Maintaining fitness is a major goal during pregnancy. Keeping fit comes with lots of advantages for pregnant women. Regular exercise and healthy routines not only help you to keep your body toned but it can also help when it comes time to push that baby out.
Eliminating the fatness that comes with the pregnancy phase becomes the next concern of nursing mothers after delivery. However, before delivery, excising or working out every day helps in making sure you don’t add too much fat to your body. Also, during labor, it will be much easier to push the baby if you’ve been strengthening your leg and stomach muscles. Who knows, it may even make labor a little bit shorter. Isn’t that what we all want?
In addition when you are tired and just feeling a little blue, just by exercising you actually increase your energy.
Why should you keep fit during pregnancy?
During pregnancy, maintaining healthy routines, regular exercise and keeping fit in general assists in the following ways:
- increase heart rate steadily and improve circulation
- keep the body flexible and strong
- support and control healthy weight gain
- prepare the muscles for labor and birth
- shorten the labor process
- increase the chances of an unmedicated birth
- decrease the need for pain relief
- speed up recovery after delivery
- reduce the risk of gestational diabetes and hypertension
- decrease the likelihood of preterm labor and birth
- It may also give an infant a healthier start.
Here are a few quick tips on how to stay fit during pregnancy without really having to break out a sweat.
Home Exercise
You might have heard about the benefits of yoga, it is beneficial to practice, especially if you haven’t always been in the best of shape. You could purchase a set of small weights that you can use throughout the house, like hand weights or wrist weights that can use while walking. Instead of just laying on the couch while you rest you could lift small weights. Always check with your doctor before you start any exercise routine.
Get a chair and try doing a couple of crunches, 5 to 10, in the beginning, to make sure you don’t pull a muscle. Don’t worry you can always add to it as the weeks go on.
Running or Walking
Try running, walking or jogging outside. Not only will this boost up your energy but it’ll also help get your spirits up, especially if you’ve been inside all day. Remember, if you are going for a walk to always bring a drink with you. You don’t want to risk dehydration. Always make sure that you are wearing comfortable shoes before you leave the house. If you didn’t run before pregnancy, ask your doctor if you can now. Sometimes a doctor may suggest you walk down your street at first and increase it from there so you ease into it.
Active Sports
If you can you may want to try going for a swim or try bicycling. However, if you find that you are accident prone you may want to stay away from the bike. A bike accident is something that can easily happen, even when you’ve always ridden a bike. Swimming can help you relax and stay cool. Take a dip in the pool near you, they may even have a swim class for pregnant women in your area. This would be a great way to meet other moms.
Whenever you are doing exercises, make sure you aren’t overdoing it. If you believe you could be stopped immediately and take a break. You never want to do anything that will harm the pregnancy.
The pregnancy phase is a very delicate time for awaiting parents. It is important to take deliberate actions to maintain a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy. From feeding to routine exercises, most importantly active sports, running and walking and even sleeping habits, pregnant women must be proactive in maintaining healthy living.
Click to read: [5 Tips To Ensure Pregnancy Health For Mother And Baby]
