Are you wondering if you should continue to exercise or perhaps start an exercise routine during your pregnancy? I was wondering the same thing! As a personal trainer and an avid workout fanatic, I worried and became very concerned about exercising. Should I go the gym? Can I lift weights? What about running? And of course, there is my mom, my aunts, and my grandmother telling me not to exercise and basically lie in bed and do nothing! So of course, what do I do? I listen to my family's old wives tales and lie on the couch to do nothing. After a couple of weeks, I was a complete depressed disaster, my boyfriend was hiding from me, and my dog was in much need of a walk! I needed to MOVE. To me exercise represents stress relief and enjoyment. With a little bit of research and education, I quickly learned that in fact, pregnancy offers a great reason to get and stay active. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that healthy pregnant women get at least 2 1/2 hours of aerobic exercise every week. This means that most pregnant women should try to get 30 minutes of aerobic exercise on most, if not all, days.

During pregnancy, exercise will help boost your energy level, sleep better, reduce stress, improve self-image, reduce pregnancy discomfort (back pain!) and get your body back faster after childbirth. Research also shows that healthy women who exercised during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy reduced their risk of developing pre-eclampsia by as much as 35%, as well as, preventing gestational diabetes, a form of diabetes that sometimes develops during pregnancy. With so many positives to exercise during pregnancy, why would you not want to?

Before you start or continue to exercise, take a few cautions. Talk with your health care provider and make sure they give you the okay to workout. If you have a known medical condition such as thyroid disease, diabetes or a history of preterm labor it can affect your exercise program. Ask! Ask! Ask! Don't be afraid or shy to ask as many questions as you have. I know I probably annoyed my doctor; I was trying to explain all the different BOSU and plyometrics exercises that I enjoy doing! My doctor said something that made a lot of sense, "if you didn't do it before you were pregnant then don't start doing it now," and suggested that I don't lift heavy things, and to listen to my body. So with that being said, I decided to return to the wonderful world of fitness. I made a workout plan that I knew would be safe for me and the baby. Remember, pregnancy is not the time to try to lose weight, expect to gain a healthy 25 to 40 pounds!

So now you can choose what type of exercise you will do. Choose activities you will enjoy but are safe (probably want to stay away from horseback riding, downhill and water skiing, soccer, etc.). If you did not exercise before pregnancy, then maybe choose to go for a 30 minute walk and or swim for some great aerobic exercise. If you are more experienced, then perhaps you can choose to run, hike, or dance. For strength and flexibility you can search for pregnancy bootie camps and yoga classes designed for pregnant women. Most of the time if your health care provider has given you the okay to exercise, you can workout at the same level you did before you became pregnant. Just take note and LISTEN to your body. If your body is telling you to slow down because of dizziness, nausea, blurred vision, fatigue and shortness of breath then STOP, let your body cool down and if you don't feel better soon call your doctor immediately. I know that I get out of breath much quicker than ever before. . . my heart only has to pump about 50 percent more blood!! Incredible! One last tip from me. . . drink lots of water, dehydration is never good, but especially when you are pregnant and exercising!

I hope this article has gotten you thinking about exercise and how wonderful it can be during your pregnancy experience. I am a much happier person now that I have started to exercise again, and so are the people around me! Research and educate yourself as much as you can before you listen to the million myths that are out there. I hope to see you at Preggie Bootie Camp!