Staying or improving your fitness can provide big rewards if you’re pregnant. It can make delivery easier and keep your energy and spirits higher. It’s not safe for everyone, but for most people with no complications, the right types of workouts are recommended. What are the right types of workouts? They vary by fitness level and how active you were before you became pregnant.
If you didn’t exercise before you were pregnant, keeping it simple is best.
As with any type of exercise program, each person is different, so before starting, always check with your healthcare professional to see what’s right for you and your pregnancy. If you’ve never exercised previously, don’t jump into marathon running, weightlifting, or other competitive and taxing forms of exercise. Use low-impact, low-intensity workouts. Start by walking. It’s simple, requires no gym membership and almost everyone can do it. You can work up to moderately intense workouts once you feel stronger.
If you exercised before you were pregnant, it’s probably safe to continue.
You can continue most activities you did before pregnancy with a few exclusions. If it involves body contact or jarring movements, reconsider. Basketball, volleyball, and skiing are a few of those activities. If you bicycle, switch to a stationary bike. It’s not the actual exercise that causes the problem, but the potential of falling. Your center of gravity changes as your pregnancy continues, and a fall can be dangerous to you and the baby.
Do as much as you can but don’t overdo it.
Whether you’re pregnant or not, exercising at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise is vital to your health. You don’t have to do it all at once, particularly if it exhausts you. Break it up into shorter sessions, such as 10 to 15 minutes two or three times a day. There’s nothing wrong with stopping if you feel exhausted and can’t as long as you planned. Do as much as you can. Besides abdominal crunches and contact sports, avoid exercises that cause your body to jerk or bounce, such as high-impact exercises. Your hormones during pregnancy cause ligaments to be more relaxed, so they don’t support the joints as well, increasing the risk of injury.
- Avoid exercises that make you lay on your back, particularly in the later months of pregnancy. The weight of your larger uterus puts pressure on the vein to the heart. Try those exercises on your side.
- Also, avoid exercises with a twisting motion of the body. When you’re exercising, stay out of the heat and humidity. Avoid exercising in high heat and humidity, especially during the first trimester. Stay hydrated.
- Don’t hold your breath while you’re exercising. It can increase abdominal pressure. Avoid bouncing during stretching exercises.
- Lifting weights during pregnancy can prepare your muscles to carry the baby. Always use light weights. You can use wrist and ankle weights and walk, making sure to pump your arms as you do.
For more information, contact us today at Wellness On A Dime Coaching