Exercise is a great way to stay healthy while you are pregnant. Exercising can:

  • Increase your energy level

  • Improve mood 

  • Ease back pain and other soreness

  • Help you sleep better

  • Reduce constipation and bloating

  • Increase muscle tone

  • Increase ability to cope with the intensity of labor

  • Increase strength and endurance - needed for labor

  • Prevent excess weight gain

  • Decrease your risk of gestational diabetes and preeclampsia

It has also been demonstrated that women who are in good physical shape experience shorter labor and an easier delivery. Healthy pregnant women are generally recommended to get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week. 

The Department of Health and Human Services advises that pregnant women who were previously engaged in vigorous-intensity aerobic activity or who are highly active can continue their activities, provided they remain healthy and talk with their health care providers about any needed activity adjustments over time.

If you did not exercise regularly before you became pregnant, it is a good idea to talk to your healthcare provider about coming up with an exercise regimen.  Talk to your healthcare provider before beginning an exercise regimen while pregnant. 

It is important to stay well-hydrated and be attentive to how you are feeling while you exercise. If you experience any of the following symptoms during or after exercise, you should stop exercising and call your healthcare provider:  

  • Vaginal bleeding

  • Fluid leaking from your vagina

  • Uterine contractions

  • Decreased fetal movement

  • Dizziness

  • Chest pain

  • Irregular heartbeat

  • Headache

Before starting a prenatal or postpartum exercise routine at Mecha: 

  • Talk to your healthcare provider about your exercise routine.

  • Let your instructor know you are pregnant or newly postpartum (12 months or less) and are aware of safe modifications to use during class. 

  • Listen to your body. If something doesn’t feel right, then don’t do it.

  • During pregnancy the abdominal muscles will naturally stretch and expand to make room for the growing baby. Avoid crunches and side-abdominal exercises, as well as front-loaded exercises where your belly can hang down to the floor, such as the plank or push-ups, which can put an extra strain on the core muscles. Any other movement that causes gapping or coning of the abdomen should be avoided or modified as well. 

  • Lying on the back for long periods of time after 20 weeks can reduce (or cut off) blood flow through your body and to the baby due to the pressure of the baby on the vena Cava which returns blood from the lower body to the heart. If lying on your back causes any symptoms of dizziness, nausea, headache, or if it causes pain or instability in your pelvis, modify the exercise.

  • It is good to avoid lying on your belly once your belly begins to grow and you begin to show to avoid unnecessary pressure on the baby. 

  • During pregnancy your body will produce relaxin, a hormone that relaxes ligaments and joints to open the pelvis to prepare for birth. The sudden weight gain of pregnancy can affect ligaments throughout your entire body, particularly the feet and ankles, to feel more flexible than normal during and after pregnancy. Relaxin continues to be produced at low levels while breastfeeding. Relaxin will make the body more flexible than normal. Be cautious to not over stretch during this time, particularly in the hips and lower back.

  • When pregnant, your  heart rate increases and can affect your body’s ability to pump blood to your baby. Additionally, exercise that raises your heart rate too much also can raise your body’s temperature. Your pregnant body is very efficient at adapting to the respiratory, blood flow and heat dissipation demands of exercise, but it is best advised to work at intensity around 6-8/10, 10 being your maximum effort.

  • Avoid falls while pregnant. Take extra time to find your grounding and balance before beginning an exercise and avoid exercises that have an increased risk of falling.

  • Postpartum exercise should be delayed until you are cleared by your physician (minimum of 6-weeks depending on the mode of delivery). The BIRTHFIT Conscious Core online program or the BIRTHFIT Postpartum Series: Breath and Flow are appropriate for women to begin as early as 4 weeks postpartum. Consult with your local BIRTHFIT Professional or Coach for more information on how to get moving.

  • Joining a BIRTHFIT Postpartum Series will teach you how to help your core heal in an optimal way and how to incorporate the concepts that create a stable core into all movement and exercise. The BIRTHFIT Postpartum Series is ideal in the first year postpartum, but is effective at any time.

  • It is recommended that you work with your local BIRTHFIT or postpartum fitness expert  in the early postpartum months to ensure proper healing and safe return to fitness. 

Mecha RESISTANCE classes during pregnancy and postpartum

Due to the amount of modification necessary in Resistance classes during pregnancy we believe Resistance group classes are not the optimal exercise during pregnancy, especially after the first trimester. If you want to continue Resistance exercise during your pregnancy please talk to our Resistance Director about scheduling a series of private sessions.

Mecha CARDIO+ classes during PREGNANCY 

We encourage you to continue your exercise in our CARDIO+ classes throughout your pregnancy, aware of areas to modify your intensity and movement.

The following are areas to be aware of and modification options for you to consider. Above all else, understand the changes in your body during and after pregnancy, listen to your body, and talk to your healthcare provider about your exercise routine.

  • Be aware of your breath and exertion during cardio efforts. 

    • Stay in the cardio zone (Rating of Perceived Effort 6: Able to talk during exercise but talking may require some effort.) You should be able to recover your breath and have a conversation directly after a cardio effort. Pace yourself appropriately. Take longer breaks than are given if necessary, or modify your effort when needed. Think of challenging efforts as your BEST effort for the day rather than your MAXIMUM effort. If you were regularly exercising intensely prior to being pregnant you may feel capable of pushing to higher levels. 

  • It is important to be able to maintain proper core engagement and intra-abdominal pressure during core work (particularly belly-down) to avoid separation of the central core muscles. *

    • Avoid crunches- instead do any of the BIRTHFIT Functional Progression exercises, bird-dog (keeping rib cage and pelvic as parallel as possible- minimal arching), deadbug, plank or side plank (bottom knee can be down to add further stabilization)

    • If plank causes coning in the abdomen, elevate the plank with hands on a box or the VersaClimber bars, bird-dog (all fours, engage the core and reach opposite arm and leg long)

    • If a push-up causes coning in the abdomen try modifying your push-ups from all fours, against the wall (of versaclimber tower),  chest press, sandbell press (standing or kneeling). 

    • If being on your back is uncomfortable, instead of a bridge (on the back)- do a side lying clam shell, reverse lunge (or reverse curtsy lunge), fire hydrant, glute press (on all fours) with knee bent or straight, standing glute kickback, deadlift, squat or a wall sit.

  • Do not lay on your belly once you start showing. 

    • Instead of SUPERMAN - try a reverse (back) fly (with resistance bands), Squat step out (with resistance band loop).

  • YES on SQUATS and WALL SITS. 

    • If the baby is breech and you are hoping to help your baby to turn, deep squats should be avoided until baby is head down.