Active April Week 1: Cardio
We started out 2022 helping you focus on your physical, nutritional, and emotional wellbeing (remember #ImDoingItForMe?). Well, we’re here to remind you to keep going by introducing you to Active April!
Whether you’re TTC, pregnant, or postpartum, we’ll be sharing workouts, fitness tips, and more with you each week so we can all focus on fitness together.
Whilst you might not always feel like working out during each stage of your motherhood journey, it’s a really important part of your health and recovery - and it’s perfectly safe to exercise if you haven’t been told otherwise by a doctor, follow workouts for your stage, and take some precautions.
The good news is that all of the exercises you’ll be able to see in the Baby2Body app are safe for you to do and as you move through TTC, pregnancy, and postpartum, your workout plans will change and adapt with you.
Coming up in Active April...
4th - 10th April: Cardio Focus
11th - 17th April: Quick Workouts
18th - 24th April: Yoga Week
25th - 1st May: Strength and Resistance Training
Now on to week 1…
What is cardio exactly?
So, even though you’ve heard of cardio and you’ve probably done lots of it too, people can’t always define it. Cardiovascular activity, or aerobic exercise, is any exercise that gets your blood pumping and your large muscle groups working.
This includes:
Walking
Swimming
Running
Cycling (this should be on a stationary bike whilst you are pregnant)
Is it safe to do cardio during pregnancy?
Keep scrolling for: Is it safe to do cardio exercise during postpartum?
Unless you’ve been told it’s not safe for you to exercise during pregnancy, then cardio is actually a good choice and is safe to do in all 3 trimesters of pregnancy. As you get into the later stages of pregnancy, traditional cardio (like running) may be too high-impact, but you can still do other forms of cardio, like the routine we’ve shared below.
Are there any precautions I should take?
Whilst cardio is safe for you to do during pregnancy, it’s really important to pay attention to how your body feels throughout. You’ll want to take extra time to warm up fully before starting your workout, and take time to stretch and cool down after. During pregnancy, you can become fatigued or lightheaded more quickly than usual, so if you do feel unwell at all, be sure to slow down and stop as soon as possible.
It’s also best to stick to exercises you were accustomed to before you fell pregnant. So, if you were a runner before, then it's safe to carry on, but we wouldn’t recommend taking up running during pregnancy. Your body will already be accustomed to certain movements and conditioned for that training, so you’ll know how you should (and shouldn’t) feel.
Take a look at Is It Safe To Run During Pregnancy? Our Experts Have The Answers.
A cardio workout for pregnancy:
Here’s Cardio Step III, a workout from the Baby2Body app that you can try during pregnancy – this is just a sneak peek, but if you head over to the app we’ll walk you through each circuit and rep, plus we have a warm up and cool down there too!
Is it safe to do cardio exercise during postpartum?
Firstly, it’s important to wait at least 6 weeks after birth before you do any exercise (except light walks and stretching) and you must have your doctor’s clearance before you start working out again. If you had complications following a vaginal delivery or had a C-section, you may be advised to wait longer. Remember mama, your body has done amazing things and you deserve the time to recover.
For more on C-Section recovery, check out our post on Exercise After C-Section.
Are there any precautions I should take?
After you’ve had clearance from your doctor and are feeling like you are able to exercise, start with low-moderate intensity routines before building up to higher-intensity, higher-impact workouts to let your body get used to being active again.
We also recommend building a balance of cardio and strength training into your routine. Cardio will support heart health, promote better sleep, and produce those feel-good neurotransmitters that boost serotonin and dopamine that help fend off postpartum depression. Strength training is key for rebuilding lost muscle tone, making it easier to lose excess weight from pregnancy. It’s also so important for supporting bone health in the long term.
A cardio workout for postpartum:
Here’s Quick Cardio Kick II, a workout from the Baby2Body app that you can try if you are 6+ weeks postpartum and have your doctor’s clearance to exercise – this is just a sneak peek, but if you head over to the app we’ll walk you through each circuit and rep, plus we have a warm-up and cool down there too!
Got any questions about exercise during TTC, pregnancy, or postpartum? Let us know in the comments — we’ll be answering them all this Friday!