How to plan your fitness routine for pregnancy?
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Planning your fitness routine for pregnancy can be difficult. There are many things to consider, such as if you’re going to continue with weight training or go for a running program. If you’re not sure where to start, then this article is for you. We will discuss ways to plan your pregnancy fitness routine.
Know your fitness level
This is one of the most important rules to abide by when it comes to preparing for pregnancy. Are you a beginner, intermediate or advanced? If you’re a beginner then there’s no need to follow an advanced fitness routine. You should start slowly and work your way up gradually as this allows your body to adapt and strengthens the muscles even more. This will prevent any overuse injuries that might result from strenuous workouts. Your fitness level can change during different phases of life, so it’s good to be mindful about what kind of exercises and programs you do depend on which phase you’re currently in.
Consider the intensity of each workout
How intense should your workouts be? This is another question that will depend on your fitness level and which phase of life you’re in. If a program is too difficult for you, then it’s probably not a good idea to follow it if you’re pregnant. You can read more about choosing a fitness routine for pregnancy here.
Avoid going to extremes
Exercising is already hard enough when you’re pregnant (especially during the first trimester), so don’t make it even harder by trying to go beyond what your body needs or tolerates. It might be tempting to push yourself because you want to get back into shape as soon as possible, but this might be harmful to your body and your baby. If you’re weight training then don’t go for heavyweights and difficult exercises. Your goal should be to simply maintain what you’ve worked so hard for until now. Lightweights will be enough since you more than likely won’t even have the strength to lift heavy ones while pregnant anyways. Another thing worth mentioning is that too much cardio can have some negative effects on pregnancy.
Anticipate being tired
When you become pregnant, your whole body changes. It’s not just your belly that gets bigger. Your hormones are all over the place now so this affects how well-rested you will be now and how much energy you’ll have to work out each day. The second trimester is usually when your pregnancy fatigue begins to subside, but it might still take a few months until it completely goes away. That’s why you need to ease into exercising, rather than jump straight into intensive training programs. Don’t worry though, because there are many benefits of working out even if you feel too tired or don’t have enough time for an intense training session – check them out.
Adapt your workouts
Another smart way to approach pregnancy workouts is by adapting them. You can do so by either increasing or decreasing the number of reps, sets, and/or exercises you perform each workout. It’s easier to decrease than it is to increase, so if you find that something feels too hard for you then try not doing as many repetitions next time. This way you’ll still feel like you worked out, but its intensity level will be a lot lower which makes it safer for your body and baby.
Hire a fitness coach
If you’re serious about getting in shape after having kids, then hiring a personal trainer is the way to go. Not only will they design a workout program for you, but they’ll also coach you throughout it so that you don’t make any mistakes and remain safe. Personal trainers are experienced athletes who have studied different training methodologies and fitness strategies, so they know what will work best for your body type and fitness level.
A pregnancy workout plan is not a must, but it can have many benefits – especially for women who want to continue working out after having kids. It’s up to you whether or not you start one and if yes then how intensive and which exercises you’ll include in it. Don’t go overboard though because the goal here isn’t to prove that you’re the strongest pregnant woman on the planet. Instead, focus on keeping your body healthy and that of your baby’s during pregnancy. Keep these five tips in mind and you’ll be just fine.