Is yoga and hiit safe during pregnancy?

Question

I just found out I’m pregnant can I continue with yoga and HIIT ? How high should I let my heart rate get ?

Answer

You can continue doing anything you were already doing prior to getting pregnant. This early on there are really no restrictions except to listen to your body. I found in weeks 8-13 I was just exhausted that my typical workouts were incredible tough. I could no longer run/jog and had to walk. I had to use lighter weights. But that got better into the 2nd trimester. Once you hit about 20 weeks there are some restrictions like not lying flat on your back and as you progress you’ll want to limit the ab exercises. But otherwise you can pretty much keep up like you were. Continuing to exercise while pregnant is supposed to be great for delivery. I’m 37 weeks tomorrow and still go to orangetheory 4x a week, just def much slower than normal because I just can’t handle my usual paces anymore

Answer

Yoga is typically fine (just not hot yoga), but there are some movements you shouldnt do as you progress through pregnancy. Hiit is fine if you were doing it before, but again, as you progress into the secons trimester, you may want to limit the high impact movements (I.e. jump squats) as you are more vulnerable to injury. Running is fine, but a lot of runners stop mid pregnancy. I did. My pelvis just felt stiff and painful for 2-3 days after a run, so it wasnt worth it. They typically recommend being able to maintain a limited conversation during cardio (no heavy panting). I saw an article regarding athletes exercising and heart rates... They noticed decreased blood flow to the uterus at heart rates around and above 90% maximum, but the flow also returned to normal about 30 minutes after. Based off that I do short 2 minute intervals ( not panting but definitely working harder) on my bike at home. Just go based on how you feel and back off it feels too hard. Big thing is to not overheat or become dehydrated.

Answer

You should be fine to continue since you were doing both before. Let your instructors (if in a group class) know your pregnant so you can get help modifying moves.  At this point baby is so little that these workouts shouldn’t harm him/ her.  Ask your doctor for recommendations at your first appointment and they’ll let you know how long you can keep going :)

Is yoga and hiit safe during pregnancy?

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