Exercise in pregnancy

Sep 10, 2009 in Pregnancy

Why should I exercise in pregnancy?

You must exercise every day, whether you are pregnant or not and especially in pregnancy because it helps your body to adjust to the increasing non-proportionate weight of your body in addition to helping you out of problems like constipation, swollen ankles, back ache, aches and pains, varicose veins and hemorrhoids. It also makes you feel better about yourself and may solve some of your sleeping problems.
What are the precautions that I can take?

• Always do warm up exercises before starting to exercise and take time to cool down later.
• Drink lots of water in small sips during the exercises to avoid dehydration and increase in temperature.
• Cushion yourself well if lying on the floor.
• Do not make abrupt changes in positions or get up slowly from the lying down position.
• Do only recommended exercises and do not go for any kind of vigorous exercises or twists in positions.
• If you cannot do any exercise and feel tired or nauseous, try to take a walk and some fresh air outside.
What are the exercises that I can do?

Exercises like walking, swimming, cycling, tennis, badminton and jogging all help to increase the stamina. After 77-8 months though you will not be able to do most of these.
Some of the more gentle yoga exercises help in increasing the tone of the body.
What are the exercises that I have to avoid?

Try to avoid exercises where you might fall like horse riding, water skiing etc. after 28 weeks, avoids cycling also as you might lose balance because of the bump.
For the first 12 weeks, avoid any exercise which will overheat your body. As your abdomen grows bigger, avoid exercises that involve either lying on your back or standing in one place for a long time, which might reduce the blood flow to your baby.
In any exercise do not allow your heart rate to become more than 140 beats per minute.
Although swimming is a very good form of exercise, avoid water which is cold as it might induce cramps in your body. If the water bag is broken, avoid swimming.
In the last 12 weeks of pregnancy, avoid any high impact exercises such as jogging or tennis that increases the strain on the pelvic floor.
For how long can I exercise?

It is best to exercise small amounts more often. The aim is to not get too exhausted, over heated or dehydrated. If during the exercises, you experience pain of any kind, stop immediately.
Also stop if you feel breathless, like fainting or dizzy.

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