1 gym, 2 gym, 3 gym 4, to which gym should I knock on the door?

Picking the right gym/antenatal classes/place to work out while pregnant is not easy. I cancelled my gym membership today (30 days notice so I’ll still be going there for the next month). Why? Because that gym is not suited to me for working out while pregnant.

Now I can hear some of you thinking any gym has to be better than none, why quit? Well to put it simply the gym I currently visit has no pregnancy appropriate classes at times where I can get in. I have quit so I can use that money at more suitable facilities.

Firstly I will be switching from kick boxing and combat style classes to swimming. While those that are already very fit are told they can continue with high intensity training, you need to be wary with high impact movements or those with directional changes, especially later in pregnancy, due to the hormone Relaxin making the body joints unstable. Mainly due to the stability issues I will be avoiding high impact classes from the start of my pregnancy to be on the safe side.

Swimming however is the perfect pregnancy exercise. The low impact nature means joint stability is not an issue. It is shown to help with fluid retention for those retaining too much fluid, and it is a great workout that is able to exert the fit with out being too taxing on a pregnant body. Swimming is also more suited than classes as you need to be carful not to over, exert yourself when exercising while pregnant, and it is easier to monitor your pace when not in a class.

In addition to swimming, when I get to about 12 weeks I will start antenatal classes. I have already looked into providers in my area, as last pregnancy I left it too late and due to waiting lists missed out. I have narrowed it down to two providers and will decide which list to put my name on when I am pregnant.

Finally in regards to resistance training, there is a gym near home that has fairly cheep casual visits. I will use that gym in the meantime, after my remaining 30 days runs out. When I am pregnant I will continue to do LIGHT resistance training with the bar and 20kg of varied weights I already have at home. Once again due to the hormone Relaxin, heavy resistance training in pregnancy is unadvisable as the risk of joint damage is quite high.

To sum up, the right exercise facility when pregnant, might not be the same as the one(s) you where using before hand and it is well worth investigating your options. If you are interested in a more comprehensive overview of safe exercise when pregnant see the Better Health Channel, or for those who like more of the reasoning behind the advice read the science of exercise during pregnancy.