Exercise During Pregnancy

The extra pounds of your growing womb that you are carrying around during pregnancy may be taxing on you as you sink into fatigue, moan when your back aches and sulk with mood swings. Going for pregnancy workouts may well be a great remedy to these problems as they can do wonders to you physically and mentally, keeping you in good shape all the time to ward off the pregnancy worries. Moderate and less intense pregnancy workouts regularly done for about 30 minutes per session are encouraged as exercises have been shown to yield beneficial effects in expecting mothers.

Benefits of Exercise during Pregnancy

Relieves constipation and swelling

Exercise can eliminate puffiness and sluggish bowels as it increases bowel movement and improves blood circulation. Leg exercises can produce significant improvement in lower limb edema commonly experienced by pregnant mothers.

Enhances your mood

While it is not uncommon to slump into roller coaster-like emotions during pregnancy, you can overpower this with good pregnancy workouts which raise your happy hormones like serotonin. It helps to put off anxiety, tension and stress, elevating your mood while giving you an overall healthy glow.

Strengthens your muscles

Regular exercises work and tone muscles at your back and hips to support the growing weight of your pregnancy bump and reduce backache. The strong muscles can facilitate labor and if you go into a prolonged labor, the endurance you’ve trained up during workouts can pull you through delivery without significant problems.

Prevent pregnancy related complications

Studies have shown that exercise may well keep mothers away from hypertension and diabetes during pregnancy. Pregnancy workouts improve circulation to normalize blood pressure and also promote good blood sugar control.

Have A Safe Pregnancy Exercise

Now you know the great benefits of exercise during pregnancy but don’t jump into your running shoes just yet as there are a few points which you need to take note of when doing pregnancy workouts:
1. Engage in moderate exercises which will not predispose you to fall or injury. Moderation is the key and never exhaust yourself while exercising.
2. Put on comfortable clothes and shoes with good support for exercise.
3. Take enough fluid before, during and after workout to prevent dehydration.
4. If you feel unwell while exercising, stop the activity immediately and consult your doctor.
5. Do not work out to keep off the pounds you gain during pregnancy as your baby needs the additional weight for growth. Instead, aim to maintain a healthy weight with proper weight gain.

Pregnancy Exercise Recommendations

If you need some ideas on safe and effective exercises during pregnancy, there are some good recommendations here:

Abdominal exercise during pregnancy

Doing abdominal exercise during pregnancy can strengthen your abdominal muscles against overstretching which is caused by an expanding womb. This prevents diastasis recti, a condition where your abdominal muscles separate into two halves. As strong abdominal muscles provide good back support, working out on your belly can reduce the backache while improving spinal flexibility. This will prepare you for an easier delivery. Side crunches and breathing exercises are some examples of abdominal exercise during pregnancy which you can try out.

Pilates during pregnancy

You can safely perform Pilates during pregnancy as it does not overexert your muscle, but works out your body to provide the right strength you need to ease through pregnancy and labor. Pilates works on your abdominal and pelvic floor muscles which are the key muscles in supporting your uterus. There are stretching and strengthening exercises which are suitable for pregnancy but it is advisable to practice these workouts under the care and guidance of a Pilates instructor.
Learn more about Pilates during pregnancy.

Yoga during pregnancy

Yoga is also a gentler form of exercise preferred for pregnancy. Note that only certain positions are safe to be practiced during pregnancy as some balance positions are injury-prone. Some of the steps practiced in yoga during pregnancy help you to build good posture to eliminate back pain and prepare you with the correct positions during labor while breathing exercises can deliver adequate oxygen to your baby.