How to Make a Pregnancy Exercise Schedule

Regular exercise throughout your pregnancy will help you maintain a healthy weight, stay more energetic, balance mood swings from hormonal shifts and generally improve your pregnancy experience. Every woman is different, so you have to use your own judgment when you make your exercise schedule. There are, however, some common goals to reach for.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Talk to your doctor about your exercise options before starting to work out. There are some pregnancy complications that limit or restrict your ability to work out.
2. Write down your exercise schedule and post it where you can see it prominently. If you actually make an exercise schedule to follow, you will be more likely to stick to it.
3. Try to do some cardiovascular exercise every day. The physical changes to your body can tempt you to veg out, but incorporating some level of movement into your daily schedule will help keep you active and healthy. Walking can easily be incorporated into your schedule by simply leaving the car parked when you run local errands.
4. Do some strength training exercise every other day. Strength training helps keep your muscles toned and can help your body prepare for labor. Using resistance bands is an excellent way to practice strength training while pregnant.
5. Work out your abdominal muscles on strength training off-days. This will allow you to focus on this important group of muscles exclusively. Strong ab muscles improve pushing efficiency during labor and help minimize back pain during pregnancy. Get a stability ball to facilitate your abs workouts.
6. Alternate your workout days whenever possible. Do upper body one day, lower body, including abs and legs, the next and then take a day off. Stretch your muscles after working out to cool them down and prevent injury.
7. Make at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise 4 times a week part of your regular exercise routine. That can be walking, using the elliptical trainer, swimming, water aerobics or any other type of exercise that works for you.
8. Adjust your exercise schedule as needed towards the later stages of pregnancy. Some women can work out full force until the day they give birth, but most women are affected by the increased weight in their stomach and need to taper off their routine.

Tips & Warnings

• On days when you are scheduled to do cardiovascular exercise and strength training, do the cardio first to warm up your muscles.
• Don't make your body work out more than it can handle. If you start to become fatigued, flushed or breathless, it's time to stop. Let your own endurance level determine the frequency and intensity of your workouts.