Labour can be like a marathon – it takes hours and leaves you sore and exhausted. So surely it makes sense to use that nine-month lead-up to stay fit. But how much exercise is enough – or too much? “Labour is the most gruelling endurance event you’ll ever perform as a woman,” says Edwina Griffin, a Sydney-based personal trainer with FitMum, which provides exercise and nutrition information for expectant mums, “so it pays to get in training.”

According to Sports Medicine Australia, there’s no evidence that moderate-intensity aerobic activity during pregnancy has any negative effects on your developing baby or the birth. So if your pregnancy is healthy and uncomplicated, you can enjoy all the feelgood benefits of walking, swimming, yoga, aqua aerobics and some kinds of dance, such as bellydancing, right up until the birth.

Three to four times a week is good. “Limit more vigorous exercise to 20-minute sessions and keep your heart rate to about 140 beats per minute,” says Griffin. “If you want to include weights, drop your weights down from your pre-pregnancy levels and increase your repetitions.”

Pregnancy is not a time to increase your fitness or take up higher intensity exercise such as running. However, if you were running before you conceived, you can continue to run during your pregnancy but you’ll need to be monitored by your doctor.

Before you start exercise of any kind, discuss your plans with your doctor and always let your instructors know you are pregnant. If you have hypertension or diabetes, you’ll need medical supervision. “Women with a multiple pregnancy, at risk of a premature baby, with preeclampsia, heart disease or infectious illness may need to avoid exercise altogether,” says Dr Carolyn Broderick, director of the sports medicine program at the University of NSW. After the first three months, Broderick advises expectant mums to “avoid contact sports such as netball or basketball, collision sports such as rugby and some martial arts, and activities where there’s a risk of falling, such as cycling and horse-riding.” Pay special attention to staying cool and hydrated (sports drinks will keep your blood sugars up). Your ligaments and muscles soften during pregnancy making you prone to sprains and strains so be sure to stretch and warm up. After four months, avoid exercises that involve lying on your back, says Griffin – you’ll feel dizzy and faint as pregnancy lowers your blood pressure.

In addition to increased endurance, regular exercise can also improve posture, mood and sleep, as well as reduce back pain and help ward off gestational diabetes and post-natal depression. But while fit women are better equipped to cope with long labours, says Broderick, “it’s a myth that they have easier labours.”

Visit vicfit.com.au and www.health.nsw.gov.au for more information.

“The tone and feel of your ‘ancient’ angelic voice supported and nurtured me to a place of absolute love! No price could be placed on this healing experience. What an amazing gift you have and have given me. Thank you Edwina “

" I was fortunate enough to have Eddy recommended to me. As someone who has suffered with panic disorder and anxiety attacks for my entire life I felt the need to give Hypnotherapy a try again. I had many sessions in the past with different practitioners, with no success at all.
I had a great feeling about Eddy with our first phone contact, I knew she was the one to help me break down the barriers my mind had set for me. Our first session, we did some regression work and this stuff is incredible! Never underestimate how our own thinking can limits us. So far I have had 2 fantastic Hypnotherapy sessions with Eddy but they have been so so much more than that. I have made a lifelong commitment to my own wellbeing, spiritual and mental health that I will continue down this path of recovery and I hope to have Eddy by my side each step of the way for Hypnotherapy and soul food.
I cannot thank her enough for the impact her suggestions have had on opening my subconscious mind and letting me out of the prison my mind had kept me in. “

“ The biggest shout out to Edwina who helped me quit a 23 year old smoking habit. I’ve tried many methods to give up smoking and being a pack a day smoker, I was skeptical that I was ever gonna break the habit. The only method I hadn’t tried was hypnotherapy. I have heard many great success stories from friends and colleagues who have given up this way. The only thing that had deterred me previously was the initial expense."

“As a working mum with 2 kids, I have often found it hard to stick to an exercise regime.I love this program as its an exercise program for mums. It allows for my busy schedule and gave me different options to choose based on my schedule and I loved the meditation sessions!”

“Edwina was pivotal in helping us regain our strength and fitness, and her knowledge and understanding of our post natal (& breast-feeding) bodies was a huge bonus”

“I love the yoga and pool sessions and it’s great to have a program I can do at home which is professionally designed for pregnancy”

“Eddy has so much knowledge and has such a great spirit. She is compassionate and intelligent and really knows her stuff! I loved following the program for exercise during pregnancy and I would highly recommend her to anyone needing fitness guidance, including those being pregnant or needing to lose the baby weight”

There are numerous sites out there claiming to help Mums get back in shape after having a baby, but not many of them really stack up with the goods. Edwina Griffin is different – she truly knows her stuff.

Edwina’s recipes are amazingly quick and tasty. She makes clean eating so easy and after a while,  it just becomes a way of life – even when you’re busy and travelling a lot. Enjoying great, tasty food while losing weight – what’s not to love?