MM Exercise
When it comes to pregnancy exercise, yoga, swimming and Pilates are the usual ‘go to’ activities. But, as fitness trainer Johan Hagman from Amway tells MM, there’s plenty more scope…
Bumpup
your pregnancy exercise!
Regardless of what stage you’re at in your pregnancy, the warnings about ‘not overdoing things’, ‘not lifting heavy weights’ and ‘generally taking it easy’ come loud and fast… If you do want to do exercise, you’ll find
book upon book and article upon article about gentle pregnancy yoga and Pilates - all carried out under the watchful eye of an experienced teacher. Now, that’s all very well and, of course,
sensible. But, what happens if you’re a fit mum to
be, who’s used to being at the gym four times a week and enjoys relatively high- intensity exercise such as resistance training? Should you just give up your normal routine now that you’re pregnant? Or what if you’re a generally healthy and
fit woman, who’s decided to take up exercise during your pregnancy? Is there a safe level to which you should take a new exercise regime? Certainly, recent research seems to be
coming down on the side of increased levels of exercise during pregnancy. Researchers at the University of
Gothenburg, for example, found that resistance training actually reduced certain elements of pregnancy discomfort, such as
14 Modernmum
fatigue, nausea and poor sleeping, while another report from the International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology found that pregnant women, who exercised, were less likely to develop gestational diabetes. With positive reports appearing globally
regarding more strenuous forms of pregnancy exercise, it is perhaps unsurprising that an increasing number of gyms and fitness clubs across Ireland and the UK are now fulfilling this demand: a fact, which doesn’t surprise fitness trainer, Johan Hagman. ‘I do believe that these recent studies are correct in their findings,’ Johan told MM.
Johan Hagman ‘Today, pregnant women - particularly
those who have been fit and have exercised regularly prior to their pregnancy - are increasingly unwilling to give up what has up until that point been a standard feature of their day or week. ‘While they know that they have to
observe some restrictions and ensure the safety of both themselves and their baby, many are loathe to give up exercising, particularly if they been exercising on a regular basis. ‘I think that, as with anything, it’s a
matter of all things in moderation. If you are generally fit and well and have been hitting the gym several times a week prior to your pregnancy, then it’s a matter of assessing how you are feeling and doing whatever you feel you are up to. Similarly, if you’re a pregnant woman, who wants to start doing more exercise than pre- pregnancy, then it’s a matter of finding an experienced fitness trainer, who can coach you through what’s safe and what’s not at this time. ‘One of the forms of exercise that I find
is most popular with pregnant women is weight training and that’s very beneficial as long as the weights are kept within an individual’s capabilities. Weight training >
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