MYTH: Yoga is the only Movement Option during Pregnancy
Did you think that Yoga was the only option for moving your body during pregnancy? Were you told to slow down and try a yoga class while pregnant? While we agree that prenatal yoga is amazing (and we definitely encourage it), we don’t want people who are expecting a baby to think it’s yoga-or-nothing when it comes to fitness during pregnancy.
Movement during pregnancy can be more involved than you might expect! Common pregnancy myths include not being able to exercise until after the first trimester, or that you shouldn’t do core training, or that you can’t lift any weights while pregnant. Luckily, we know better and have an entire article dispelling many common myths about exercising during pregnancy.
So now you might be wondering: what else can you do? And how can you get started?
fitness activities you can do during your pregnancy
First, we’d like to remind you of the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology 2019 Guidelines for Physical Activity throughout Pregnancy:
“Research shows the health benefits and safety of being active throughout pregnancy for both mother and baby. Physical activity is now seen as a critical part of a healthy pregnancy. Following the guideline can reduce the risk of pregnancy-related illnesses such as depression by at least 25%, and the risk of developing gestational diabetes, high blood pressure and preeclampsia by 40%.
Pregnant women should accumulate at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week over a minimum of three days per week; however, being active in a variety of ways every day is encouraged.”
Read on for the all of the Guidelines: CSEP Guidelines
The guidelines include a list of contraindications (reasons that you should stop exercising during pregnancy) to consider, but it’s SO important to ditch the myth that you can’t be active when pregnant (we suggest that you take a moment to read the full guidelines for more information about these).
One of the suggestions included is to participate in a variety of activities - like aerobic and resistance training - while also incorporating more gentle stretching and movement like yoga.
Prenatal Fitness Classes
We strongly encourage all pregnant people to find a prenatal fitness class that includes programming specifically for the prenatal population. This includes an instructor who is certified and experienced in teaching fitness for pregnancy.
At Fitmama Strong Online, we strive to offer aerobic, resistance, mobility, breath work and yoga in our programming and want to be leaders in the conversations about prenatal fitness. When you come across one of our Prenatal Programs, it may be because you love yoga and want to practice appropriately during your pregnancy (we want that for you too!) but don’t miss out on our prenatal fitness options either. We offer most of these in a on-demand workout format through our content library, however, we also welcome pregnant members in our mainstream classes, as long as you let us know that you’re pregnant so that we an offer the appropriate modifications for pregnancy.
Our Fitmama Strong prenatal fitness and yoga classes focus on improving your muscular balance, cardiovascular endurance and core stability, so that you feel more energetic and strong throughout your pregnancy. Read more about the benefits of exercise and how it affects your labour here.
We invite women at any stage of their pregnancy to join our classes, and yes, this includes if you are in your first trimester.
As you progress through your pregnancy, we provide modifications to help alleviate some of the discomforts you may be feeling on a day to day basis. Exercising during your entire pregnancy (including right up to your delivery), is not only recommended, but provides the stamina, strength and mental focus required during your labour and delivery.
Plan for a variety of activities throughout your pregnancy which may include yoga, but also other resistance, aerobic and strength training. We will help guide you along the way.
Interested in joining us? Our classes are a great way to meet other new parents. Fitmama Strong Online has been operating classes online from our virtual studio since 2020. Our community is a thriving and welcoming space for you and your littles.
Our New On-Demand Prenatal Fitness and Yoga Series of classes is a great ways to stay active during your pregnancy. Each week has tons of information about prenatal fitness, labour, delivery and the postpartum period, curated especially for our prenatal population.
If you’re new to Fitmama Strong Online, try our 7-Day Free Trial Membership! You can use it at any of our Live, Online Express Strong, Express Elevate and Express Flow classes or you can try some workouts from our On-Demand Library. It doesn’t matter if your baby was born 6 weeks ago or 6 years ago, we have something for all postnatal members! Already been to Fitmama Strong classes? Grab a monthly membership and keep moving along with us:)
Finally, we offer in-person Stroller Fitness and Babywearing Fitness through our Durham Region and Ottawa locations. We can’t wait to have you join us!
We can’t wait for you to #startwithus and #growwithus. Find your Fitmama Strong Location!