It’s summertime! While it may seem simple enough to get out and stay fit when you’re pregnant, the hot and humid summer days sometimes hinder instead of help with your fitness regime! As your body changes and adjusts to accommodate a growing a baby, it becomes more difficult to regulate your body temperature, making exercising in the high heat much less safe during your pregnancy. However, we now know that exercise during pregnancy is still very important (and in fact 100% recommended!) and many moms-to-be want to stay active and fit in a safe way, during those nine months, no matter the season.

When you're exercising during pregnancy, remember to exercise under the advice of your health care provider and to stop exercising if you’re feeling too much exertion or exhaustion in the heat. As well, the higher temperatures can work more quickly to dehydrate even those who aren’t pregnant, so remember to drink plenty of water on hot days, especially if exercising.

4 Tips to Help you Stay Fit During your Summer Pregnancy

1. Take a dip

Going for a swim when pregnant, is not only great exercise, since it’s low resistance but high impact, it’s also a wonderful way to cool off. Swimming is an excellent option if you have other children at home with you since they can always join you for an open swim. If an outdoor pool isn’t close by, you might choose an indoor pool and try open swim time, lane swims or a prenatal aqua-fit program. Your pregnant body will thank you each time you get in the pool!

2. Exercise in the Early Morning or Later in the Evening

The sun’s rays are strongest from mid-morning to the late afternoon. Try to avoid exercising outdoors during this time. Consider getting your workout in at the beginning of your day before the temperature begins to rise. Exercising later in the evening, as the sun is going down is also a good option and if you’re lucky, you’ll get to workout to a beautiful sunset!

3. Workout in the Air Conditioning

Between the summer heat, humidity and thunderstorms, outdoor exercise just might not be the answer for you. Look for an indoor class, program or gym, where you can safely and comfortably exercise in a cooler temperature. Online and on-demand classes allow you to work out in any location you’d like! Our FITMOM 2B Prenatal series are between 4 to 6 weeks in length and take place indoors year round (since they are all live from our virtual studio now), to take advantage of the cooler temperatures in an air conditioned environment during the summer months.

Birthing Squat to help you during labour

If you belong to a gym, find out if there are any instructors that are certified in teaching prenatal fitness. If so, you can let them know that you’re pregnant and that you’re interested in attending a mainstream class with modifications provided for pregnancy.

4. Try a Prenatal Yoga Class

Instead of a traditional fitness program, the summer could be a great time to try yoga. You might find an outdoor yoga class that’s offered during the early morning or late evening to beat the heat. Or, you might find a local yoga studio that offers specific prenatal yoga classes. If not, many yoga instructors are trained in prenatal yoga, so you can ask at your studio if one of the instructors can give you modifications for pregnancy during a mainstream yoga class.

Don’t let the heat scare you away from exercising this summer if you’re pregnant! There are definitely ways you can stay fit even if it’s hot and humid. Whatever you choose, be sure to look for an instructor that’s certified in teaching prenatal fitness or yoga so that they are able to help you exercise in a safe, but effective manner during your pregnancy.

Join our mailing list to keep up to date on when the next FITMOM 2B Prenatal Series will be offered. Our FITMOM 2B series of classes are offered regularly during the year. If you can’t commit to an entire series, we offer the option to drop-into any of the FITMOM 2B classes on our schedule, using the FITMOM 2B Drop-In Pass.