Mothers-to-be, don’t sweat it. Tap into the athleisure wear trend this season with these stylish and comfortable picks
1. Move Your Frame x Whistles cotton jumpsuit, £80, whistles.com 2. Nursing bra top, £29.90, cakematernity.com 3. Stretch-cotton vest, £25, seraphine.com 4. Cotton-blend sweater, £26, topshop.com 5. Michael Kors leather backpack, £285, harrods.com 6. Cotton-blend leggings, £38.99, noppies.com 7. Fitbit Charge activity and sleep wristband, £119.99, fitbit.com 8. Nike Air Max textured leather trainers, £95, net-a-porter.com 9. Water bottle with sport cap, £16, kleankanteen.com
KEEP ON MOVING
Frame fitness founders Pip Black and Joan Murphy share their top tips for exercising during pregnancy
Always consult your midwife or GP before starting. If you are generally healthy and have, so far, had a healthy pregnancy, you should be fine to continue exercising, but always check with your doctor first. If in doubt, a good reference point is the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) guidelines.
Invest in a good quality sports bra. You don’t have to spend lots of money on a whole new sportswear wardrobe, but now is the time to invest in a good quality bra for working out. Nike and Shock Absorber are our go-to brands for hold-them-in, high-impact activities. Be sure to get measured, too – try John Lewis or Marks & Spencer next time you pop in!
Don’t push yourself too hard in the first trimester. Your energy levels are likely to be low, so it’s important to bear this in mind. If you are feeling energetic, dancing, aerobics and body conditioning are all great classes to enjoy in the first part of your pregnancy. This is also a good time to do exercises on you back (such as hip raises) which may become more uncomfortable later down the line.
Be careful when it comes to core work. Working your arms, legs, glutes and shoulders is absolutely fine – the area to be careful of is your abdominal muscles. Try to stay away from crunches, as you will be reducing the amount of space your baby has and increasing the chance of abdominal seperation. Working your obliques is fine, however, and will in fact help to support your growing baby and protect your lower back. Try to stick to a specialist pre-natal class as opposed to a standard Pilates class.
You can still run during your second trimester… In fact, you’ll probably be feeling more energised than you did in your first trimester, but keep in mind that the hormone relaxin, which is present in your joints, will mean you are slightly less stable. Think about reducing your exercise intensity at this stage and take care not to increase your body temperature too much. Doing a spin class? Keep the cadence lower and the hills less steep. Slight sweating is fine, but make sure you are taking
in extra water, too.
Try non weight-bearing exercises throughout your third trimester. You will now be feeling heavier and less agile, so try swimming, walking or specialist pregnancy yoga and conditioning – regular yoga will become tricky by this point and certain moves will need to be modified. It is fine to continue to exercise using weights if you want to, but listen to your body – if it doesn’t feel right, then stop.
Pip and Joan are the founders of Frame, which offers a range of pre- and postnatal classes in locations around London. For timetables and more information, visit moveyourframe.com
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