Exercise Tips For Pregnancy
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Regular exercise during pregnancy can improve your health, reduce the risk of gaining excessive weight, and possibly even make delivery easier. Exercise can have benefits for your mental and physical health during pregnancy, and give your baby a healthy start in life too.
Current guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of a week of moderate aerobic physical activity during your pregnancy. You don’t need to work out hard for long sessions. You could exercise five times a week for 30 minutes, or 10 times a week for 15 minutes.
If you already do a vigorous activity like running before getting pregnant, you can often continue with this, although you should ask your doctor. Keeping up your routine can make it easier to get back into shape after birth and avoid problems like needing incontinence briefs thanks to a weakened pelvic floor.
Types Of Exercise To Stay Fit And Healthy
There are lots of suitable options for staying active during pregnancy, including:
Brisk walking
Swimming
Indoor stationary cycling
Low impact aerobics
Exercises for labor and delivery
These activities come with very little risk of injury. They also benefit the whole body and are usually safe to keep doing right up until delivery. It’s a good idea to speak to your doctor about your exercise plans to make sure though.
Benefits Of Exercise During Pregnancy
There are lots of benefits to maintaining an exercise routine during pregnancy, including:
Increasing the heart rate steadily
Improving circulation
Reading the risk of obesity and obesity-related complications, like hypertension and gestational diabetes
Helping prevent constipation, backache, varicose veins, and other complications
Keeping the body strong and flexible
Supporting and controlling healthy weight gain
Preparing the muscles for labor and birth
Helping prevent deep vein thrombosis
Improving sleep and emotional health
Exercise during pregnancy could also:
Shorten labor and reduce your need for medication and pain relief during birth
Reduce the risk of a preterm or cesarean delivery
Speed up recovery after delivery
Give your baby a healthy start
There has been some research done that suggests that the mother exercising during pregnancy can also have some serious benefits for the baby, including:
A lower fetal heart rate
A healthier birth weight
A lower fat mass
Improved stress tolerance
Enhanced nervous system development
How To Exercise Safely During Pregnancy
Before you exercise, you should spend five minutes warming up and five minutes stretching. Afterward, you should finish with five to ten minutes of slower exercise to cool down, and some gentle stretching.
Here are some tips to stay safe:
Wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothes, and a supportive bra
Wear supportive shoes that are specific to the type of exercise that you’re doing
If your legs are swelling, wear compression stockings
Exercise on a flat, level surface
Avoid overheating
Drink plenty of water before, during, and after exercise
Get up slowly and gradually to prevent getting dizzy
Monitor the effect of every activity that you do, and change the regimen if you need to as your pregnancy progresses.
