Exercising during pregnancy has great benefits as it can help prepare you for labor and childbirth and lift your spirits, but you need to approach working out with extra caution
Exercise Regularly
You must work those muscles diligently given the condition of your body. You are in such a phase where in not only are you bearing your own weight, but also the pain of the little one inside you. One must understand that this phase of life is to be dealt with much ease and with regular exercise you can certainly attain that.
On average you can exercise thrice a week as during pregnancy your body must not undergo exertion. With exercise what we mean is slow and light sets of repetition like low impact aerobics, dancing, yoga and stretching.
It is also recommended by a well-known obstetricians that a walk post meal is good for the body as it allows proper digestion of the food.
If you have never exercised regularly before, don’t worry!! You can begin now, during your pregnancy with some safe exercise programme; but only after consulting your health care specialist. Do not try a new, strenuous activity. Walking and swimming are considered safe to initiate when pregnant.
The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommends 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise per day on most if not all days in the week, unless you have a medical or obstetric complication.
Ease it off
It is said that your system works more than the usual during this phase by pumping more blood through your body, and your lung capacity dwindles which means you’ll feel difficult to breathe properly.
That’s why doctors recommend that you must keep a target heart rate at 140 beats per minute.
There’s a much simpler way to understand your heart functioning by just noticing the way you are breathing.
If you gasp for breath then potentially you have a respiratory issue. Remember, sweating and breathlessness is endurable, till the time it’s not grave. But if you feel that your heart is pounding or racing, you must ease a bit. It is also advised not to exercise when you feel fatigued and almost out of energy.
Avoid Lying on your back
If you basically sleep on your back, it’s safe during the first trimester. But as your uterus gets heavier around mid-pregnancy, it’s better to choose another posture.
When you lie on your back, the weight of your uterus thrusts on the major vein that returns blood from your lower body to your heart.
Lying on your back for a good long period of time could leave you dizzy and nauseous. It could also intervene with blood and other essential nutrients to the placenta and developing baby.
Dr. Jayalakshmi Shyamalan, MD, USA asserted that pregnant women must avoid exercise thatrequires you to lie on flat on your back like crunches after the first trimester. As it can reduce the blood flow to you and your baby.
Ear Sufficiently
Exercise burns calories, so make sure to compensate for the loss with a good diet regime, to help nourish and strengthen your body. During pregnancy you’ll naturally gain weight as your baby grows.
The amount of calories you will need to gain will differ depending on your pre-pregnancy weight. If your body mass index (BMI) is in a healthy range (between 18.5 and 24.9), you’ll need to eat 300 or so more calories per day than before you were pregnant and probably even more than that if you’re exercising.
After all, “To be pregnant is to be vitally alive, thoroughly woman, and distressingly inhabited. Soul and spirit are stretched along with body making pregnancy a time of transition, growth, and profound beginnings.”
By Healthgenie
