The Importance of Exercising while Pregnant

Exercising has been a varied process, especially as my body also goes through major changes. I’m still doing yoga, but focusing on hatha, yin, flow, and restorative—no hot or power or core—but every woman is different.

I did my last big hike at 25 weeks, which felt great! But the extra blood and lung compression made me very wheezy! I’ll be sticking to light hikes for now. I also have been working out with fellow Sunwarrior Ambassador Danny David, who laid out my workout below. Here is what Danny has me doing:

“Training Sarah there are a few important keys to take into consideration; it's important that Sarah keep active during her pregnancy and focus on stretching and flexibility.

Strength training has many benefits for pregnant women because they have to carry so much extra weight. A strong back and legs will help prevent any injuries during her 9 months. I focus on strengthening Sarah's lower back so she can support her lumber region, and we do a lot of glute exercises to maintain balance in Sarah's frontal region and to strengthen her legs.

A typical glute and back day with Sarah includes some myo-fascial release to start and a few short leg swings for active isolated warm-ups. I use the pulleys with Sarah mostly. This is because the resistance on the eccentric motion helps keep the body improving on stability and we can moderate her tempo and breathing which has to always be controlled.

Some pulley exercises will include kneeled-down one-arm back row, 3 sets of 8–10 reps, just squat to upper back rows, using a rope. This exercise is also great for the glute muscle.

It's important that she takes the necessary breaks and doesn't allow her heart rate to increase. You want to stay in the 8–10 rep range and focus on controlled temperature.”

Such a great workout! I have also started to swim! It feels so good because I can feel weightless. I’m also walking a minimum of 30 minutes (aiming for 45 to an hour) a day. One of my pregnancy books, Bountiful, Blissful and Beautiful , said that walking 5k a day would likely lead to an easy birth. Who knows, but it feels right!

Any other pregnant mommies out there getting in shape? Let me know in the comments below. I want to hear from you!

Xo, Sarah