Pregnancy and Exercise

Pregnancy seems like a superlative time to sit back and relax. Exercise has become a lively part of many women's lives. Many women are able to manage an exercise program throughout pregnancy. Regular exercise during pregnancy can prepare your body for labour and the demands of a new baby. Caring for a newborn can be demanding and physically stressful. Exercise can help relieve or even prevent discomfort, boost your energy level and improve your overall health. Exercise also helps you ready for labor by increasing your stamina and muscle strength. Being in good shape may even condense your labor and speed your recovery.

The most comfortable exercises are those which don't desire your body to bear extra weight. Swimming and stationary cycling can be carried throughout pregnancy. Walking and low-percussion aerobics are usually well-tolerated. Never exercise to the point of exhaustion or breathlessness. This is a indication that your baby and body cannot get the oxygen supply it requires. Walking is a great exercise for beginners. It gives moderate aerobic conditioning with minimal stress on your joints. Exercise is safe for both mother and fetus during pregnancy and they support advices to begin or continue exercise in most pregnancies to educe the health benefits associated with such activities.

Other good choices include swimming and cycling on a stationary bike. Both exercise and pregnancy are related with a high demand for energy. Avoid contact sports, scuba diving, exercises that require you to lie flat on your back, and activities that may lead to falls or abdominal injuries. Wear comfortable exercise footwear which provides strong ankle and arch support. Pregnant women should avoid exercise which embodies the risk of abdominal trauma, falls or excessive joint stress, as in contact sports and vigorous racquet sports.

Exercise acts in harmony with pregnancy to increase heart rate, stroke volume and cardiac output. Weight training should emphasize improving tone, especially in the upper body and abdominal area. Avoid lifting weights above your head and using weights which stress the lower back muscles. During the second and third trimesters, avoid exercise that involves laying flat on your back, as this decreases blood flow to your womb. Pelvic floor exercises during pregnancy and immediately after birth may reduce the risk of urinary and faecal incontinence in the future. Recreational exercise does not affect the quantity of milk you produce or its quality.

Exercise can also ease many of the common discomforts of pregnancy like constipation, backache, fatigue, leg swelling, and varicose veins. Many fitness centers and hospitals provides classes designed for pregnant women. Select one that fits your interests and schedule. During pregnancy aerobic and strength conditioning exercise is considered to be safe and beneficial. There are many benefits of exercising during pregnancy that have been identified. Benefits include: increased body awareness, increased endurance, improved posture, helps prevent gestational diabetes, improved muscle tone, improved body image, active phase of labour is shorter, less forceps and caesarean births and physically fit women recover more quickly after birth.

Women should avoid laying flat on their backs after sixteen weeks. As the uterus grows it can compress a major blood vessel when a woman lies flat on her back. This limits blood flow back to the mother's heart and subsequently the blood flow to the baby. Eat a healthy diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, and complex carbohydrates. Exercise may require you to eat more calories.

Exercise During Pregnancy Tips

1. Recreational exercise refers here to any type of dynamic (aerobic) exercise (such as swimming or running) and/or strength conditioning exercise.

2. During pregnancy aerobic and strength conditioning exercise is regarded to be safe and advantageous

3. Never exercise to the point of exhaustion or breathlessness.

4. Wear comfortable exercise footwear that gives strong ankle and arch support.

5. Take frequent breaks and drink lots of fluids during exercise.

6. Avoid exercise in extremely hot weather.

7. Avoid rocky terrain or unstable ground when running or cycling. Your joints are more clement in pregnancy and ankle sprains and other injuries may occur.

8. Contact sports should be avoided during pregnancy

9. Eat a healthy diet which comprises lots of fruits, vegetables and complex carbohydrates.

10. Pelvic floor exercises during pregnancy and immediately after birth may reduce the risk of urinary and faecal incontinence in the future.

11. Weight training should stress improving tone, particularly in the upper body and abdominal area. Avoid lifting weights above your head and using weights that strain the lower back muscles.

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