Pregnancy might seem like the perfect time to quit exercising or even allow you to put it off until after childbirth. This is likely due to feeling more tired than usual, and possible back aches associated with carrying extra weight. But what if you want to continue exercising or want to start? It can sometimes become unclear if you can exercise while you are pregnant. But unless you’re experiencing complications, pregnancy can be a great time to get active.
Believe it or not, regular exercise during pregnancy can benefit you and your fetus in many ways. It can reduce back pain, ease constipation and improve your overall fitness and strengthen your heart. It can even promote healthy weight gain during pregnancy. Best of all, exercising will make it easier to lose that baby weight after the pregnancy. When considering what to do to exercise wise, be sure it is a moderate-intensity aerobic activity. Lifting weights maybe okay if they are light enough but you should make sure to check with your obstetrician–gynecologist (ob-gyn) first before starting any exercises.
Once you get the all clear from your ob-gyn, you are going to want to begin with mild to moderate exercise. Walking is great for beginners, especially those who have not worked out in a while. Ideally, pregnant women should get around 150 minutes of low intensity workouts every week. Meaning you can either exercise for 30 minutes a day for 5 days or 10 minutes each day. It is suggested that if you are new to exercise, that you start out slow and gradually increase your activity. You can begin with as little as 5 minutes a day before working up to those 10-to-30-minute workouts.
As stressed earlier, before you do anything, it is important to discuss exercise with your ob-gyn to see if you are clear to exercise. Women with pregnancy complications should not exercise while pregnant. Your ob-gyn will discuss with you what activities you can do safely once you get the okay to exercise. If you are healthy and your pregnancy is normal, exercising while pregnant will give you a lot of benefits that might even make the pregnancy easier.
For more information on exercising during your pregnancy, click here.
Article written by William Graves.