First trimester: build the habit
You can generally continue what you were already doing, at a reduced intensity. Fatigue and nausea are the real limiters, so keep sessions short and frequent rather than long.
- 1. Brisk walking — 20 to 30 minutes, at a pace where you can talk but not sing. The single most useful exercise of the whole pregnancy.
- 2. Pelvic floor activation — three sets of ten slow lifts and ten quick lifts daily. Starting now, not in the third trimester, is what protects you from postpartum leaking.
- 3. Cat-cow — ten slow rounds, coordinating with your breath. Keeps the spine mobile and teaches the breath-movement link you will use in labour.
Second trimester: strength and stability
Energy usually returns, and this is the best window for building strength. Stop lying flat on your back for exercise after around 16 weeks, and stop any movement that involves lying face down.
- 4. Supported squats — feet hip-width and slightly turned out, holding a chair back, lowering as far as is comfortable. Builds the exact pattern used in upright labour positions.
- 5. Side-lying leg lifts — strengthen the gluteals that stabilise your pelvis and prevent hip and low back pain.
- 6. Wall push-ups or light dumbbell rows — upper body strength for carrying and feeding a baby. Light weight, 12 to 15 repetitions.
- 7. Birth ball hip circles — sit on a correctly sized ball with hips slightly above knees and circle in both directions. Relieves pelvic pressure and improves comfort.
Third trimester: mobility and breath
Balance and joint stability decline as relaxin peaks and your bump shifts your centre of gravity forward. Reduce load, keep moving, and always have support nearby.
- 8. Supported butterfly and tailor sitting — sit tall against a wall with cushions under the knees. Opens the hips without straining loosened ligaments.
- 9. Standing pelvic tilts against a wall — relieve low back ache and teach the pelvic movement that helps the baby descend.
- 10. Swimming or water walking — the water takes the weight, which makes this the most comfortable form of exercise in the final weeks, and it genuinely reduces ankle swelling.
How to judge intensity
Use the talk test rather than a heart rate target: you should be able to hold a conversation. Perceived exertion should stay moderate, around 12 to 14 on a 20-point scale. Overheating matters more in pregnancy — exercise early morning or late evening, keep a fan on, and drink before you feel thirsty.
Stop immediately and call your doctor for
- Vaginal bleeding or any leaking of fluid.
- Regular, painful tightening before 37 weeks.
- Chest pain, severe breathlessness before exertion, or calf pain and swelling.
- Dizziness, fainting, headache or blurred vision.
- Reduced fetal movement after a session.
If you have placenta praevia, a short cervix, pre-eclampsia, significant anaemia or a history of preterm birth, your programme needs to be set by your obstetrician before you start.