This blog post was originally posted on FIT4MOM.com
There are many myths or untruths about pregnancy, especially surrounding exercising while pregnant. If you are asking yourself, “can I still run while pregnant?” or “can I safely train my pregnant client?” then our short workshop, Myths About Prenatal Fitness, is for you. Keep reading to learn all about working out while pregnant, how to tell the prenatal exercise myths vs. facts, and how to train a pregnant body through all trimesters—even the 4th trimester!
Who runs the world?
We hope you enthusiastically shouted “MOMS”! Yes, moms rule the world! With 140 million births per year, females are a dominant force; yet, many still believe that pregnant women are fragile or incapable. We are here to say that pregnant women are some of the strongest humans on the planet—strong physically, emotionally, and mentally.
A woman’s body will go through more changes in the 9 months of pregnancy than a man’s will in the majority of his life (crazy, right?!). Each woman’s journey in pregnancy is different and should be treated as a unique and personal experience; no woman will have the same experience and no pregnancy will look exactly the same. However, there *are* some guidelines we can provide that make generalizations based on the response and research on many women’s experiences.
This workshop video will share with you the truths of prenatal fitness based on the generalizations mentioned above. However, we urge you to keep in mind that each pregnancy should be treated uniquely, and each training session should be responsive to how the woman is feeling on that specific day. There should be no comparison between last week’s performance and today’s. Instead, we meet the woman where she is, each moment of her special journey.
Most women can continue with the fitness exercises they were doing before finding out they were pregnant, with a few exceptions and modifications. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, there are contraindications and considerations that can stop a woman from continuing in fitness while pregnant. Additionally, there are Urgent Maternal Warning Signs which should encourage a pregnant woman to seek immediate medical attention.
Throughout this video workshop, you will hear Jessica Maurer, the FIT4MOM Director of Operations and Product, mention the word impact. For this video, we are speaking of the amount of force required to leave and land back on the floor; we are not speaking of the impact of an object hitting a woman. When a woman learns she is pregnant, it is highly advised to stop practicing sports that risk the impact of a ball, object, or person, such as MMA, softball, and horseback riding. For the purpose of this workshop, we are only speaking to generalized fitness and not sports practices.
If you are ready to dive in deeper, ask questions, and learn about the anatomy and physiology of pregnancy, please join us for our first prenatal and postnatal fitness certificate! Within our certificate, the content of this video is expanded, explained, and experienced in a multitude of easy-to-digest learning sessions.
With the FIT4MOM Prenatal & Postpartum Fitness Certification, you’ll gain a profound understanding of the physical and mental changes that occur during pregnancy and postpartum. This course covers everything from exercise guidelines per trimester to the importance of pelvic floor health for pregnant and postpartum women. We’ll provide you with the expertise needed to customize workouts for the individual needs of your clients and support them across various movement styles, training sessions, fitness classes, and more.
