As a fitness instructor, I hear so many myths about exercising while pregnant eg. 'My friend told me that I should stop all exercise as soon as I fall pregnant,' 'exercise can cause hyperactivity in babies,' 'no exercise is safe during pregnancy' ... NO NO NO!

Exercising while pregnant can have so many benefits towards both your well-being, and your growing bundle of joy. The benefits that I have found through exercising while pregnant are:

• Better sleep

• Those endorphins kick in and make me feel fantastic

• Keeps the body feeling strong

• Easier to return to exercise postpartum

• Prevents high blood pressure

• Decreases pregnancy discomfort

Always check with your Doctor or Midwife before starting any new exercise program and if you have already been undertaking a fitness program, always let your instructor know that you're pregnant and they can have a chat with you about how you're tracking through your pregnancy, your health and any modifications to your program that need to be made.

Often in the first trimester you will not feel like doing any exercise if you are experiencing morning (or god forbid all-day) sickness, nausea, headaches, constant tiredness (oh the joys of it all!) but the most important thing to remember is that you listen to your body and be kind to yourself. Don't force yourself to continue with your pre-pregnancy exercise program if your body isn't up to it. Your body is going through some massive changes so it is important to arm yourself with knowledge of these changes and modify accordingly, even if it means that you need to decrease gym attendance from 6 days per week to 2 days (yes, I know, I know, painful!)

Everybody is different so there is not a one size fits all pregnancy plan!

I love to see pregnant women attending my group fitness classes and reaping the benefits that exercising throughout pregnancy brings.

Some tips that I give to pregnant women in my classes are:

• Don't feel you have to keep up, work at a pace that is comfortable for you

• Ensure you stay hydrated by drinking lots of water and not exercising in the heat

• Use the 'talk-test' while exercising, you should be able to carry a conversation the whole time throughout your chosen exercise. This is a more effective way of monitoring your exertion rate rather than using a heart rate monitor as your resting heart rate increases during pregnancy

• Increase carbohydrate intake before exercising to keep blood sugar levels steady

• Don't stand with your feet together, hip width apart will give you more stability

• Don't lie flat on a bench, keep it at an incline to assist circulation through the body and always with knees bent to prevent lower back pressure

• Reduce your weights if you're feeling any discomfort or extra strain

• Be careful when stretching as the pregnancy hormone relaxin softens all of your connective tissue and you don't want to over-stretch

• Don't lie flat on your stomach when it starts to become uncomfortable for you

• Eliminate crunches and maintain good posture to avoid increasing the chance of rectus diastasis (abdominal muscle gap)

The exercises that I found beneficial to me while pregnant are:

• Walking

• Yoga

• Pilates

• Bodypump

• Cross-Trainer

• Strength-Training

• Swimming

AND if you ever want to be able to do star jumps again... EXERCISE YOUR PELVIC FLOOR!

Please remember that everyone is different so the exercises that I found beneficial may not suit your needs

Again, always check with your Doctor or midwife before starting any new exercise program, always let your fitness instructor know that you are pregnant and the most important thing LISTEN TO YOUR BODY and enjoy this wonderful, blessed time of your life.

I am a full-time mother of 1.5 and a part-time Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor.