Pregnancy Exercises

Pregnancy can weaken your energy, but regular exercise, yoga and fitness during pregnancy will help you get through your day. And the good news is that you can safely start an fitness plan during pregnancy. The benefits of regular exercise and yoga in pregnancy are not unknown. But many women don’t know where to begin. We’ve got some great tips on pregnancy exercises or workouts like dancing, swimming, walking, weight training, and yoga during pregnancy. Plus here you'll find postnatal exercises to help get your body back after delivery. Read to make your pregnancy a fit pregnancy.

Benefits of exercising in pregnancy

Physical activeness is good for everyone and we must do some kind of physical activity daily to keep the body moving, muscles stretching and joints mobile. Pregnancy is a delicate period where the mother has to take every step carefully in order to protect the baby and delivery safely. But this doesn’t mean that she lock herself up in the room and rest. She must stay active during her pregnancy unless the doctor has advised bed rest. Most women who remain active throughout their pregnancies experience normal delivery. If these reasons aren’t enough, here are some other benefits of exercising in pregnancy to keep you moving.

Weight management

It is very important to maintain a balanced weight during pregnancy. This is because being under or over weight during this period harms you and your baby. Exercising helps you manage your weight, prevents excess weight gain and obesity during pregnancy. Lesser the weight gain, lesser the pain to reduce it.

Reduces back pain and fatigue

Back pain and fatigue are very common during pregnancy because of the increasing weight around the stomach that puts extra pressure on the spine. Exercising regularly during pregnancy keeps back pain and fatigue. Also, it helps in stretching the body to open up the muscles and keep joints mobile. Exercising regularly during pregnancy can improve your posture and reduce posture problems that women generally suffer from post-delivery.

Strengthens the pelvic area

Exercising women regularly during pregnancy strengthens the muscles around your uterus and vagina and makes this area able & strong for delivery. This also makes it easier for you to have a normal delivery. The more you exercise regularly, the higher chances of normal delivery you have.

Healthy pregnancy

Working out while you're pregnant offers a lot of benefits for you and your baby. Improves your mood, reduces distressing symptoms of multiple pregnancy, promotes heart health, balances BMI and improves brain health. Apart from this, it also reduces problems like diabetes, constipation and bloating in pregnancy.

TIP: Exercising during pregnancy doesn’t mean that you keep on doing it. There is a limit and you should not go overboard with exercising as then it may become dangerous for you and the baby. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise per day. This includes light exercises and not gym. It is always better & safe to consult your doctor before staring to rule out risks and complications that maybe there in your case.

Safe Exercises for Pregnant Women

Not every exercise is safe for pregnant women as those involving stomach or pressurising uterine walls are dangerous for the baby. Thus, you should know what exercise to do in what trimester of pregnancy. If you are pregnant and looking for safe exercises to do, scroll down as we have listed exercises according to trimesters.

Exercises For First Trimester

Most women in the first trimester do not need to change their activities during the first three months. If you are proactive, keep doing what you are doing. Just do not do anything heavy and new. If you were inactive before, you must start with light activities to not strain your body. Being 30-150 minutes physically active is what is most important. Here are some of the exercises that are safe for first trimester:

Walking

Jogging

Cycling

Dancing

Aerobics

Swimming

Pilates

Weight training

Yoga

Exercises for Second Trimester

In the second trimester of pregnancy, the stomach starts to grow. In such a situation, you should continue with light exercises that keep you physically active without putting pressure on your stomach or that involves minimal bending. Some exercises that can be done in second trimester are:

Walking

Slow jogging

Swimming

Stationary cycling

Pregnancy Pilates

Pregnancy Yoga

Squats

Exercises for Third Trimester

The third trimester is the crucial of them all as your stomach is in its full glory. You need to be very careful with physical activities you do as anything can get tricky. Light activities that do not involve stomach are safest. Also, in the third trimester you must do exercises that make your pelvic area strong and make it ready for delivery. So there are some exercises that you can do:

Walking

Swimming

Water aerobics

Prenatal yoga

Squats

Pelvic floor exercises

Additional exercise tips for pregnancy 

Don't exhaust yourself. Exercising can become difficult as your pregnancy progresses. There may be trouble breathing. In such a situation, try to do the exercises which you find light and easy. 

Avoid doing strenuous exercises in any trimester of pregnancy. This is particularly for women who were not active before.

You can consult a fitness expert to guide you through safe exercises for pregnancy. 

Walking everyday for 30 minutes is more effective than other exercises and so, you must do it.

If you know swimming, do it as it helps in managing pregnancy weight while working out your muscles and joints. 

You can do water aerobics with a qualified instructor or prenatal pilates with a pilates expert to help you stay active during pregnancy.

The safest exercises that you can do in pregnancy are walking, swimming, water aerobics and squats. Doing breathing exercises can also prove to be beneficial for you.

While exercising during pregnancy is beneficial for both mother and baby, there are some exercises that should not be done during pregnancy. Riding bicycles(after first trimester), high-intensity squats, lunges, aerobics, HIIT, etc.

Avoid exercising in extreme heat, including hot yoga and sauna.

Avoid sit ups/roll ups or double leg lifts in Pilates as this can put too much pressure on the abdomen.

Avoid lying on your back for more than 2 minutes while exercising as this can affect the pressure of blood flow to the uterus.

Who Should Not Exercise During Pregnancy?

While physical activeness is good for one and all, some women should refrain from exercising. These are:

Women with high blood pressure during pregnancy

Exercise should not be done even if you are suffering from asthma, heart disease, diabetes etc.

If you get tired too much and too quickly.

Avoid exercising if you have a weak cervix.

Women who have had a miscarriage before or experienced preterm delivery, you should not do exercising. Ask your doctor for safe activities that you can do.

Women who eperience regular contractions 30 minutes after exercise must also avoid

If you are conceiving twins or multiple babies, it is better to be cautious.

This was all about exercising during pregnancy. If you want to know more about exercises that you can do along with tips for safe pregnancy, you must scroll down to read articles.

References

https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pregnancy/index.htm

https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/exercise-during-pregnancy

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4622376/