Exercise during pregnancy has multiple benefits. Not only does it help you to stay fit and healthy during pregnancy but also eases pregnancy-related discomfort such as backaches and indigestion and helps you adjust to the changes that your body undergoes. Pregnancy exercise can be performed by all women who are comfortable doing so and as long as no abnormal pain is experienced. Getting regular exercise during pregnancy is not only healthy and beneficial to your health but also poses no risks whatsoever to the fetus.
Consult with your doctor
While pregnancy exercise helps women better prepare for labor and delivery and also in post-natal recovery, it is extremely important to perform such exercise with the explicit knowledge and approval of a doctor. If you wish to exercise during your pregnancy, make sure you sit down with your doctor and come up with a workout chart that is safe and effective before exercising.
When not to exercise
Although usually beneficial, there are pregnancy exercise risks for some women that need to be kept in mind. The following are some of these pregnancy exercise risk factors.
- Illness or disease: Pregnant women with a history of asthma, heart disease, severe diabetes or hypertension, or other such illnesses should not exercise. In cases of milder illnesses that are not worsened by exercise, it is very important to consult a doctor before any sort of exercise is performed.
- Obstetric conditions: If you are experiencing abnormal spotting or bleeding, especially in the second or third trimester, exercise is not advisable and this is true even if you are presently facing cervical issues such as a weak cervix or premature rupture of membranes.
- Being obese or underweight: Severe morbid obesity and being extremely underweight are both risk factors and those women falling within these categories must not exercise. Exercise during pregnancy is also not recommended for women who led largely inactive and sedentary lives before pregnancy.
- Pay attention to your body: Even if your doctor has approved of your workout plan, you need to watch out for signs that the exercise is causing harm to your body. This includes dizziness or extreme shortness of breath, vaginal bleeding, chest pains, headaches, painful contractions, and so on. If you experience any such symptoms, visit the doctor without any delay.
Safe exercises for pregnant women
There are a few forms of exercises that pregnant women should avoid and these include high-intensity weight training or cardio, contact sports, or any activity in which falling or suffering abdominal trauma is likely, and any exercise that requires you to lie on your back for more than a few minutes. There are many safe exercises for pregnant women and some of them are listed below.
- Light aerobic and cardio exercises: Low-intensity aerobics under the supervision of a certified instructor and light cardio such as walking, stationary cycling, and swimming are considered safe and effective.
- Pelvic and stomach strengthening exercises: There are several safe exercises for pregnant women that are designed to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles to brace them for labor and childbirth as well as to strengthen the stomach muscles to ease back pains and improve posture.