As a pregnant woman, you are born with a lot of advice, guidance, and admonitions. It can be difficult to find out what you should actually follow and what is just myths.
Especially when it comes to exercising during pregnancy, there are many persistent myths that lead most pregnant women to think that they should stay completely still until the baby is born.
In reality, however, there are many beneficial effects of physical activity during pregnancy, and not much to be worried about. Pregnant women actually suffer significantly fewer sports injuries than women who are not pregnant. This is probably because there is a tendency to be extra cautious during pregnancy, and one usually avoids dangerous sports.
In general, you should definitely not hold back on sports and exercise while pregnant, even if you may have heard otherwise. Here we go through some of the most common myths about exercising during pregnancy.
5 myths about exercising while pregnant
1) “When I exercise, my baby doesn’t get enough oxygen”
When you are pregnant, your body produces an extra amount of blood of about 1.3 liters. When you exercise and your muscles are at work, and thus need more blood, there is still plenty left for your baby to get the nutrients and oxygen it needs.
2) “I get overheated during exercise, which can be harmful to my baby”
You may have noticed that you sweat more than you did before you became pregnant. This is completely normal. During pregnancy, blood flow to the skin increases, which means that you start sweating faster when your body temperature rises.
Additionally, you also have a deeper breathing as a pregnant woman. This means that there is a greater air exchange, and through the air you exhale, there is a release of heat.
The pregnant body is thus engaged in processes that provide extra protection against overheating, so this is not something you need to worry about.
3) “When I am pregnant, I should reduce my activity level”
If you are used to having a high level of physical activity, it is only good to maintain it during your pregnancy. You can easily run, do cardio training, or strength training while you are pregnant. You just need to remember to pay attention and listen to your body. For example, if you start to feel uncomfortable or get Braxton Hicks contractions, it might be a good idea to take a break from exercising or train a little less intensely. Otherwise, there is nothing wrong with exercising during pregnancy, and it is actually only healthy for you and your baby.
4) “There is no health benefit to walking or cycling while pregnant”
Your exercise does not need to be very hard and intense for it to have a beneficial effect. Light physical activity can help protect against several diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Even with physical activity that has a low intensity, such as a walk or bike ride, the composition of fats in the blood improves. This happens because your muscles become better at converting fat into energy. Therefore, it is definitely worth doing light exercise while pregnant.
5) “To be able to carry the large belly, you need to do a lot of core training while pregnant”
There is some truth in this particular myth. It is indeed true that it is beneficial to train the inner muscle corset, namely the inner and outer oblique abdominal muscles and the transverse abdominal muscle. When you do this, your overall posture and stability are strengthened, which can help prevent typical pregnancy discomforts such as back and lower back pain.
However, after the 20th week of pregnancy, it is recommended not to train the rectus abdominis muscle. This is because by that time in the pregnancy, the abdomen has grown so large that it pushes the muscles out to the sides. Therefore, only connective tissue remains in the middle, which cannot be trained.
If you train the rectus abdominis muscle after week 20, the abdomen will rise to a peak in the middle. This is not dangerous, and as soon as the abdominal exercise is over, the abdomen will return to its normal shape. It is just unnecessary, as you are not training any muscles. You will therefore benefit more from focusing on strengthening the inner muscle corset.
