Exercise during pregnancy. Benefits and recommendations.

Exercise during pregnancy, such thought I had in mind always because I was aware of the many possible benefits, which I'll tell you about soon, but let me walk you through some antecedents first...

Let's jump with happiness! You're pregnant! I can still remember the minute when I just knew I was going into a new wonderful stage of my life. Do you remember it too? I wanted not only to enjoy it, but to be as healthy as possible during this demanding stage and for the following period too.

I remember a friend of mine asking: So, tell me, What did you do before being pregnant to prepare for this stage of your life? What did you do during the 9 months period in order to be ready for a healthy labor? How you got prepared for the milk-feeding period?, etc.

I remember she made me all the questions a woman longing to have babies would have asked, so I decided to write shortly about it.

Decisions count for a healthy lifestyle

When answering my friends questions I started: Well, I just got prepared by exercising before being pregnant; I competed in a duathlon, used to swim more than 2,000 meters/day, ran, made bike riding, etc. Then, during pregnancy I was performing pilates, yoga, dancing, walking 5 km in the morning and 5 on the evening, etc.

I can still see her "What face!", but then I said: Dear friend, my lifestyle is not necessarily your lifestyle, so you're the one who will decide which changes and improvements you need to make to get prepared for this wonderful stage of life, but here are some benefits you might know or not about:

Before that, if you're active already, you don't need to alter your exercise routine just because you're pregnant, you might need to make only some adjustments on intensity and certain type of exercises for safety, but if you haven't been active it's even a good moment to begin exercising.

Exercise benefits during pregnancy

Many are the benefits, I will list all the ones I can remember:

1) It raises your energy!

2) It helps with possible constipation, gas accumulation in your stomach, leg cramps and even swelling. Many women have complains on this matters during pregnancy, so it's great to know how to deal with them (during this stage or any other!).

3) Your overall feeling is of well-being. I still remember standing in the back wheel of my minivan washing it two days before labor! (Just don't tell anyone about it).

4) It helps you to relax (something that is a must when your belly has grown to such a volume!! And of course to help you deal with the possible post-partum crisis).

5) It promotes muscle tone and resistance.

6) It controls gestational diabetes and other possible complications like preeclampsia.

7) It helps you to sleep!!! (God, this is some issue during pregnancy and exercise really helps!).

8) It helped me to control my weight gain too during this stage. Yes, I was naturally hungry, but I knew I had to improve my diet as well, and exercise made me concious about it.

9) It may help you get prepared for labor and during it.

As a rookie on this matters, I couldn't believe almost having no pain during contractions and labor was short (stronger contractions only lasted for 1 hour and my labor work was total 3 hours) everything without complications (which is the most important for the mom and the baby).

10) Many women complain about back pain during pregnancy. I could handle this pretty well with pilates exercises and yoga.

11) Many women also may develop: phlebitis, varicose veins, articular problems, differences of the cardiac rhyhtm, etc. And exercise helps you deal or avoid them.

12) You might get a good breathing technique.

Learn how to breath correctly

Advertising signs to leave or lower the activity during this stage of life

Well, yes, not everyone is Wonder-Woman. Sometimes you can receive signals to "slow down" a little. This are:

1) Dizziness or fainting.

2) Difficulty to breath.

3) Irregular cardiac pulse or strong pulse.

4) Chest pain.

5) Difficulties to walk.

6) Pain or swelling of your legs.

7) Headache.

8) Vaginal bleeding.

9) Uterine contractions that continue even at rest.

10) Secretions that ooze or leak from the vagina.

11) Reduction of fetal movements.

Recommendations

+ Before you start any workout program during this stage, talk to your physician in order to ensure you're free of any medical issue that might restrict your activity.

+ Ask him/her what sports or activities you could make, and unless any other recommendation, you may perform 30 minutes of moderate exercise almost every day.

+ Though, if you haven't been active before, try first 10-15 minutes and then increase when you feel comfortable to do so.

+ Many types of exercises are safe if they're performed with caution. Ask your trainer for advise.

+ Choose low impact activities first like: walking, swimming or yoga if you weren't to active before this stage.

Here's a link for people who like to walk. See the benefits and enjoy. Also find out about good benefits of resistance training, and Pilates method (a type of activity that falls into this category).

Walking, a beneficial activity for all.

+ If you're in shape then you can choose to make routines with a higher difficulty level but always with caution, remember?.

+ Ensure you have the necessary equipment to perform without risks. Use adequate shoes, special brassiere for sports, (but not so tight that it isn't comfortable, this can be a sensible problem if you know what I mean), etc.

+ Drink enough water, before, during the activity and after it.

+ Always heat up before you begin exercising and cool up after it.

+ Check for adequate surfaces depending on the activity you perform.

+ If you're laying down or sitting in the floor, step up slowly to avoid feeling dizzy or faint.

+ Please, don't exercise for weight loss during pregnancy. Better keep on to a healthy diet to control weight gain.

+ Don't exercise if you feel sick.

+ Don't perform rude movements, or too many impact exercises like jumping, or workouts that require quick changes of direction (like basketball) or that might produce tension for the articulations.

+ Don't make squats all the way down, abdominal exercises where you lean forward the whole body, don't raise up and down both legs at the same time or make activities that require touching the toes with your back straight.

+ Following the first trimester, avoid workouts that require you to lie on your back as can restrict blood flow to the baby.

So, your set! Keep on to a healthy lifestyle not only on this stage, but in others of your life as well. You're overall effort will bring the best for you, and your kids. Remember, example leads!

Resistance training, an empowering exercise activity

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