Active April Week 4: This Week’s Top 5 Questions About Working Out
As we wrap up Active April, we’re bringing you one last Q&A, where we answer our community’s most asked questions about working out during TTC, Pregnancy, and Postpartum! You can find all of this month’s Q&As here, along with free workouts and other tips and advice.
Remember, just because April is coming to a close, it doesn’t mean the end of your fitness journey or the routines you’ve created during this month! Use this to push yourself into summer and keep up the good work. We’ll be here to support you every step of the way and we have lots more exciting things coming up, so keep your eyes peeled.
Ok, let’s dive in - if you don’t see an answer you need, drop your question in the comments and we’ll get back to you!
1. What exercise should I do when my muscles are sore or aching?
If your muscles are sore or aching, it can be difficult to know whether you should continue with workouts or rest. Sometimes, active recovery exercises like stretching or walking will help sore muscles, but remember that overtraining can be harmful and it’s very important to take time off from exercise and allow our body to rest - especially during pregnancy and postpartum.
If your body feels strong and you have had rest days this week, then active recovery work to try includes stretching, low-intensity cardio like walking or swimming, or light resistance exercises. Some evidence even suggests that recovery exercises offer the same benefits as a massage! You can also make sure that you are not working the sore muscles over and over again; if your legs are aching, try an upper body workout.
Finally, it’s important to recognize whether your muscles are sore from working out, or if you have a more serious injury. Symptoms of an athletic injury include:
Sharp pain or pain that doesn’t go away
Swelling
Tingling or numbness/loss of function around the injury
Feeling uncomfortable or nauseous
If you experience any of these symptoms you should consult your doctor immediately.
2. Can exercise cause premature birth?
No, there’s no evidence to suggest that exercise alone causes premature birth, and in fact, women who are experiencing a ‘normal’ pregnancy with no complications who exercise have been shown to reduce the risk of premature birth. In addition, one study found that following an exercise program throughout pregnancy actually reduced the time spent in labor.
3. How do I change my preferences in the Baby2Body Fitness Studio?
As you move through pregnancy, your workout preferences may change and it’s important to listen to your body when that happens. In the Baby2Body app, you can change your workout intensity as well as the number of workouts you want in your weekly plan. Check out this quick and easy video on how to do it!
4. Can I do core exercises whilst I am trying to conceive?
The short answer is yes, you can and should work your core muscles during TTC! Strengthening your abdominal and back muscles now will help you during pregnancy and postpartum. During pregnancy, your center of gravity will shift but having a stronger core means you will have better balance and posture which in turn reduces any back pain you may experience later!
5. Should I be worried about working out too hard?
Ever heard of the talk test? It’s a great tool to know that can indicate if you’re working out too hard. Our founder and CEO Melinda Nicci will walk you through it…
Can’t listen out loud? Scroll for the video transcript!
Video transcript
Hi, I'm so glad you asked, but before we get into the answers that are gonna give you everything you need to know about pregnancy conception and postpartum, be sure to hit that notification button, give us a thumbs up and subscribe. So you don't miss an episode.
Working out during your pregnancy is really good for you. Okay. We know that we've been talking about that for a long time, but the question is how much do you do? So one of the key things is that you shouldn't be stressing your body too much. Although exercise, any exercise is a stressor, in other words it creates some kind of stress in your body so that your body has to respond. So breathing heavier, getting more oxygen through your body, but when it goes too far, then it becomes detrimental and not helpful. So one of the key ways that I always talk about, which is super easy is the talk test. So you should keep your exercise at a moderate intensity and not go too high. And moderated intensity means that you'll be able to have a conversation. So if you're exercising or you're on the treadmill or you're on the, on the spinning bike or you're walking or swimming and you can't carry out a conversation and you're too breathless, like [breathes heavily], and you can't speak, then that is a good sign that you should really take it back to a point where you can actually talk.
So if you can talk, keep breathing as well, and don't forget, don't hold your breath. That is still very safe and also effective because exercise means that we need to be stressing. We need actually pushing ourselves a little bit. So work up until that threshold. Not above it.