Always consult with your doctor or healthcare provider before starting an exercise plan.

I can help you no matter what fitness level you are. Prioritizing an active lifestyle is a perfect way for women to have a healthy pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum recovery.

It is recommended that pregnant women should get about 2.5 hours of moderate exercise every week. This means that you are moving enough to get your heart rate up but you can still talk normally. This can include walking, weight training, dancing, swimming, and yoga.

In general, women who have been active going into pregnancy can continue their programs at first, as long as it still feels right. This is a great reason why women trying to conceive should get active.

Pregnancy is not the time to push your limits so it is important to recognize your abilities before exercise.

Any contact sport or activity that has abrupt hitting or contact made. Also activities with an increased risk of falling such as biking and skiing. high altitude training, hot yoga, and hot pilates is also not recommended.

For a healthy pregnancy and baby, some of the goals I would recommend would be.

Maintain or increase overall strength, increase posture, and alignment while your body starts to shift and change.

Maintain a healthy core, balance, and strength of the pelvic floor.

I also recommend healthy weight gain, and an improvement in the overall well being mentally and emotionally to help you and the baby thrive.

Your body typically responds better to conception when you are healthier, this is why exercise can help. Exercise helps improve fertility, especially if you are overweight or have PCOS, an ovarian syndrome. During this stage, we will focus on cardiovascular and total body strength training to prepare you for pregnancy. If possible, it is best to begin training during this stage.

Training in the 1st trimester can help ease the effects on morning sickness, elevate your mood, and keep you and your growing baby healthy.

We will work on total body strength focusing on your core, pelvic floor, and the gluteal region. This gives your body the strength it needs to stay healthy and pain free. Light to moderate cardiovascular exercise is safe at this phase.

Remember not to push it. If you are feeling that bone crushing fatigue often experienced in the first trimester, we will modify the intensity of your workouts.

During the 2nd trimester, we will focus on strengthening and stabilizing the hips, pelvic floor, and gluteal region.

A solid training frequency of 2-3 times per week will help keep weight gain to a healthy limit. As your body produces relaxin in preparation for labor, the ligaments in the pelvic region begin to loosen. Keeping the pelvic region strong and healthy will help eliminate pain and potential injury while the relaxin fills your body.

During this stage, we will avoid exercises where you are lying on your back for long periods of time, since the growing fetus may constrict blood flow through the vena cava vein in this position.

During the 3rd trimester of prenatal training, you are less mobile due to the size of your belly.

Traditional strength training exercises like squats, elevated bridges, and bird dogs are continued during this period, but ab exercises are limited based on comfort levels. Breathing and stabilizing exercises will help give you the stamina and strength you need for labor.

If you feel lethargic during this stage, exercise will help increase your mood, give you energy and help you have a better night’s rest.

After delivery, allow your body 5-6 weeks before easing back into exercise.

If you’ve had a C-section, it typically takes 6-8 weeks to heal before your body is ready for normal physical activity.

Once your healthcare provider deems you ready, we begin total body strength training. It may seem like your core has atrophied after giving birth, so it is important to build back your abdominal strength.

Once you are feeling strong and stable, it’s ready to amp up and introduce circuit-style strength training into your regimen. This will help shred off the extra body fat and get you back to your desired body weight.