Exercise during pregnancy

During my pregnancy with my daughter, I barely did any exercise apart from walking. And it was more irregular, incidental exercise like walking to & from the shops. Don’t get me wrong, walking is a fantastic exercise for pregnant women. But I was a far cry away from the

Second time round, I plan to do things a lot differently.

My partner & I are currenty trying to conceive our second child. I started going back to the gym in early November last year, so I’ve currently been on an exercise program for 7-8mths. And I tell you, since the time I gave birth to my daughter back in August 2005, I’ve never felt better.

I’m now studying to be a fitness & aerobics instructor, so exercising pre-natally, during pregnancy & post-natally is of great interest to me.

Here are some points to consider if you want to start exercising:

• If possible, start exercising before you fall pregnant! The fitter you are before you fall pregnant, the easier it will be to continue exercising after you conceive.
• If you’re already pregnant, make sure you visit your Doctor before starting an exercise program. A fitness professional will advise you to do this during the pre-exercise screening process.
• Some of the best exercises you can do during pregnancy are yoga, walking, swimming & aqua aerobics. These are all low impact exercises & easy on your joints (which can be prone to injuries during pregnancy).
• Be aware of your body temperature when you exercise & make sure you’re drinking lots of water! Its important that you don’t overheat while your pregnant, especially during the first trimester when the baby’s central nervous system is developing.
• You can still work your abs while your pregnant! Just avoid doing full-range sit-ups or other activities which put pressure on your spine. Speak to a trainer who can give you alternative exercises, such as using a Fitball or kneeling on all fours.
• Avoid contact & some non-contact sports! (Although if you have already been playing sport before falling pregnant, you can continue doing so up to a certain stage, depending what sport it is.) Sport can place even more stress on the joints & with the hormones being released during pregnancy to loosen the joints, it’s not worth it. Also, you don’t want to risk someone contacting you hard & causing damage to you & your unborn child.

• Other forms of exercise like running, bicycling, high impact aerobics, contact and competitive sports, weights or martial arts can be continued while you’re pregnant but will need to be modified towards the later stages of your pregnancy.

Exercising while your pregnant (done moderately & safely):

• Can make it easier to maintain a reasonable body weight & help your body get back to normal quicker after you give birth.

• Can make labour easier (wouldn’t that be nice!) by increasing your maternal fitness.

• Can improve your own circulation & blood flow to your baby.

• Reduces your chances of developing gestational diabetes & high blood pressure.

• Can help you carry your baby easier & improves your posture once you develop greater muscle strength.

• Can help reduce swelling, leg cramps, varicose veins, constipation & back pain.

• Improves calcium absorption to prevent osteoporosis.

• Can improve your mental-wellbeing & self-esteem.

 Avoid:

• Lying on your back after about 16weeks pregnant. This can decrease blood flow to your baby.

• Exercising excessively or to exhaustion.

• High impact exercises.

So remember, listen to your body & do what you feel is comfortable. There are many safe options you can do as far as exercising during your pregnancy. Just make sure you don’t overdo it! At the end of the day, you and your baby’s health comes first.

Check out this link to find a pregnancy exercise classes near you! (In Australia)

http://www.bubhub.com.au/servicespregnancyexercise.shtml

(I will most likely come back and edit this article once I fall pregnant & share what else I have learned through my experience!)

References:

Deitz, M, 2007, ‘Womb to move’, The Sunday Telegraph, 20 May, p. 12-13 body+soul.

Hill, A & Marchese, R C 2005, The Essential Guide to Fitness for the fitness instructor, Pearson Education, Australia.