The MVP Health Promotion team is here to be your guide to fitness during your pregnancy and postpartum experience. Physical activity is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your baby, and we're here to give you all the information and support to do it!
The MVP Health Promotion team is here to be your guide to fitness during your pregnancy and postpartum experience. Physical activity is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your baby, and we're here to give you all the information and support to do it!
The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologist (ACOG) recommends staying physically active before, during and after pregnancy when there are no complications.
Combine aerobic and strength-conditioning exercises to improve or maintain physical fitness, support mental and emotional health, help with weight management, and reduce the risk of gestational diabetes and preeclampsia.
Work toward at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity spread across most, if not all, days of the week.
Start out slowly and gradually increase activity, beginning with as little as 5 minutes a day. Add 5 minutes each week until you can stay active for 30 minutes a day.
Continue your regular physical activity as long as you remain healthy and check in with your doctor for guidance on how and when activity should be adjusted as your pregnancy progresses.
You may still hear these myths:
Keep your heart rate under 140 bpm.
This was an old ACOG guideline from 1985, removed in 1994. Heart rate is not a reliable measure because pregnancy changes your resting heart rate. Instead, use how you feel; you should be able to talk but not sing during exercise.
Do Kegels all the time.
While pelvic floor strength matters, constant squeezing without relaxation can cause tension. Balance contraction and relaxation.
Don’t lift more than 20 lbs.
No evidence supports this blanket rule. Lifting with good form is safe for most healthy pregnancies.
Avoid all exercise after the first trimester.
Current guidance encourages continuing or starting safe activity throughout pregnancy.
The first trimester is an exciting and sometimes overwhelming time filled with new information as your mind and body begin to adjust to pregnancy. Our goal is to provide you with the essential guidance and support you need to confidently and safely incorporate exercise into your weekly routine.
During this stage, you may experience uncomfortable symptoms, and the last thing you might feel like doing is getting up and moving. But here’s the good news: exercise can actually help ease many of those early pregnancy challenges!
Exercise has been consistently shown to help manage many common first trimester symptoms4:
Bonus: Exercising outside in fresh air can be especially helpful for settling a queasy stomach.
Let's recap the Physical Activity Recommendation: ACOG recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week, spread over most days (for people with no medical complications).1
We definitely want to work towards this recommendation, but don't stress - it doesn’t need to happen immediately. For this trimester, we're going to go over what's most important.
The most important thing you can do for your body this trimester and is to learn and practice proper posture.
This is ideal for the first trimester because your body likely hasn't begun changing too much yet. By focusing on good posture now, you can set yourself up for success in later trimesters when your center of gravity shifts, belly grows and spine begins to curve. So, what does proper posture look like?
We’ll now break down the recommended exercises for this trimester, including what they are, where they target, why they matter, and how to perform them.
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Since safety is our main priority, we encourage you to follow these general guidelines:
Looking for more information? Visit the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists website on Exercise During Pregnancy.
Don't worry if you weren't able to dive into exercise in the first trimester. Energy levels rise in the second trimester and many of those uncomfortable side effects tend to subside, making it easier to get moving.
The good news is that ACOG recommends exercise for pregnant women even if they didn't work out pre-pregnancy, and creating healthy exercise habits now have a higher likelihood of sticking - even beyond pregnancy!
Exercising during pregnancy improves placenta function, which is responsible for getting oxygen and nutrients to your growing baby. During exercise, your body moves blood away from your baby acting as a 'good stress' that makes babies work harder to get what they need, but don't worry, this is not harming your baby, it's actually benefitting them! Research has found that your baby will get more blood and nutrients during rest time, resulting in more overall blood and nutrients to the babies of people who exercise.
The second trimester is filled with growth - for your baby and your bump. As your body takes on additional weight, it can cause changes to your posture and put strain on the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles. Strengthening your body now can reduce muscle strain and better prepare you for labor and delivery.
By the third trimester, you'll be navigating exercise with a bigger bump, so learning proper exercise techniques now will help ensure you are able to perform them properly throughout the rest of pregnancy.
Lastly, parenthood is accompanied by a new level of closeness - where you go your baby goes! Building up strength now will help your body adjust to caring for your baby.
Now let's jump into what we're going to focus on this trimester.
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Looking for more information? Visit the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists website on Exercise During Pregnancy.
Whether you’ve been moving with Mama Moves from the very beginning or you’re just joining us now, we’re so glad you’re here.
You’ve entered the homestretch of your pregnancy, and meeting your baby is just around the corner. While this stage is full of excitement, it can also bring some big mental, emotional, and physical changes. Good news is that staying active during the third trimester, right up until delivery, can be a powerful way to support both your mind and body!
Exercise can also set you up for delivery day success with research showing that people who exercise during pregnancy often have shorter, easier labors, and recover more quickly postpartum.10,11
After delivery (vaginal or C‑section), having strong legs can make it much easier to move around, care for your baby, and give your abdominal muscles the time they need to rest and heal.
This trimester, we’re using movement as a tool to ease aches and pains, prepare for labor, and set yourself up for a smooth recovery after birth.
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You’re getting close to welcoming your baby, and while birth is the main focus right now, the weeks after delivery matter too. The postpartum period brings big physical, emotional, and mental changes, and knowing what to expect can help you feel more prepared and confident.
The good news is that gentle movement, when the time comes and when it feels right for you, can be a helpful tool to support healing, rebuild strength, and boost how you feel after birth. Learning about this now gives you a chance to plan ahead and set realistic, pressure‑free expectations.
Research shows that returning to exercise after birth can support both physical and emotional well-being:
Now is a good time to start thinking ahead about what movement might look like for you after delivery. Consider what kind of routine could work, what support you may need, and what barriers might get in the way. Having a simple plan in place can make getting started feel more manageable.
Our Motivating Action Plan resource is available to help you think this through. No pressure, just preparation.
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), if you had a healthy pregnancy and a vaginal birth, you can usually begin gentle activity a few days after your baby is born, or whenever you feel ready. If you had a cesarean birth or complications, check with your health care provider before starting exercise as there is usually a 6-week recovery period.
ACOG recommends staying active for 20-30 minutes, but even as little as 10 minutes of exercise a day can benefit your body.14
Pregnancy and birth put a lot of stress on the abdominal muscles and pelvic floor. While some people are told to avoid exercise for the first 4–8 weeks after delivery, gently engaging these muscles soon after birth can actually support healing. This is different from intense exercise; it’s about helping your body reconnect and recover.
If you feel ready and think movement will help you feel better, you can start with a few gentle exercises that support recovery during the first six weeks after birth:
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This guidance is general as every postpartum recovery looks different. A helpful question to ask yourself is: “Will this help me feel better today?” The first six weeks after birth are about healing and adjusting, so if light movement feels good, that’s great! If it feels like too much, it’s okay to wait. Your priority will be recovery, not adding stress to an already full plate. If movement doesn’t feel helpful one day, pause and check in with yourself another day.
We use a tool called the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) which simply means: how hard does this feel to you right now?
Imagine a scale from 1 to 10:
During postpartum recovery, movement should feel like about a 3 or 4 out of 10 at most. That means:
If something feels harder than that, it’s okay to slow down, take a break, or stop. This phase is about healing and reconnecting with your body, not pushing through, so take it slow and listen to your body.
As your body recovers from pregnancy and birth, it’s normal for exercise to feel different. If you experience any of the symptoms below, don't worry, they are common and often improve as your body continues to heal.
If you notice any of the following, it’s a good idea to stop exercising and check in with your doctor:
As you get closer to welcoming your baby, it can be helpful to learn about the emotional changes that sometimes happen after birth. Knowing what's normal the weeks following delivery and when to reach out can help you feel more prepared.
Many new parents experience the baby blues in the first couple of weeks after birth, which may include mood swings, tearfulness, or feeling overwhelmed, and it often improves on its own. If these feelings last longer than two weeks, don’t start to improve, or feel like they’re getting worse, it’s important to contact your doctor. Postpartum depression and anxiety are common, and help is available.
Postpartum recovery isn’t about rushing back or “bouncing back.” It’s about listening to your body, moving with care, and giving yourself grace as you heal, one day at a time.
Helpful steps to take now and after baby arrives:
Learning about this now is not meant to worry you but help you be prepared and supported. You are not alone, and asking for help is a strong and important step in caring for yourself and your baby.
As you settle into a new routine of taking care of your baby, be sure to find time to take care of yourself as well.
Exercising is a great form of self-care during the postpartum period and comes with a ton of benefits:14,15,16
At your postpartum visit with your doctor, make sure you get permission from your doctor to begin exercising again.
This visit is usually anywhere from two to six weeks after delivery, depending on the circumstances. It gives you time with your doctor to check-in on how your body and mind are adjusting to parenthood and get the all-clear to safely return to exercise.
Once you are cleared by your doctor and your body feels ready, you can ease back into exercise. You might notice your muscles feel weaker after delivery. Don't worry, this is very normal during the postpartum period. Recovery from a c-section tends to take longer to heal than a vaginal delivery. Most women are cleared to return to exercise at six weeks postpartum, but everyone's body heals differently, so it is important to listen to yours and only return if you feel physically ready to.
What's moderate intensity aerobic activity?
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If it feels hard to fit in exercise on your own, try a mommy and me class. Exercising with your baby can make it easier to stay active and comes with extra benefits:
Visit MVP's Events Calendar to find a postpartum fitness class near you.
Your birthing ball can still be useful after delivery. With your baby, you can gently rock them or use the ball during tummy time for comfort and movement. On your own, the ball can be used to support exercise, either making movements easier or more challenging, especially when rebuilding core strength.
Guidelines for exercising postpartum:3
Enjoying the program? Provide your feedback.
Questions? Contact livingwellprograms@mvphealthcare.com.
Exercise provides different benefits for different people, and it is important to know your own body and limits. Please consult your health care provider with any questions or concerns before starting any exercise program to determine if it is right for your needs and general health condition. This is particularly true if you (or your family) have a history of high blood pressure or heart disease, or if you have ever experienced chest pain when exercising or have experienced chest pain in the past month when not engaged in physical activity, if you smoke, have high cholesterol, are obese, or have a bone or joint problem that could be made worse by a change in physical activity. Do not start this exercise program if your physician or health care provider advises against it. If you experience faintness, dizziness, pain or shortness of breath at any time while exercising you should stop immediately. When participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury even when the exercise program is offered in a virtual manner and/or the participant is engaging in a virtual manner. Not all exercises in the videos are suitable for all persons. If you are in the United States and think you are having a medical or health emergency, call your health care professional, or 911, immediately.
You should not rely on the information in this exercise program as a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other health-care professional. Any information provided as part of the exercise program is solely at your own risk. In consideration for the ability to participate in these free exercise programs, you hereby agree to indemnify, defend and hold MVP Health Plan, Inc., its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers, directors, members, employees, personnel and agents (collectively “MVP”) harmless from and against any claim, action, loss, liability, damage, cost or expense, of any nature whatsoever, including without limitation, attorneys fees and other legal costs.
You agree that neither the creators of this video nor MVP are liable for any injury, accident, or health impairment that may result by your viewing and/or participating any of these exercise programs (or utilizing the techniques suggested in this video) and the content, information and videos are made available for informational purposes only. Neither the creators of this video nor MVP are licensed health care provider(s) and neither has any expertise in diagnosing, examining, or treating medical conditions of any kind, or in determining the effect of any specific exercise on a medical condition. Neither the creators of this video nor MVP make any representations or warranties with regards to the completeness of information in this video or any linked websites, classes, books, videos, apps, or other products represented herein.
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