Posts Tagged ‘Exercise’

Exercise during pregnancy is important because it promotes muscle tone, increases strength and builds endurance which will not only help you to carry the weight you gain during pregnancy but also prepare you for the physical challenge of labor. It also makes it easier to get back into shape after your baby is born. Exercise leads to a better appearance and posture, which can ultimately improve your mood and self-image. Lastly, it can even help you sleep better.

The best forms of exercise for pregnant women

The exercises you can do during pregnancy depend on your health and how active you were before becoming pregnant. If you exercised before pregnancy, there is no reason you cannot continue, within reason. If you were not active before pregnancy, this is not the time to start a

strenuous exercise program.

Before you begin any exercise program, discuss it with your healthcare provider. If you experience any problems, such as bleeding, premature labor, dizziness, severe abdominal pain, or feeling unusually tired, contact your healthcare provider immediately.

Walking

One of the best cardiovascular exercises for pregnant women, walking keeps you fit without jarring your knees and ankles and is safe throughout your pregnancy.

Jogging

Going for a jog is the quickest and most efficient way to work your heart and your body.

Swimming

Healthcare providers and fitness experts hail swimming as the best and safest exercise for pregnant women. Swimming provides good cardiovascular benefits, and allows expectant women to feel weightless despite the extra pounds of pregnancy.

Yoga and Stretches

Yoga and stretching can help maintain muscle tone and keep you flexible with little if any impact on your joints. But you may have to augment a yoga regimen by walking a few times a week to give your heart a workout.

Weight Training

If weight training is already part of your exercise routine, there’s no reason to stop, although you will need to avoid using heavy weights and assuming certain positions. If you take the necessary precautions and have good technique, weight training is a great way to tone and strengthen your muscles.

Dance

You can get your heart pumping by dancing to your favorite tunes in the comfort and privacy of your living room, but steer clear of dance movements that call for you to leap, jump, or twirl. If you sign up for a class, you can lose yourself in music, stay fit, and meet others.

Kegal

With the proper kegal exercise, you can strengthen the vaginal muscles and allow for

smoother pregnancy. To find the correct muscles to target, pretend that you are trying to stop urinating. Squeeze those muscles for a few seconds and then relax. Repeat this every few seconds. It’s as simple as that. Nobody even has to know that you’re doing them. Just make sure you breathe while doing the kegal exercises.

One question that bothers many women when they are pregnant is what sort of safe pregnancy exercise they can do to stay fit and keep the weight off? Pregnancy is a time of great physical changes to women’s bodies…one of the main changes, unfortunately, is weight gain which can be both prenatal and postnatal.

We all know women who started out slim at the onset of pregnancy and, nine months later, had put on more than a few pounds. Even with the best will in the world, doing no exercise while you are pregnant will probably result in unwanted weight gain.

The thing is it just doesn’t have to be this way! By setting up a realistic and safe fitness and diet regime at the beginning of your pregnancy you can control your weight throughout your pregnancy. The million dollar question is what sort of exercise during pregnancy can be considered safe?

In this article we will examine the benefits of one of the safest forms of prenatal and postnatal exercise – walking. Believe it or not, this is probably one of the most effective ways of staying slim and fit while pregnant.

Walking during pregnancy is a great way to lose weight and stay fit because it doesn’t put much stress on your body or joints. You need to do the following to ensure that you walk your way to fitness:

Walk Regularly

You will get times during your pregnancy when you just don’t feel like doing any sort of physical activity. These are the times when you just need to force yourself to develop the habit of going for a regular walk during your pregnancy. Set a time to do it – say 10 o’clock every other morning. You will soon find that you get used to the idea of exercising regularly. In fact, you might even start finding yourself looking forward to it! Walk for 30 minutes to an hour to get some cardiovascular action going.

Do Your Stretches Before You Start Walking

Always make sure that you do your stretches before you start your walk and Immediately after you complete your walk. This is very important during pregnancy as your body secretes hormones that relax your muscles. This is great as the hormones help you to prepare for birth while you are pregnant. The problem is that they make you more prone to injury during pregnancy so make sure that you complete those stretches!

Things To Avoid

Firstly,it is important that you see your doctor before commencing any sort of pregnancy exercise, safe or not. Secondly, you should never walk to the point where you are out of breath or tired. The aim is to have regular relaxed walks over a reasonable period of time. Keep the pace steady and do not starve yourself of oxygen as this may affect your baby. Needless to say, if you experience any heart or chest pains, muscle pains or dizziness stop straight away and see your doctor.

Everyone knows that exercise is very good for your health. During pregnancy, exercise can have many other benefits as well. Normally, exercise should be light, especially during your first few weeks of pregnancy while your body adjusts to the changes.

Any type of heavy exercise can divert the blood flow from crucial areas, and most women that exercise on a regular basis should tone down their workout regimen during pregnancy.

Swimming, walking, and yoga are two very popular exercise activities that are suitable for pregnant women. There are other forms of exercise such as weight lifting that are acceptable as long as it isn’t too strenuous. Most specialists recommend exercise 3 – 4 times a week, unless you have a medical condition that prevents it. If you are ever in doubt, you should consult a physician first.

Below, you’ll find some of the best reasons as to why you should exercise during pregnancy.

1. Exercise can help to reduce the length of labor and recovery time. The right exercise routines will also increase stamina that is needed for delivery.     2. Improved mental health. Exercise can lower stress and improve your emotional health, making it easier for you to get through the new experience of becoming a mother.

3. Exercise can also help with weight management after the child has been born. A common concern with most mothers is the weight they lose after pregnancy. During pregnancy, exercise can make postpartum weight loss easier.

4. Exercise is very good for your unborn baby. By keeping your body healthy, you are also looking out for your baby as well.

5. Exercise can help reduce the side effects of pregnancy. Symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, swelling, and constipation are all common with pregnant women. Studies have shown exercise to reduce the occurrence of these symptoms.

6. Exercise can also decrease the risk of premature birth. Exercise has been proven to decrease the risk of premature birth by at least 50%.

You should always make sure that you drink plenty of fluids before you exercise, follow a nutritious diet, and avoid over exertion. You should also listen to your body, and if you start feeling sick you should immediately stop and rest.

If you exercise during your pregnancy, you’ll find it a lot easier to deliver when the time comes. Exercise will help your body strengthen up, which will make it very easy on you when you go into the delivery room. Women who don’t exercise find it much harder when the time comes to give birth.

Exercising during pregnancy is one of the best things you can do for yourself and for your unborn baby. Your baby will reap some of the benefits, which is reason enough to exercise. Always be safe when you exercise, and don’t hesitate to ask a doctor for advice if you have any questions at all. As long as you exercise safe and use good common sense, you’ll do a world of good for your pregnancy.

• Established in 1998 by physiotherapists and mothers
• of three Lauren Gabriel and Michelle Gray

Product Description
Australia’s most successful pregnancy exercise program now comes to you on DVD! Developed specifically for pregnant and post natal women, it is professionally designed for all fitness levels to keep you strong and fit during pregnancy and beyond…. More >>

Preggi Bellies; Exercise for Pregnancy

Product Description
This book contains a safe and specially devised keep-fit programme for the nine months of pregnancy. Everything a pregnant women needs to do to achieve increased body awareness, improved posture, greater energy, emotional serenity and the strength and endurance necessary for birth and beyond is here, along with how to tailor the exercises to fit individual lifestyles and particular needs. The attractively designed full-colour pages portray pregnant models in special… More >>

Pregnancy Exercise