Light, gentle exercise during pregnancy is beneficial for your body. It can ease your symptoms and better prepare you for delivery. Before starting or continuing a fitness routine, you should be aware of how to safely exercise during pregnancy to protect your growing baby.
Pay Attention to Your Body’s Signals
Never continue with an exercise that doesn’t feel right to you. Trust the signals your body is giving you and find gentle exercises that are comfortable to do. Some symptoms that indicate you have pushed yourself too much are:
• Vaginal bleeding
• Dizziness
• Amniotic fluid leakage
• Muscle weakness
• Chest pain
• Decreased fetal movement
• Headache
• Calf pain or swelling
• Premature labor
Avoid strenuous exercise during pregnancy. If you were highly active before pregnancy, you can usually safely continue your fitness routine unless it involves contact sports. However, you still need to listen to what your body is telling you. Many women find that they have to cut back quite a bit on their fitness regimen, especially during the second and third trimesters.
Yoga, Walking and Light Weight Training
Three types of exercise that are good to do throughout your pregnancy are yoga, walking and light weight training. By the second trimester, you should stop doing any exercise that involves lying on your back or stomach. During the third trimester, you should also avoid any exercises that involve twisting.
Why You Should Exercise During Pregnancy
Maintaining fitness during pregnancy can help prevent health problems and make for easier childbirth and recovery. Other benefits include reduced back pain, less bloating and swelling, lower risk of gestational diabetes, increased energy and possibility of faster childbirth.
If you weren’t exercising before getting pregnant, then start very small and keep it easy throughout your pregnancy. You can challenge yourself to get stronger once you have recovered from childbirth.
Ideas for Exercising During Pregnancy
Forms of exercise besides walking, yoga and light weight training you can do during pregnancy include swimming, dancing, cycling on a stationary bike and taking low-impact aerobic classes. An exercise that is recommended for all pregnant women is Kegel exercise because it strengthens your pelvic floor, which can make delivery easier. Check with your health care provider to ensure that any workout routine you want to do is safe.
Exercising during pregnancy is one of the best things you can do for your body because it eases your pain and can help delivery go more smoothly.
Do you have more questions about your maternal health? Talk to staff at WFMC Health or become a new patient today!
