Should you exercise during pregnancy? The unequivocal answer is: YES! Exercise
will help your body (and your mind, and your emotions) manage more effectively
the stresses of being pregnant. Exercise will make labor easier on your body.
Exercise will speed up post-partum recovery. And, most important of all,
exercise will increase the health of your baby, during the entire perinatal
process. A healthy mother means a healthy baby.There is one key thing to
remember about exercise during pregnancy: Listen. Listen to your doctor, first
of all, especially if you have a pre-existing health condition like asthma,
heart disease or diabetes. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology
suggests at least 30 minutes of moderate exercising on most days during your
pregnancy. Ideally, it would be all days. But your doctor will know if pregnancy
related conditions, like an incompetent cervix, or a history of premature births
or miscarriage, should inform your choices of activity.Secondly, listen to
yourself. Pregnancy is a time of dramatic changes for your body, and it will
tell you what is working for it, and what is not. Activities you may enjoy
during the first trimester may be uncomfortable, or even dangerous, later in the
pregnancy.What is the best way to exercise during pregnancy? If you have been
exercising regularly prior to becoming pregnant, most doctors will encourage you
to continue, with a few caveats. Here are some no-no's: Don't hold your breath
(perform the Valsalva maneuver.) Avoid any activity that involves extensive
jumping, skipping, hopping, running or bouncing (unless you were already running
before, then you will want to minimize the intensity) as well as contact sports,
or sports that include a risk of falling, deep knee bends, full sit-ups, double
leg-lifts and straight leg toe-touches, high intensity interval training, and
exercising in hot, humid weather. Core body temperature is a concern, so you
will want to be careful of the intensity of your exercise: Keep your heart rate
under 140 bpm. Don't exercise while lying on your back.Now, having given you all
those "don'ts" here are some "dos" for exercise during pregnancy. Do practice
moderate aerobic activity daily, even if you haven't been exercising prior to
pregnancy. Walking, running (if you are already doing that) and swimming, as
well as stationary cycling, dance and yoga are all recommended. Bicycling is OK
in the first trimester, and many women swear by swimming as their bodies become
more ungainly during the third trimester. Your doctor or birthing coach will
probably also recommend Kegel exercises, the pelvic tilt or "angry cat", squat
and tailor poses, which help prepare the birthing muscles. Regular, moderate
exercise will help make pregnancy more comfortable, shorten labor and may reduce
the need for obstetric interventions.
Greg is a health and fitness professional for GB Personal Training based
in Hampstead, North London. He specializes in both prenatal and postnatal
exercise. Find out more here:
http://www.gbpersonaltraining.com/Post-Natal-Tummy.htm
Article
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