Essential Exercise During Pregnancy: For Better Health and Fitness
Every woman’s joy begins when a new life is stringing inside or in simpler words she is on the path of her mother hood. The approach towards pregnancy has completely changed during the past years. Earlier women were restricted to do certain things like walking, yoga etc but today pregnancy is no longer viewed as a time to sit, watch TV and eat.
Pregnancy might seem like the perfect and best time to sit back and relax. You might feel more tired than usual, your back might ache and your ankles or feet might swell up. But guess what? There's more to pregnancy and exercise than skipping it entirely. Moreover, pregnancy is the great time to be active so that you have a healthy delivery.
Why Should You Exercise During Pregnancy?
Now days, moms can actually maintain and improve their fitness levels while they are pregnant. And exercise is such platform which provides them with numerous benefits such as a boost in the mood and energy levels, helps you sleep better, prevents excess weight gain and increases your stamina and muscle strength.
Regular exercise during your pregnancy improves not only your heart and boosts your energy, but also improves your overall health. Maintaining a healthy body and healthy diet also helps you to reduce common pregnancy complaints and discomforts like lower back pain, fatigue and constipation and can even help with shortening your time during labor by strengthening your endurance.
During pregnancy always consult your doctor first so that he /she check that is it okay for you to exercise. If you have been practicing a regular exercise regimen and are having a healthy pregnancy, there should be no problem in continuing it with your balanced regimen. The only thing you need to do is to modify your exercise according to your trimester of your pregnancy.
If you aren’t into any exercise regimen three times a week before getting pregnant, do not jump into a new, tiring activity. You should start with a low-intensity activity and then gradually move to a higher activity level.
So that you have a great and healthy pregnancy we have listed here some of the exercise which you should do when you are expecting. Thus Exercises During Pregnancy are as follows:
Walking:
Brisk walking keeps you fit without affecting your knees and ankles, and gives your heart a workout. It is safe throughout pregnancy, and you can include it into your daily routine. Even if you have never exercised a day in your life, a quick stroll around the neighborhood is a great way to start.
One must aim to walk for at least 30 minutes a day. So walk to the shops rather than drive, take the bus only part of the way, or do a brisk few laps of the park or pavements in your lunch hour.
Safety measure you need while you walk or stroll: Walk on smooth surfaces; watch out for potholes, rocks and other obstacles. Remember to wear supportive sneakers.
Yoga:
During pregnancy yoga is the best form of exercise which any women should inculcate into their daily regime. Yoga pregnancy helps you to maintain muscle tone and flexibility and even improves your posture.
Yoga strengthens your muscle system, stimulates blood circulation, and helps you relax. You should join the yoga class to stay calm and have a little more control during the labor process.
Yoga relaxes your body and mind.
Safety tip as your pregnancy progresses, skip positions that really challenge your balance. Also, be careful not to overstretch. Pregnant women produce more ‘relaxin’, a hormone that increases flexibility and joint mobility, it is important to know your limitations.
Pilates:
Pilates exercises strengthen your tummy and pelvic floor muscles, a part of your body known as the stable core.
You should practice under the guidance of Pilates teacher, who makes you aware of how you hold your body. They will suggest you a series of positions and movements that will strengthen your core muscles. You also will be able balance the time of your breathing with the exercises, and how to relax.
Pilates targets the muscles that can weaken during pregnancy, in a way that supports, rather than strains, them.
Aerobics:
Going weekly to aerobics class gives you a regular time to exercise. It's safe, as long as you keep the exercises low impact, to protect your joints.
Overall, aerobic exercise strengthens your heart and lungs and helps you to maintain your muscle tone. Low-impact aerobics excludes jumping, high kicks, leaps, or fast running. This type of aerobic exercise will also protect your pelvic floor. Avoid too much of jumping or bouncing up and down.
Dance:
You can join dance or aerobics class .Dancing on your favorite tunes and humming them at your home or at the classes are one the best ways to keep your mind diverted. You can carry on with a dance class if you did it regularly before you were pregnant.
Try and avoid leap, jump, twirl or sudden change in the direction, as you may lose your balance. If you join an antenatal dance class, you can lose yourself in music, while keeping fit under the instruction of a qualified tutor, who can adapt the moves to your stage of pregnancy.
If you feel any of the following problems, stop exercising and consult your health care or the doctor as soon as possible:
- Have abdominal, chest, or pelvic pain
- Notice an absence of fetal movement
- Feel faint, dizzy, nauseous, or light-headed
- Feel cold or sweating a lot
- Have vaginal bleeding
- Have a sudden gush of fluid from the vagina or a trickle of fluid that leaks steadily (when your bag of “water“ breaks, also called a rupture of the amniotic membrane)
- Notice an irregular or rapid heartbeat
- Have sudden swelling in your ankles, hands, face, or experience calf pain
- Have increased shortness of breath
- Have persistent contractions that continue after rest
- Have difficulty walking.
Thus, regular Exercise During Pregnancy will keep you and your baby healthy and fit and so enjoy your this precious and beautiful phase of your life known as “pregnancy”!
Stay happy, stay healthy and live in the moment!