The five golden rules of fertility and exercise

Golden rule #1

If you have been leading a sedentary lifestyle, then now’s the time to start exercising. Do not, however, try and go from 0-100miles/hour in one fell swoop. Think about building up your fitness levels through a walking programme, gradually increasing your distance and pace on a weekly basis.

Golden rule #2

Stick to moderate levels of exercise, avoiding high intensity workouts as these may adversely affect your chances of conceiving.

Golden rule #3

Take up Pilates so that you can work on strengthening your deep abdominals, posture and pelvic floor prior to falling pregnant. This will help protect you from back pain in pregnancy and aid postnatal recovery at a later stage. The relaxing nature of Pilates is ideal for reducing stress levels and promoting conception. Make sure you find an instructor who is qualified to work with pregnant and postnatal women so that s/he can take you right the way through this journey.

Golden rule #4

Choose forms of exercise which you will be able to carry on during pregnancy, rather than ones which will have to be abandoned at an early stage. Now is not the time to have a go at pole vaulting! Consider power walking, swimming, aqua aerobics, land-based aerobics, cycling, resistance work (make sure you get excellent tuition when it comes to using free weights).

Golden rule #5

Last but most certainly not least,  take up a form of exercise which you enjoy because ultimately if you find your exercise fun, you are far more likely to stick to it ion the long term!