Pregnancy is about change – changes in the body and changes in the mood. There are nine months of changes that may create mood swings, and your exercise habits may be affected by these moods.

The March of Dimes says most pregnant women, unless otherwise advised by their doctors, would benefit from 30 minutes of exercise every day. Not only does it make you feel better, but it prevents too much weight gain and gestational diabetes. But how can you adjust your fitness activities to your changing moods and energy levels?

You may frequently feel low energy and tired during your first trimester even though you have changed very little yet physically. Your weight change is not yet significant, but you feel tired all the time. What can you do to keep yourself fit even though you have low energy?

When you have low energy, keep the following tips in mind:

• Exercise for only short periods of time. Ten minutes of exercise may be all you can handle. Do not try to overexert yourself when your body is feeling tired.
• Select an exercise that is low key, such as walking or simple stretches.
• Do something that allows you to stop when you feel you need to stop. In other words, don't start a fitness class that lasts an hour if you are going in with a low energy level. Select something that you are able to regulate and can stop at the point you begin to feel fatigue. A long hike is not appropriate when you are tired and may struggle on the return cycle.
• Low-energy fitness activities may include walking, yoga, stretching, water aerobics and Pilates. These are, of course, excellent exercises for your high-energy days, too. You may feel the need to extend the time you do these activities to achieve your desired fitness level.

Just because you are pregnant, don't assume your days will always be at one extreme or the other. There may be days and weeks when you feel perfectly normal in your energy level and undisturbed by your body's changing shape. If you have been following a fitness program or played certain sports regularly before your pregnancy, there is no reason you should not be able to continue with this same routine if you are feeling at a normal energy level.

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