16 Weeks Pregnant: Pregnancy Exercise

You are 16 weeks pregnant! Weird pregnancy fact: your heart is bigger! Not just in the figurative sense, like diaper commercials make you cry, but in the literal sense: you have so much blood circulating your body and require so much oxygen to feed your baby’s and your body that your heart has increased in size to meet the demand. Your heart’s output is actually 20% higher than before pregnancy. All that blood is carrying tons of nutrients to your growing baby, who is now about 4 ½ inches long and weighs around 3 – 3 ½ ounces. Obligatory food reference: your baby is the size of an avocado. The point is, the baby is bigger. Other things are getting bigger, too: your stomach, your breasts, your hips and your ass, to be specific.

Back pain is a common complaint in pregnancy, as your spine curves to accommodate your new shape. Strength training, yoga and pilates are all great ways to keep your back and the rest of your body in shape, but enlist the services of a qualified and experienced instructor to learn how to modify traditional movements for a pregnant body. Before beginning a pregnancy exercise program, talk to your health care provider and complete the Physical Activity Readiness Medical Examination for Pregnancy. Overall, remember to keep your heart rate below 140 beats per minute, avoid laying on your back or stomach and exercise only to the point of fatigue, not exhaustion. Among the hormones your body is producing is relaxin, designed to loosen your ligaments to accommodate your metamorphosis into the penguin-like creature you will see in the mirror late in your third trimester. You are like a stretchy superhero. But you are also more vulnerable to tears, sprains and dislocations. Stretch gently, never bounce, and hold your stretches only at the point of mild discomfort. If you feel pulling or tearing, you’re probably pulling and tearing. Be careful, but don’t avoid exercise. Pregnancy exercise could include walking, cycling, strength training, yoga, stretching – there are lots of healthy choices. If you’ve never been active, now might be the time you finally find the motivation you need. Just save that half-marathon for next year. You’ll find it easier when you’re not carrying around 30 extra pounds, anyway.