. However, it’s probably best to avoid these activities — especially if you are in the second or third trimester — due to the high risk of falling.
• Activities that will make you anxious: Regardless of what you choose to do to stay active, if you find yourself constantly anxious about what your actions are potentially doing to you or your growing baby, it’s probably best to table those activities until after the birth.

These workouts above should be considered on a case-by-case basis, but Albright says to remember: If you’re later in your pregnancy, your balance will likely be off, increasing the risk of some of these activities. In the end, you know your body. Do what works best for you as long as you’re mindful.

“For example, I biked to and from work up until maybe 28 weeks of pregnancy,” says Albright. “I was actually more worried about falling if someone hit me than me falling on a bicycle. And that trauma is really what we’re trying to avoid. It’s not always so much the physical act of cycling; it’s the risk of injury during the activity.”  

You can weightlift and endurance train while pregnant — within reason

When patients ask Albright if they can do more strenuous activities like weightlifting or endurance sports while pregnant, she says the general answer is: Yes.  

“Lifting weights in pregnancy is fine,” she says. “But if you’re thinking about endurance training or prolonged exercise, the general recommendations are to avoid prolonged exposure to heat because we don’t, ideally, want you to raise your body temperature all that much.”

Albright also says that you shouldn’t weightlift or do any endurance training day in and day out. Remember that a few exercise sessions per week are enough to keep you active and your baby safe during your pregnancy.

Add pelvic floor therapy to your routine

Dr. Alyssa Stephenson-Famy, an OB-GYN and maternal fetal medicine specialist at the Maternal Fetal Medicine Clinic at UW Medical Center – Montlake, also recommends adding pelvic floor physical therapy and pelvic floor exercises to your workout routine.

If you end up having a vaginal birth, Stephenson-Famy says that the nerves that supply those muscles will be weaker afterward, so starting pelvic floor exercises before the baby is born can be helpful to prep for what’s to come.

“Seeing a physical therapist and getting a sense of how to do some of the exercises is a great way to prepare for birth,” she says.

Plus, Stephenson-Famy adds that if you start pelvic floor physical therapy before birth, you’ll have an established relationship with a physical therapist postpartum.

“Doing things like home kegel exercises before birth are not harmful,” says Stephenson-Famy. “It may not be super helpful until you get a little further out postpartum, but there’s not necessarily any harm to doing home exercises.”

Don’t forget about nutrition

Whether you exercise during your pregnancy or not — but especially if you do — Albright and Stephenson-Famy say to prioritize your nutrition. Exercising uses a lot of your body’s energy, and your body is already working hard to grow your tiny human.

“Pregnant people need to eat to sustain themselves and their muscle mass and then provide some extra for the developing uterus, the placenta and the fetus,” says Stephenson-Famy. “Over the course of your pregnancy, you need hundreds of extra grams of protein. In an individual day, you probably need just a few.”

Your doctors can help you find what’s best to eat to nurture you and your baby. And just as it’s important to remember to have a good meal, it’s also important to rest, relax and take it easy at times. You and your body are going through a lot of change; listen to your body and give yourself the space to have patience for what it needs.