Alana Murrin, SAINT Studios Co-Founder and Head of Ride, has embraced this approach throughout her own pregnancy, showing that with the right modifications, you can maintain an active lifestyle and feel your best every step of the way. Her experience highlights the benefits of staying strong and connected to your body during this unique journey.
Alana shared with us her personal experience with fitness throughout pregnancy:
I was incredibly lucky and had no complications throughout my pregnancy, apart from the nausea often experienced in the first trimester. Thankfully the nausea was where it ended so I actually found exercise helped me get through those early months, as I found it to be a welcome distraction. I very much listened to my body and my baby throughout, there were days of course where I pulled back a little, but on the whole I found exercising whilst pregnant to be incredibly empowering. I stuck to low impact cardio Ride classes and slower, strength focused classes similar to SAINT’s Train: Lift.
I think that the woman’s body is incredible and not to be underestimated. There is a lot of scaremongering and out-dated narratives around exercising whilst pregnant, I hadn’t really been aware of it until I was of course pregnant myself, and I wanted to make sure I was training safely for me and my baby. It goes without saying that it is important to get the sign off from your doctor/midwife, but for the most part – if you had been training in a specific style of training prior to pregnancy and are not experiencing any complications throughout, then it is generally very safe if not beneficial to continue exercising.
You are going through one of the biggest physical, emotional and mental shifts in your life, there is so much to navigate – exercise kept me positive, focused and the community aspect of the classes had a huge impact on my overall happiness and stress levels. I truly believe my baby boy absorbed so much of the good energy and endorphins from group training. My recovery has also been relatively smooth, although I am very anti ‘bounce back’ culture after having a baby – the body really does remember and I’ve noticed that with a considered approach, I’ve gotten a lot of my fitness and strength back that I had pre-pregnancy.
Alana’s pregnancy training journey reminds us all that fitness is adaptable and empowering at every stage of life. Whether you’re expecting or planning for the future, staying active with proper guidance can make a big difference in how you feel physically and mentally. Here at SAINT Studios, we want to support you every step of your pregnancy fitness journey – helping you stay strong, healthy, and confident as your body changes.
We understand the importance of safety and appropriate progression. Our Reformer classes are only suitable for women in their first trimester of pregnancy, however, our Train and Ride can be modified for any stage of pregnancy. Just let your instructor know on arrival and they will assist with any necessary adjustments and modifications. Embrace a stronger pregnancy – book your class at SAINT Studios today!