If you were athletic before your pregnancy, you can continue your “normal” workouts, as long as you use common sense. For women who were not particularly active before becoming pregnant, it is a great time to begin some gentle, easy workouts.
Engaging in some form of prenatal exercise has important benefits: less weight gain during pregnancy, a significantly shorter and less painful labor, a faster recuperation from the birth and a quicker return to your prepregnancy weight. And because exercise releases endorphins, it also helps alleviate emotional stress and potential depression.
However, some guidelines should be considered when exercising during your pregnancy:
- Keep your heart rate below 140 beats per minute. Because the fetal heart rate is affected by the mother’s, do not overexert yourself.
- Slow down. Your balance may be off, and you may tire more easily, especially during the later stages of pregnancy.
- Avoid overstretching. During pregnancy, a hormone that lubricates your joints and increases flexibility to help you during labor is released, so beware of your newfound suppleness.
- Continue to engage in weight training or abdominal exercise if you did so before becoming pregnant.
- Avoid jarring movements or sports with a high risk of injury, such as horseback riding, downhill skiing and contact sports. The best prenatal exercises are swimming, walking, prenatal yoga and stationary biking.
- Listen to your doctor’s recommendations, and do not let your desire to stay in shape jeopardize your (or your baby’s) health.
We can design an exercise regimen that will keep you in shape during your pregnancy. In addition, we can show you safe and effective ways to strengthen your arm, leg and abdominal muscles, which you will need once your baby arrives.
