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Pregnancy Exercise and Fitness

Pregnancy Exercise and Fitness

Engaging in regular exercise during pregnancy can help you stay fit and healthy. Exercise can benefit you by easing some pregnancy discomforts such as back pain and fatigue. It also helps you improve your posture all throughout pregnancy. Furthermore, studies show that regular exercise can help prevent high risk pregnancies such as having gestational diabetes (pregnancy-induced diabetes). It also relieves stress and aids in building up stamina for labor and delivery.

If a pregnant woman is physically active before her pregnancy, she can still continue with her activities as long as they are done in moderation. She should not try to exercise at her previous level instead she can do whatever is comfortable for her now that she’s pregnant. A pregnant athlete however, should be closely monitored by her physician. Low impact exercises such as aerobics are encouraged over high impact. Lastly, she should not let her heart rate go over 140 beats per minute.

If an expecting woman has never exercised before pregnancy, she can safely engage in a program, but consulting her OB-Gynecologist should come first. She will be advised not to do any strenuous physical exercise and as much as possible to start with walking as this is considered the safe.

A 30 minute exercise program in a day is recommended as long as the pregnancy is not high risk or complicated.

Contraindications

Exercise may be contraindicated to pregnant women with medical condition such as heart diseases, diabetes and asthma. It can also be harmful to individuals with pregnancy-related conditions such as a low lying placenta, bleeding, a threatened or a previous miscarriage, premature labor and unhealthy cervix.

If you have one or more of these, you need to talk to your doctor before exercising. She can also recommend exercise programs and give you guidelines based on your medical and obstetrical history.

Safe Pregnancy Exercises

Generally, exercise is safe during pregnancy as long as you take care of yourself and do not overdue an activity.

The safest forms of exercise for pregnant women are swimming, low impact aerobics, brisk walking, or use of step machines, stationary biking, and pregnancy yoga. These exercises are low risk of injury, beneficial to the whole body and can be continued even after birth.

It is important to choose exercises that will not need great coordination or balance especially during the last stage of pregnancy. Sports like tennis are safe but changes in balance that happens during pregnancy may affect the rapid movements.

Running or jogging is also safe especially when you’re already accustomed to it before you got pregnant.

Exercises That Are Not Safe During Pregnancy

There are exercises that should be avoided and should not be done when you’re pregnant. These are:

  • Any activity that involves holding your breath for long periods.
  • Activities wherein falling is possible such as horseback riding.
  • Contact sports such as volleyball, football or basketball.
  • Any form of exercise that can cause abdominal trauma.
  • Waist-twisting exercises especially when you’re standing.
  • Too much jumping, hopping or running.
  • Exercising in hot or humid weather.

To achieve optimum health and fitness, choose an exercise program that can help strengthen your muscles especially those you will be need during pregnancy and childbirth. To avoid accidents, it is advisable to warm up for 5 minutes and do stretching exercises for 5 minutes before starting an activity. Do not forget to measure your heart rate during the peak of each activity. Do slow aerobics for 5 to 10 minutes and end with gentle stretching.

Basic Exercise Guidelines for Pregnant Women

  • Wear comfortable exercise clothes.
  • To protect yourself from injury, use shoes that are meant for the exercise that you do.
  • Exercise on flat surfaces.
  • You should have finished eating one hour prior to starting your exercise program.
  • Slowly get up after floor exercises to prevent dizziness.
  • Drink enough fluids before, during and after workout.
  • Never exhaust yourself. If you cannot talk normally during an activity, that means you may be overdoing it and you need to slow down a bit.

WARNING SIGNS: When to call your doctor

You need to stop exercising and call your doctor if you feel any of these:

  1. Chest pain
  2. Abdominal or pelvic pain, contractions that won’t go away
  3. Headache
  4. Loss of fetal movements
  5. Dizziness, feel faint
  6. Cold and clammy skin
  7. Bleeding or spotting
  8. Gush of fluid from the vagina
  9. Sudden swelling of the face, hands, ankles
  10. Shortness of breath
  11. Difficulty walking or breathing
  12. Muscle weakness

How soon after delivery can I begin exercising?

Most postpartum women can start low impact exercises one to two weeks after a normal spontaneous childbirth and three to four weeks after a Cesarean section. It is best to consult your doctor on how soon you can start with your exercise routine after pregnancy.

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