If you're reading this and you've just found out that you
are pregnant, then congratulations! This is the beginning
of a wonderful life changing experience, that you will
cherish forever. But amidst the joy of knowing you are
going to have a baby there are also concerns over what
changes you will have to make to your current lifestyle.

One of the most common concerns for newly pregnant mums to
be is always the question of exercise and pregnancy and
whether it is safe.

Years ago it was strictly advised that pregnant women
should avoid any strenuous activity and rest as much as
possible. As a result, many pregnant women piled on the
pounds during their pregnancies and then struggled to lose
the excess weight afterwards.

Fortunately with the advance in science and research into
this area we now know that not only is it safe to exercise
during pregnancy, but that it is actually beneficial to
both mother and baby.

Just some of those benefits include a better immune system,
relief from morning sickness, reduced postural pain and
injury and increased energy levels and feelings of
positivity for both you and baby.

Even so, when you first find out you are pregnant, your
natural instinct is to reduce your activity to protect your
baby. Actually, this instinct is not far wrong - you
defintely don't want to be risking your baby by playing a
rousing game of squash or rollerblading down some steep
hills, but to stop all activity is crazy!

For one you need to be strengthening your body to support
your pregnancy. As your body changes it will put some
serious strain on areas like your back, shoulders and neck
and if your muscles aren't strong enough to cope with these
postural changes, you could be in for severe long term
damage.

You can't build strength overnight so you need to be
starting as soon as possible to support your frame.

You should also consider the amount of fat you are carrying
on your body. Roughly 30% of oestrogen comes from fat so if
you are carrying too much, (or too little), fat then your
hormones will be out of balance, which may also have
serious indications for the health of your pregnancy and
your baby.

So what should you be doing to ensure you stay fit during
your pregnancy whilst making sure your baby is safe and
healthy?

The key is to focus on short workouts (15 minutes is fine),
comprising total body exercises that target key areas like
your bottom, core and midback. Things like squats, rows,
pelvic floors and transverse abdominal work are ideal for
you right now.

You should also be focusing on short bouts of cardio
rather than long steady sessions on the treadmill or
cross-trainer. Not only is short burst training about 1000
times more effective at conditioning your body, it is also
much more suitable for early pregnancy as you won't find it
as draining on your essential resources.

So, is it safe to exercise in early pregnancy?

Well, yes, so long as you exercise smarter not harder. As
with anything, there are always risks. If you are newly
pregnant I would strongly recommend you contact a prenatal
fitness specialist who can advise you on your personal
circumstance and help you with a pregnancy fitness plan to
suit your personal needs.

If you're reading this article it's more than likely you
have recently found out that you are pregnant, so I guess
the first thing I want to say is congratulations! The next
few months are going to bring an exciting rollercoaster of
changes to your body, your outlook on life and your
lifestyle.

You'll need to think about a pregnancy diet, your exercise
during pregnancy routine, your working hours, sleep
patterns, your social life.... In fact, there's so many
things to think about when it comes to pregnancy health and
fitness, it can be hard to know where to start!

So to make it a little easier for you, this series of
articles is going to break it all down into the top 10 of
everything you need to know to make your pregnancy fitness
a breeze!

One of the first things you will need to do is look at what
you can and cannot eat for great pregnancy nutrition:

1. Stop ALL caffeine - yes there are loads of sites that
tell you a couple of cups of coffee a day won't kill you,
but that doesn't mean that it will do you any good.
Caffeine overstresses the adrenal glands and sends LOTS of
stress hormones into your bloodstream, which keeps you in
permanent fight or flight mode. This is exhausting for your
poor body which is already dealing with extreme fatigue
from all the changes happening with your pregnancy and can
have a big impact on the welfare of you and your baby.

Some studies show that caffeine can lead to miscarriage, so
play it safe and stay well clear!

2. Say goodbye to runny eggs! You MUST cook your eggs all
the way through so that the yolk is solid to prevent
salmonella.

3. Avoid peanuts and go careful with other nuts if you or
your partner have allergies including asthma, eczema or
hayfever. It is also thought that peanuts can lead to your
baby developping a peanut allergy. So my advice - if in
doubt, leave it out! It's really not worth the risk for the
sake of a bag of nuts - surely!

4. Load up on leafy green vegetables like spinach which
contain lots of folic acid. You should also be taking a
folic acid supplement as this is essential in the first
trimester of pregnancy to prevent neural tube defects.
Taken daily whilst trying to get pregnant and in the 1st
trimester of pregnancy folic acid can reduce the risks of
neural tube defects by up to 70%

5. Drink MORE WATER! This may seem like a contradiction in
terms when you're running to the loo every 2 minutes, but
most pregnant women don't drink enough BECAUSE of this!
Hydration is essential for pregnancy health.

6. Don't eat undercooked meat - You may love a tender cut
of ribeye steak that is pink in the middle, but you won't
love the coliform bacteria, salmonella or toxoplasmosis
that may be hiding in it.

7. Try to eat a different coloured vegetable with every
meal. Each vegetable contains different macronutrients so
by eating from the whole spectrum, you can be certain that
you are getting everything you need to grow a healthy baby
and stay in great shape through your pregnancy!

8. Stay well clear of raw shellfish as it could well cause
food poisoning. Cooking shellfish will eradicate some
infection, but it won't destroy the algae related infection
associated with red tides.

9. Give tuna, swordfish, shark and king mackerel a miss as
the contain high levels of mercury.

10. Eat protein with EVERY meal. Protein is the building
blocks of life and your baby needs a LOT of this to grow,
so never skip out on your protein!

Protein also takes lonegr to digest so making you feel
fuller for longer - great news for those of you suffering
morning sickness!

So that's it! This list is by no means exhaustive but it
gives you a great place to start. As always, with any major
change in your diet you should consult with your pregnancy
health care team before starting a new program or
radically changing your diet.