Exercise is an important aspect to a healthy lifestyle, and even though your typical exercise regime will have to be altered slightly during your pregnancy, doesn't mean that you should forgo it entirely. Exercising during pregnancy actually has many more benefits than you might think, helping to ease stress, strengthen the muscles in your back and can decrease problems later on in pregnancy and during labour. But even if you are a frequent gym goer, it can be hard to gauge exactly how much exercise you should be doing daily and which exercises are safe, especially now you are bringing a bump into the equation. Luckily we have created an easy to follow guide all about exercising during pregnancy, so you can continue to work out, feel great and and stay safe.
Before You Start Exercising
Consult your doctor or midwife. All pregnancies are different, and even if you have been active before you became pregnant there are a number of factors that have to be taken into account before you exercise. If you are a regular at the gym, go through your exercise regime with your doctor and discuss what you can continue to do whilst pregnant, and for how long. As you start to grow and you reach your second and third trimester, your regime will need to be altered considerably to make sure that you and your baby aren't at risk. Talk through your plan with your doctor and make sure you bring up your regime during check ups, so your pregnancy team can advise where needs be.
If you have never exercised before, pregnancy is not the time to start taking up intense exercise, but taking steps to slowly introduce low impact exercise will provide benefits. Tell your doctor that you are thinking of exercising and then they will let you know your limits, to ensure that you stay safe and don't push yourself too hard.
What To Avoid
Where To Start
After you have planned your workout its imperative that you always warm up before you exercise and cool down afterwards. Warming up your body helps the blood pump to your muscles and get them ready for movement, which helps prevent injuries. Cooling down also helps your muscles recover by letting them slow down at a regulated pace, stopping the shock. Warming up and cooling down can be done by stretching out each muscle group carefully and doing around 10 minutes of gradual cardio such as walking on a treadmill slowly or going for a slow cycle on a standing exercise bike. Make sure throughout your workout you are continuing to replenish your fluids, so take plenty of water with you and drink regularly. This will also make your workout more effective.
Safe Exercises To Consider
One Last Thing To Remember
Have fun. Exercise never need be a monotonous task that you don't enjoy, find the exercise that you most enjoy and stick with it. You will have more energy and feel great, giving your baby the perfect environment to grow in.
Sources;
https://www.babycentre.co.uk/a758/guide-to-exercising-in-pregnancy
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/pregnancy-exercise.aspx