How To Exercise During Pregnancy Safely

How To Exercise During Pregnancy Safely

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When I got pregnant for the first time, I had enough knowledge and experience with exercise to understand how to keep in shape. What I didnt know and felt very unsure and nervous about was how to exercise whilst pregnant. I knew I didnt want to put on unnecessary weight just because I was pregnant but I had fears and lots of questions about how to keep in shape and not do any damage to my unborn child. I searched the internet for answers but didnt really find what I was looking for. I wanted a proper regime while always putting my baby first.

1. The Benefits - There is no doubt that exercising during pregnancy helps prepare your body for the stressful time that it is about to go through. Strengthening your muscles and increased endurance and stamina can definitely help with a lengthy labour. The one great thing about exercise is how it immediately relieves any trapped stress and tension. This is one thing that Mother and Baby can do without. Your positive emotions and energy can only feed in to your unborn child. Although, exercise might not be what your body craves, once you start working on a light routine, those aches and pains and embarrassing issues like constipation tend to work their way out of your system fairly quickly. It is not intended that working out during pregnancy would be a way of losing weight, however, it will help you regain your figure a whole lot quicker after baby is born.

2. Warm-Up, Work-Out, Cool-Down. - Keep in mind that the general rule when pregnant is to gain no more than 5 pounds in the first trimester, 10 in the second, and 10 in the third. In order to maintain this and exercise safely, the emphasis for pregnant women would be to concentrate on aerobic exercise. Walking and swimming are advisable exercises for pregnant women, however, a gentle aerobic routine can maintain a good level of fitness, which you will need when running around after that toddler. Warm-Up, Work-Out and Cool-Down. These are 3 essential parts of exercising when pregnant and each area needs a dedicated amount of time. Its advisable to spend approximately 10 minutes warming up, make sure to take the time to do this. Your body will go through enough trauma without adding to it. As with any standard aerobic exercise make sure to stretch out your muscles thoroughly. Work out mainly your lower body muscles and make sure to hold each stretch for a count of 10 seconds, repeat each stretch 3 times on each chosen area.

3. The Dangers - Some things to stay away from during pregnancy are more obvious than others. Horse-Riding is one form of exercise that is a real No-No. It is inadvisable to carry out any activity where there is a danger of incurring a heavy fall, so water-skiing and snow-boarding are also out Im afraid!! It has not been fully scientifically proven but it is entirely inadvisable to go scuba-diving during the latter stages of pregnancy. For peace of mind, it would be better to stay away from it altogether. In other words, it's only 9 months out of your entire life. One danger that you may not have been aware of; is to stay away from saunas. Women generally experience low blood pressure during pregnancy, and this, added to the intense heat of a sauna can cause blood vessels to dilate and fainting can occur. On a more serious level, if this blood flow shift occurs for an increased period of time it could cause a reduction in the blood supply to the placenta.


About the Author:
If you have fears and questions about your weight and the best form of exercise during pregnancy just visit http://www.PREGNANCY-WEIGHT-CONTROL-FEARSANDQUESTIONS.COM



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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