This chapter is for anyone who's pregnant, anyone who has recently had a baby, and anyone living with someone who has, who would like to be useful. It's NHS and Chief Medical Officer advice, with fewer leaflets.
The lie
"I should rest for nine months."
The short version
- If you were active before, you can usually keep going. Don't start a new vigorous activity, like running, while you're pregnant.
- Aim for 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, plus strength work twice a week. You should be able to talk, but not sing.
- Avoid anything with a risk of falling or a knock to your bump, avoid scuba diving, and don't lie flat on your back for long in later pregnancy.
- After the birth: pelvic floor exercises as soon as you can, start gently, and build up over months, not weeks.
Today's rep: Pregnant: one walk today where you can talk but not sing. Jump to it
Mostly for women
Not pregnant, and never likely to be? Skip to the next chapter. Unless your partner is, in which case, sit down. You've got reading to do.
Nine months on the sofa
Already active? You can usually keep going. Just don't take up running now.
Somebody's aunt will tell you to put your feet up for nine months. The aunt means well. The aunt has also said the same thing at every family gathering since 1974, and she said it to people who went on to be fine.
The actual advice is different. If you were active before you were pregnant, it's usually fine to keep doing the things you already do.1 What isn't recommended is starting a new vigorous activity, such as running.1 The UK Chief Medical Officers suggest aiming for at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week throughout pregnancy, plus muscle-strengthening activity twice a week.2
The talk test still works. In moderate activity, you should be able to talk, but not sing.1 Nobody is asking you to sing. Least of all the people you live with.
What to avoid
- Sports and activities with a risk of falling or a knock to your bump, like hockey, rugby or mountain biking.1
- Scuba diving.1
- In later pregnancy, lying flat on your back for more than a few minutes. It can make you feel dizzy and isn't good for your baby.1
- Anything that leaves you uncomfortable, too hot or unwell. Stop if you feel any of those.1
Two things from other chapters change too. The safest approach to alcohol in pregnancy is not to drink at all,3 and caffeine should stay under 200mg a day, which is about two mugs of coffee.4 The NHS also advises taking 400 micrograms of folic acid every day, from before you're pregnant until 12 weeks.5
If something feels wrong
Stop and contact your midwife or GP if you feel unwell while exercising, or if anything worries you. Your maternity unit is there for exactly this, day or night. In an emergency, call 999.
Your home sessions, adjusted
Most of week one still works. Swap the bridge later on.
Most of week one at home still works. Wall press-ups, sit-to-stands, step-ups and wall sits are all standing or upright. A few changes as the weeks go on:
- Swap the glute bridge, which is done lying on your back, for an extra set of sit-to-stands in later pregnancy.
- Hold the banister on step-ups. Balance changes as your bump grows.
- Keep everything at the talk-but-not-sing level. This isn't the time for personal bests.
- Keep up your pelvic floor exercises from the pelvic floor chapter. They're the one session you can do lying in bed.
After the birth
Pelvic floor first, start gently, and build up over months, not weeks.
The second lie in this chapter turns up a few weeks after the first one leaves: "I should be back to normal by now." Normal took nine months to leave. It isn't coming back in six weeks because a celebrity on your phone did it with a personal chef, a nanny and a man whose only job is lighting.
The Chief Medical Officers' advice is to start gently, depending on your delivery, and to listen to your body. Start pelvic floor exercises as soon as you can and keep them going every day. Then build back up to 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, and to strength work twice a week.6 More intense activity can come back gradually after your 6 to 8 week check, built up over at least three months.6
The NHS suggests avoiding sit-ups, planks and high-impact exercise to start with.7 It's also common for the two long muscles down the middle of your stomach to separate in pregnancy. That usually closes up by the time your baby is about 8 weeks old. If the gap is still obvious then, see your GP.7 Your postnatal check, at around 6 to 8 weeks, is a good time to talk about all of this.7
The pram, meanwhile, is the best bit of gym kit you'll ever own. It has wheels, it has a passenger, and it gets you out of the house. A brisk walk with it counts, every time.
For partners
The most useful gym kit in the house is you, holding the baby.
Partners, this bit's yours. The most useful exercise equipment in the house is you, holding the baby for forty minutes so she can go for a walk on her own. Do the night feed if you can. Do the shopping. Don't comment on her body, in either direction, at all. If she wants to talk about it, she'll start the conversation, and your job is to listen. That's the whole programme. It's harder than it sounds and it's worth more than any gym membership you'll ever buy her.
Your rep for this chapter
Pregnant: one walk today where you can talk but not sing. Had a baby: ten pelvic floor squeezes and a walk with the pram. The partner: take the baby for forty minutes. That's your rep, and it's the heaviest one in the book.
The lie: "I should rest for nine months."
The short version
- If you were active before, you can usually keep going. Don't start a new vigorous activity, like running, while you're pregnant.
- Aim for 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, plus strength work twice a week. You should be able to talk, but not sing.
- Avoid anything with a risk of falling or a knock to your bump, avoid scuba diving, and don't lie flat on your back for long in later pregnancy.
- After the birth: pelvic floor exercises as soon as you can, start gently, and build up over months, not weeks.
Your rep
Pregnant: one walk today where you can talk but not sing. Had a baby: ten pelvic floor squeezes and a walk with the pram. The partner: take the baby for forty minutes. That's your rep, and it's the heaviest one in the book.
Your browser forgets. Your photos don't. Save it, and the rep turns up in your camera roll at 7am when you're looking for something else.
Sources
1. NHS. Exercise in pregnancy.
2. UK Chief Medical Officers. Physical activity for pregnant women. 2019, updated 2026.
3. UK Chief Medical Officers. UK Chief Medical Officers' Low Risk Drinking Guidelines. 2016. The 14-unit guideline is the same for men and women, and the safest approach in pregnancy is not to drink at all.
4. NHS. Foods to avoid in pregnancy (no more than 200mg of caffeine a day).
5. NHS. Vitamins, supplements and nutrition in pregnancy.
6. UK Chief Medical Officers. Physical activity for women after childbirth: birth to 12 months. 2019, updated 2026. The full guidelines add that more intense activity can resume gradually after the 6 to 8 week check, building up over at least 3 months.
7. NHS. Your post-pregnancy body.