Many women find that exercise helps them to adjust to the physical changes that occur during pregnancy. Keeping active during your pregnancy may help relieve tiredness, lower back pain and reduce varicose veins and swelling of the feet and ankles. Physical activity also improves muscle tone, strength and endurance, rendering it easier to carry the weight you gain during pregnancy and helps prepare you for the physical challenge of labour. Furthermore, exercise promotes a sense of wellbeing. Staying fit during pregnancy may help to reduce feelings of stress, anxiety and depression and improves sleep.

The best forms of exercise during pregnancy are:

1. Aerobic exercise, also known as cardiovascular exercise, increases your heart rate. This causes blood to circulate more quickly around the body and as a result more oxygen reaches the muscles. Aerobics and dancing are good examples of aerobic exercise.

2. Strength conditioning exercises help increase your overall fitness and involve slow, controlled movements. Women who do strength conditioning exercises during pregnancy tend to have a shorter labour time and fewer delivery complications.

If you exercised regularly before pregnancy, you should be able to engage in the same higher intensity exercise programmes, with no adverse effects for you or the baby, but should discuss first with your GP. However, as your pregnancy progresses, you should be aiming to gradually reduce your overall activity.

Yoga and Pilates

Yoga and Pilates are great for working your muscles without too much impact on your joints. Most of the breathing techniques used in yoga are a good preparation for childbirth, helping you to remain calm and breathe steadily through contractions. Yoga and Pilates also improve posture, which helps with back pain and can increase flexibility. This will make birthing positions, such as squatting, easier.

However you shouldn’t try new and advanced poses and you should focus instead on improving your technique. As you move into the middle months and your baby grows, your centre of gravity shifts, and you're more likely to lose your balance, so sink slowly into yoga positions. For standing postures, use support, such as a wall or chair, if you need to.

Aerobics

Aerobics is great for the heart and lungs, and it improves muscle tone. As long as you stick to low-impact routines, you can usually continue for as long as you feel able. 

If you start an aerobic exercise programme, begin by doing no more than 15 minutes continuous exercise three times a week. Increase this gradually to a maximum of a 30-minute session, four times a week.

Overheating can be a problem with aerobics so wear cool clothing and drink plenty of water. If you use a step in your routine, lower it or don't use it at all. Avoid jumps, always keeping one foot on the floor, and sudden changes in direction.

Light Weight Training

Weight training improves muscle tone and builds stamina, which will benefit you during labour. In pregnancy, certain positions aren't recommended, so it's best to discuss your routine with an expert first.

Avoid lifting weights while lying on your back after the first 12 weeks of your pregnancy. From week 13 or so, sit down to lift weights because long periods of standing in one position can lead to a drop in blood pressure and cause dizziness. The main risk with weight training is putting too much strain on the joints, as they loosen during pregnancy.