Moms in Motion
Exercise is good for a growing body
A lot of pregnant women I meet basically have the same concern when it comes to exercising during pregnancy: Can I harm my baby? 
The answer is no. As long as you are having an uncomplicated pregnancy without any contraindications present and you have received consent from you doctor, it is safe for you to exercise.
You must also follow the guidelines set out by the Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology ( www.csep.ca/communities/c574/files/hidden/pdfs/parmed-xpreg.pdf ) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
There has been no evidence that confirms that exercising during your pregnancy can directly cause any harm to your unborn child. To the contrary, all the evidence supports that regular physical exercise actually helps your growing fetus adapt to the changes in heart rate and blood flow, thus preparing babies to tolerate the stresses of delivery better.
I am touching on this subject again because someone recently told me that a pregnant woman she knows had quite a strenuous abdominal workout and went into premature labour at 31 weeks.
Now it's hard to say whether it was the crunches that caused her to go into labour or more probably the intensity.
You see the guidelines are specific about intensity during pregnancy and this is where some women who are "die-hards" have the most difficulty.
They are so used to feeling the burn during their workouts, that it is hard for them to cut back. The goal when exercising during pregnancy, whether it's cardiovascular or weight training, is to maintain what you already have.
This means not training your muscles to exhaustion and either gradually lowering the weight or reducing the repetitions.
This is not the time to train for a marathon or increase your muscle tone. And to be quite honest, even though abdominals are perfectly fine (as long as there is no separation of the abdominal wall present), rectus abdominis work is not really effective past the second trimester. Core should be your primary focus.
There are some basic guidelines that every pregnant woman exercising should keep in mind:
Consistency.
Because the fetus is trying to adapt to the physiological changes made during exercise, it is recommended that exercising during pregnancy be consistent. Irregular exercise is counter-productive.
Do not work your muscles to exhaustion.
Listen to your body. After the first trimester, either scale back the weight or reduce the repetitions. One to three sets of eight to 12 reps is suggested based on your fitness background.
Use the talk test during cardiovascular training.
If you can't hold a conversation, you are working too hard.
Keep hydrated.
This is especially important during the third trimester as dehydration can directly affect the baby.
No lying in a supine position (flat on your back) after 16 weeks gestation.
The growing fetus puts too much pressure on the main artery that sends blood to the heart.
If you are not confident enough, however, the best bet is to work with a trainer who is certified in this area and can make sure you are doing what is best for you and your baby.
