During pregnancy, you have to deal with the bodily changes, mood swings, swelling, pain, constipation, trouble sleeping and many more problems that are not at all easy. Doing simple and little exercises is your way out for this. Yes! You read it right, some simple exercises during pregnancy benefits a lot. Studies suggest that pregnant women can do moderate exercise for about 30 minutes per day. Exercise helps to strengthen your body by minimizing the pregnancy symptoms. So what are you looking for, tie up your shoes and get moving. Keep reading to get detailed info on pregnancy exercises.
Let’s take a look at some of the easy and simple pregnancy exercises which are as follows:
BRISK WALK: Brisk walking is one of the easiest way to get moving during pregnancy. The good part is you can continue it till your delivery date. It helps to keep your weight in check, eases aches, and lightens up your mood during pregnancy. Just wear comfortable sneakers and opt for a smooth surface and you are ready to go.
SWIMMING: In water, your body feels light and sooth which is good for your swollen ankles and aches when you are expecting. A dip in the pool and water aerobics is very relaxing and has many benefits. It benefits your muscles, joints, cardiovascular health, and helps to sleep better. Just be careful and take instructions from your doctor/health assistant.
PRENATAL YOGA: One of the safest and best exercise to enhance flexibility, relaxation, and body strength during pregnancy is prenatal yoga. By stimulating the blood circulation, yoga helps a lot to calm your mind and body. Some of the yoga poses that are beneficial while you are expecting is Triangle pose, Cat-cow pose, Easy pose and Seated side stretch pose. The thing that you should keep in mind is to try yoga poses under your yoga instructor, so that he/she will guide you which poses are good for you which are not.
LOW-IMPACT AEROBICS: Low-impact aerobics are very good for your heart, muscles, joints, and helps to maintain balance. You will get relief from pregnancy stiffness and aches with this. You can do the donkey kicks, pile squat, marching arm stretches, leg-lifts, and many more. Just get it done under a certified trainer so that there is no risk of any injury.
LIGHT WEIGHT-LIFTING: To tone your muscles, weight lifting is a great way during pregnancy. Try to weigh less with more reps. If it is done in a right way, then it has many benefits like weight management, in strengthening your back, has benefit during labor, relieves stress, and makes you feel happy. It has been suggested that if you lifted a weight before pregnancy, then you can continue with little modifications after pregnancy. Else consult with your doctor before initializing it.
PILATES: Pilates has too many health benefits for you and your baby’s health. It helps to ease back pain, strengthens your legs, pelvic and gluteal muscles, helps you relax and speed up recovery post-partum. Again, do it under an instructor to avoid any injury due to over-stretching.
INDOOR CYCLING: It is the great way to do a little exercise at home without worrying about balance and putting pressure on ankles or knees. It helps to keep your weight in check, build up stamina, and gives you good night sleep. Make sure your posture is right and consult it with the instructor about how long you can do this.
SQUATS: If you want to have a normal delivery than squatting may help you. It helps to improve balance by strengthening the legs, lower back, hips, and pelvic area. This exercise will make your labor and delivery a bit easier. Just do as per your comfort level and don’t exhaust yourself.
THINGS TO REMEMBER:
Some of the basic guidelines for pregnant women are as follows:
- If you are new to it, make sure to do it for short duration then gradually increase your time to prevent any injury.
- Always make warming up and cooling down part of your workout routine to reduce chances of any injury.
- Listen to your body especially when you are pregnant and don’t over-exhaust yourself.
- Intake plenty of water during or after your workout session and keep yourself hydrated.
- It’s very important to get your workout done with full care.
- When you are expecting, your body needs more oxygen and energy, so just go slow to prevent dizziness.
- Avoid jerky and bouncing movements while exercising.
- Never miss your pre/post workout meals.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF EXERCISE DURING PREGNANCY:
As you have to face lots of changes during pregnancy, so it’s really important to get moving or exercise daily. Exercise has enormous health benefits for you and your baby’s development, which are as follows:
- Helps to reduce the risk of gestational diabetes and other pregnancy complication.
- Many women experience depression or anxiety during pregnancy. Exercise helps a lot to enlighten your mood, reduce stress, and makes you feel happy.
- Helps to keep your weight in check as compared to women who don’t do any exercise.
- Pregnancy makes you feel low and tired, so little exercise helps to boost your energy level.
- As the growing baby bump puts a lot of pressure on your back and pelvic area. So exercise helps to improve blood circulation and eases the pregnancy pain.
- Exercise helps you relax and gives you better sleep.
- Regular exercise helps to improve your posture and makes you physically fit.
- High blood pressure can cause preeclampsia, which proves very harmful for you and your baby. So at this point, exercise helps a lot to reduce the risk of high blood pressure.
- Regular exercise also helps to make labor and delivery a bit easier.
- It is very helpful to relieve constipation as well which is the most common issue during pregnancy.
- Exercise is very good for your baby’s nervous system development.
- It reduces the risk of fetal macrosomia by lowering fat mass to your baby.
- It also helps to speed up your recovery after childbirth.
- Exercise is very good for your baby’s brain health.
- Expecting moms who do exercise during pregnancy have less chances of obesity and diabetes in their baby later in life.
WHEN YOU SHOULD STOP EXERCISING:
If you feel any of the following symptom then you should immediately stop exercising and consult your doctor:
- Feel dizzy or light-headed.
- Feel pain in the pelvic or abdominal area
- Spotting or vaginal bleeding
- Feel weakness
- Feel irregular heartbeat
- Feel muscle cramps or swelling
- Chest pain
- Decreased fetal movement
If it’s done in the right way than exercise has enormous health benefits especially during pregnancy. But always consult your doctor and listen to your body. You have various options to keep moving, all you need is proper guidance.