Carrying out exercises during pregnancy are recommended by health professionals to help you stay well during your pregnancy and so that you have more stamina during labor. By exercising you stand less change of developing common antenatal problems such as stomach muscles separating, back pain, gestational diabetes, and other common conditions.
Practise kegels or pelvis floor exercises during your pregnancy to help avoid incontinence and other vaginal problems. These are simple to do and can be carried out at any time of day. Exercises during pregnancy can also help avoid the dreaded varicose veins or cellulite. You can choose to go to pregnancy exercise classes where a trained instructor or midwife will supervise you during your workout. Antenatal exercise classes are great way to meet other expectant moms and you can also attend similar classes post pregnancy with or without your baby. If you are unable to attend the classes then you can always hire out a video designed specifically for pregnancy exercising. By following a video workout, you can choose the time of day that you wish to exercise in the privacy of your own home.
Unless there are medical reasons to avoid it, pregnant women are able to exercise comfortably for at least 30 minutes a day, at a rate of 3-4 times a week. You will be advised to check with your health practitioner before commencing any forms of exercise in case you have a medical problem that may be affected by exercise. Generally pregnant ladies are encouraged to lead as healthy a lifestyle as possible as studies have shown that babies born to women who are healthy and carried out exercises during pregnancy have heavier, longer and more developed babies.
There are so many different types of exercises that you can do during pregnancy. If you like meditation and exercises to make you supple then try yoga. If you used to swim a lot pre-pregnancy then try aqua aerobics, which are designed specifically for pregnant women. Pilate’s exercises during pregnancy can help with your posture and are said to help alleviate back pain. Walking is also extremely popular and you can choose the length of walk you feel you can manage and the gradient. These can be increased as you become stronger.
Make sure that you look out for any warning signs that may indicate that you are overdoing things. If you experience any dizziness or stomach pain then stop immediately. Pregnant women are susceptible to athlete type injuries if they over do things while doing exercises during pregnancy.