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Home › Articles › Exercise in Pregnancy › Fitness Fanatic?

Fitness Fanatic?

Why You May Need to Tone Down Your Workout

By Catherine Cram, Fitness Expert

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  • Do you and your health care provider feel that you are gaining weight normally?
  • Do you feel well physically and mentally?
  • Are you able to comfortably follow your exercise program without pain, exhaustion or problems following exercise?
  • Is your energy level normal – do you experience chronic or extreme exhaustion?
  • Have you noticed any change in the pattern or amount of your baby's movements? (Fetal movement is usually first felt at around 20 to 22 weeks gestation.)
  • Does your baby move at least two times within 20 to 30 minutes following exercise?
  • Was your last abdominal fundal height measurement (measurement of fetal growth) within normal limits and progressing at each measurement?
  • Does your health care provider have any concern regarding the health of your pregnancy?

Pregnant women who continue a challenging level of exercise need to be aware of signs or symptoms that indicate overwork, such as an elevated resting heart rate, frequent illness, lack of weight gain, depression and chronic exhaustion. You should decrease or stop your exercise program during illness, when fatigued, under excessive stress or if experiencing any complications with your pregnancy.

Remember that exercise should enhance your pregnancy and help to make your postpartum recovery smoother. The best advice for the athletic woman who wants to continue her fitness program during pregnancy is to use common sense, listen to your body and enjoy all the challenges and changes this wonderful experience offers.

Gym Considerations

Considering joining a gym after Baby is born? Here are some tips on choosing the right gym for you:

  • Fitness staff – Are they helpful, knowledgeable, professional?
  • Child care – If this is a concern for you, make sure that the on-site center has enough to keep your child occupied, meets safety standards and is open during the hours you'll want to be working out.
  • Pricing structure – Does your membership fee cover all the classes you want to take? Are some extra? Is the membership affordable?
  • Contracts and cancellation fees – Is there a long-term commitment that even a job transfer can't break? Be sure to read the fine print.
  • Classes – Are there a variety you'd like to try? What do members say about the teachers? Trying out a class before you join is a good idea.
  • Hours – Is the gym open during the times that are best for you?
  • Facilities – Are there enough machines so that you don't have to wait forever to use them? Are there a variety of types of machines?
  • Atmosphere – Do you like lots of frills, or is bare-bones fine with you? Are you interested in meeting people, or are you there strictly to work? Know what you want and don't want.
  • Try before you buy. Take more than one test drive – a good facility will let you check them out for at least three days.


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