Tag Archives: pregnancy exercise
Benefits of Pregnancy Workout
For the superstitious, pregnancy entails a seemingly endless of do’s and don’ts, many of which are even unfounded. There are beliefs that a pregnant woman should not be allowed to work, lift anything, or walk around much, let alone doing exercise or pregnancy workout, because she might have miscarriage.
Strenuous activities may affect pregnancy, but then, working out during a pregnancy term does not necessarily have to be laborious. There are varied forms and levels of exercises designed especially for the expectant one. All she needs to do prior to planning a regimen is to consult with her doctor on which one(s) fit her. Unless it is hampered by complications or ailment, exercise or pregnancy workout should be a healthy activity, for both mother and fetus, providing all the benefits of a regular regimen and some more, such as:
Benefits of Pregnancy Workout:
Improved mood and reduced fatigue. Expectant women usually experience low-level tiredness during their first trimester, but a little push of simple routine can help a lot in overcoming fatigue and fighting nausea, stiff muscles, stress, and weight gain. A good workout can also reduce mood swings, prevent depression, enhance self-image, and provide a sense of control.
Improved sleep. One of the most common complaints of pregnant women is that they have difficulty sleeping through the night. But studies and other mothers who worked out on a regular basis during their pregnancy said that exercise allowed them to get rid of excess energy that consequently made them so tired and induced them to sleep and make them rest well. However, exercise should be done at least three hours before going to bed; otherwise, it could be too energizing.
Manage pregnancy constipation and hemorrhoids. Some pregnant women also complain about having constipation and hemorrhoids. This is because their bodies as well as their eating habits undergo many changes. But then again, this problem can be remedied by doing some exercises. Women who have tried it affirm that even a 30-minute brisk walk or a 10-minute stroll considerably improved their bowel movement.
Increased energy level. Appropriate exercise makes the joints strong, relieves backaches by strengthening the muscles, improves posture, and boosts the cardiovascular system. Besides, it enhances the brain to release endorphins, those hormone-like substances that are responsible in producing a natural feeling of elation and well being. An improved circulation considerably alleviates certain conditions like constipation, hemorrhoids, leg cramps, varicose veins, and swelling of the ankles.
Prevent gestational diabetes. Proper pregnancy workout is a helpful therapy for those who are prone to develop gestational diabetes, a condition that appears only during pregnancy and which usually starts between the twenty-fourth and twenty-eighth weeks of pregnancy.
Facilitate childbirth and healthy baby. Studies have shown that mothers who did regular workouts are more likely to have shorter and less exhaustive labor and delivery, and require lesser medical interventions during labor. They also tend to recover from the strains of childbirth quickly. Likewise, their babies have healthier weights at birth.
Quick post-partum recovery. Exercise promotes faster physical recovery after childbirth and helps them get back into shape quick.
It should be noted, however, that not all pregnant women are naturally fit to do workouts. There are women who have high-risk pregnancy, or are prone to pre-term labor. Therefore, their regimen should be closely monitored by their respective physicians or health care provider.
So now you know that there’s tons of benefits from pregnancy workout, I believe every pregnant woman should pick up a simple pregnancy workout and start doing it gently one at a time.
Loosing Weight After Birth
LOOSING WEIGHT AFTER GIVING BIRTH
Getting pregnant and having a baby does not only changes your life but it also alters your body. Many women start worrying on their weight issues as soon as they find out that they are pregnant. Many mothers are concerned that after giving birth, how long and ways to bring their body back to as it was and also shrinking the belly and losing all that baby weight.
Many women look up to celebrity women and wonder as to how they manage to be so fit like before, but the reality is they are totally different from this. The fact is that your body has gone through a tremendous job nursing a child and delivering and it is not just going to shrink back instantly what is gained in months. Your belly for instance is not going to get back to its real shape instantly or contract back to its original size in a very short period of time. The moments you have deliver your baby, your body wills starts to work on shrinking the belly but it is a very slow and gradual process. Sometimes it can take a year to fully recover from the pregnancy change in the body. The uterus of the woman takes almost four weeks to contract back to normal size and some women may experience a loss of 8 to 20 pounds in the initial two weeks due to loss of extra fluids in the body.
Also your hips and your pelvic area will require time to tone back to its almost original shape. So do not panic if you find yourself in a whacky state and stay calm and give yourself and your body a break.
Opting for an exercise routine may be helpful to an extent only but it should be a light routine to prevent your body from any kind of injury or pain. Women who consider themselves as perfectly fit may also find themselves a bit shaky on getting back to exercises as the body has undergone a major change and recovering may require a little time. It may take almost 4 to 8 weeks depending on what kind of pregnancy and delivery you have faced to get back to serious exercising but your doctor should be consulted before taking up any exercise.
Another activity that helps you in losing weight is breast feeding. Breast feeding requires almost 500 calories every day and can reduce some of the fats gained during pregnancy. Although if you are breast feeding you should take the required food to provide energy to feed as dieting at this point may reduce milk supply considerably. Also losing too much weight can release toxins in your milk which will harm your baby. You should not shed more than 2 pounds per week during breast feeding.
You cannot diet but you can exercise during breast feeding period. If you supply your body with the required calories you can take up light and moderate exercises and it will not affect your milk supply. Pregnant women that perform pregnancy exercise during their pregnancy state will recover back to their original body shape faster compared to those whom is not.
If you take up serious or severe kinds of exercise after the initial months of delivering you can suffer from:
Exhaustion and Fatigue
After you have delivered you tend to feel fatigued and exhausted very quickly, so do not exert yourself. Keep an eye out for your energy levels and take up only what you can handle.
Erratic Schedule
During the first few months your baby’s feeding habits are bound to change and also your baby will keep you engaged and finding time to follow a routine becomes almost impossible.
Time Constraints
You can only find a very limited time for exercise and that too not at a fixed time. If this is the case take advantage of whatever time you have even if that means spreading the span of exercise time on the whole day.
Mood Swings
After delivering mothers normally suffer from post partum depression. You may also experience mood swings and exercise may help to some extent. However you should consider talking to your doctor at the same time.
Guilt
Many moms are of the opinion that they should give all there time to their little one and when they spend time on themselves they feel guilty and also selfish. The mothers at this point should know that a strong mother is always a good mother.
It is proven that exercising is good for you physically and mentally, so to help in fitting it in to your routine you should:
- Break your workouts and divide and spread them all over the day.
- Try to keep it simple and whenever you get the time opt for something easy such as going up and down the stairs or simply taking laps round the house.
- Engage with other people as to how they dealt and managed there situations and how they managed to keep themselves fit after having a baby. Who knows you may come across something interesting and useful.
- You can easily get stressed as losing weight at that point it comes as a fever but try to focus on what is important. You should know that you will get back to normal even if not the same enjoy the baby and feel special about your body and cherish both even if things do not turn out the way you thought or vision them to be.
So in the future if you decide to have another baby, be aware of the pregnancy symptoms and plan early. The planning will help you in the future.
Pregnancy Exercise
Exercises will help a person to stay and maintain fit, and it is true that everyone would want to maintain fit and stay slim, especially woman. However during each pregnancies, women will gain extra weight which is to help support the pregnancy and a lot of the pregnant women would start to concern about the outlook and start exercising during their pregnancy. Heavy exercises are however not advisable for any pregnant women during their pregnancy course.
If however the pregnant women insist on exercising, it is best to consult with their doctor first. Below are some of the lighter pregnancy exercise which they could perform.
Pregnancy Exercise
Women are encouraged to perform light exercises when they’re pregnant as this will help them maintain their fitness and also to cope with other body stress during pregnancy stage.
Pregnant women are advised to start slowly and use the safe methods of pregnancy exercises. These early pregnancy exercises includes:
- rotating the neck
- rotating the shoulder
- rotating the ankle
- walking
- slow thigh shifting
This should be performed for at lease up to 20 minutes a day on alternate basis. Consume a lot of water throughout the day to avoid exaustion and dehydration and also maintain check on your own health.
Other light exercise for pregnancy:
- yoga (must be perform under supervision)
- light aerobic
- and also swimming
Benefits for Pregnancy Exercise
Performing an exercise especially during pregnancy will help and assist the body in many different ways. It will rejuvenate the person, up lift your mood, help to control the emotions and also prepare your body for labor when all the muscles is required for the big push. It also help to achieve
- stronger muscles
- more fatigue resistant
- stronger back muscle
- help relieve the stress
- get a better sleep
- weight management
- and easier for your body to get into shape especially after the pregnancy period.
But first of all, you will need to know if you’re pregnant. Check out the signs of pregnancy here.
Pregnancy and Exercise
Pregnancy Exercise
Pregnancy is a great physical change on part of a woman and so to go through the phases of birth and motherhood a healthy and fit body is a must. So to deal with the demands of pregnancy on the body exercise is vital as it does not only help you in staying fit and fresh, but also it enables you to have a healthy immune system. By exercising you can avoid usual pregnancy problems such as circulation problems, constipation and feeling of fatigue.
But before you actually start your pregnancy exercises you should consult your doctor or midwife, who is to supervise the delivery of the baby, for advice on which types of exercises would benefit you, especially if you have had miscarriages, early labor or if you have weak cervix problems. Not all types of exercises are recommended for problem as such.
It is recommended that you consult a fitness instructor either personal or from the gym, who is completely aware of all the previous history and current situations of your pregnancy so that a plan in accordance is decided upon. These exercises are usually based on a series of gentle exercises which aid in toning of the muscles and you can easily carry the excess weight of the baby. Choosing gentle exercises are important as during the pregnancy period the ligaments and joints of the body are in relaxing mode to prepare the body for the birth of a child and the body can easily suffer from injuries if precautions are not taken.
Other necessary requirement of exercising during pregnancy is the need to wear loose and comfortable clothes. Also it should be taken care of that the body does not get too hot while exercising as this may prove to be harmful for the baby. You should consume a lot of water so that you stay cooled and do not get dehydrated and also you should stop exercising immediately if you feel dizzy or very tired from exercising. All sports that are rough or may pose danger of falling should be avoided such as horse riding, also sports where the danger of colliding or sudden impacting is present such as rugby or football should also not be played.
Your exercise routine should not end on pregnancy or once your body showing pregnancy symptoms, but it should continue after birth too, as this will enable your body to get back to shape after undergoing the tremendous exchanges your body suffered from pregnancy and exercise will of course continuously boost up your energy levels which will be needed to overcome the challenges of motherhood. And if you think all this is handling too much, you can always join a regular fitness class for the first few months after the birth, which will not only tone your body and boost energy levels but will also provide the much needed feel of positivity and control of your own life.
