“Should you be doing that?”

“You need to slow down!”

“You’ve got an excuse to put your feet up and eat your bodyweight in junk now!”

If I had £1 for every time someone said this to me during my second pregnancy, I’d have had enough pennies to buy the Silver Cross Aston Martin Surf 2 …

The truth is, there is no better time to exercise than whilst you’re creating a new life inside of you. Exercise is not dangerous for your baby – there is some evidence that active women are less likely to experience problems in later pregnancy and in labour. Don’t get me wrong, it’s certainly not the time to train for a marathon, but a little common sense should tell you that nine months of parking your backside every chance you get isn’t going to do you any favours either.

“So what can I do?” I hear you ask. Well, the answer is simply to put one foot in front of the other and continue this pattern of movement for at least an hour every day.

Walking is incredibly underrated considering the benefits are so vast. It involves far less impact than running and thus limiting the chances of sustaining injuries. You’ll give your mind a breath of fresh air and it can be done literally anywhere, with anyone, and at any time of day. Even your baby will love it as the gentle movement will often lull them to sleep, allowing them to grow efficiently.

For those of you who are already fitness queens, there’s no reason why you can’t continue your workouts, (yes, that does include lifting weights) throughout your pregnancy as long as there are no concerns or complications and you realise that your goal is now to stay fit and healthy, not to increase your intensity. Speak with your GP if you’re worried but always trust your instincts. You’ll know when it’s time to slow things down but even with that being said, you MUST tell your gym, trainer or class instructor if you’re pregnant and plan to continue using their services.

Here are my top tips for exercising when pregnant:

• Don’t train on an empty stomach anymore, make sure you fuel up a few hours before with a bowl of porridge and honey or a fruit salad.

• To keep an eye on intensity, don’t workout to exhaustion. If you’re breathless, you’re working too hard so take it down a notch.

• Don’t ever ignore a pain, dizzy spell or bad feeling. Stop immediately and take a break, ending the session early if you don’t recover properly.

• Drink PLENTY of water to stay well hydrated.

• Consume a post-workout snack or meal including carbs, protein, and fats such as 1 slice of wholegrain toast with 1tbsp natural peanut butter, a banana and almond smoothie or a homemade protein flapjack.

The most important thing you can do is just listen to your body and focus on staying safe and healthy throughout your pregnancy!

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