Are you wondering if it is safe to continue with your regular exercise routine or begin a fitness program now that you are pregnant? Have you just recently had a baby and looking to get back to your pre-pregnancy shape? Many pregnant women have the same fears and questions as you and we're here to help answer them and to assist you in your quest to remain fit throughout your pregnancy and beyond.
Benefits of Prenatal Exercise:
- Improves posture, relieves the typical aches & pains of pregnancy, strengthens and stretches muscles, energizes, and reduces stress.
- Helps control excess weight gain, and may help you relax and sleep better.
- Increases your strength, stamina, and endurance, which will be necessary during labor and birth. You'll be better prepared for the marathon of labor & studies show time in labor is reduced. Your postpartum recovery will also be quicker.
More reasons to exercise during pregnancy:
- Overall health and fitness can be achieved and maintained throughout pregnancy and beyond with personalized pre & postpartum fitness training.
- Research shows that exercising throughout pregnancy provides countless benefits to both mom and the developing baby. James F. Clapp II is a professor of reproductive biology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr Clapp is one of the most recognized researchers on the topic of exercise during pregnancy. In a 1990 study he concludes "Moderate exercise during pregnancy leads to better weight regulation and fewer backaches and other discomforts."
- In the same study, Dr. Clapp documented "shorter, easier labors (averaging 2 hours shorter labor) with less medical intervention (24%less C-sections and 14% less usage of forceps), higher neo-natal Apgar scores and quicker recoveries" for exercising pregnant women.
How Baby Benefits from Prenatal Exercise:
- They're calmer
- Handle labor better
- Have significantly better oral language skills by the age of five
Exercising While You’re Pregnant(article)
A Pregnancy Fitness Guide
There was a time when exercise during pregnancy was discouraged-but not
anymore! Times have changed and we've gotten smarter about woman's health. Most
experts now encourage exercise during pregnancy.
In 2002, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists began
recommending that pregnant women should exercise moderately for 30 minutes most
days, if not every day (unless there are medical reasons prohibiting it).
Exercise benefits mom by:
- Improving muscle tone and cardiovascular fitness
- Reducing the risk of developing gestational diabetes
- Preventing excess weight gain
- Improving sleep patterns
- Preparing you to hold and carry your growing child
- Improving appearance and posture
- Promoting circulation and stimulating the digestive
processes (which help prevent hemorrhoids, constipation, varicose veins,
leg cramps and swelling in the ankles)
- Alleviating some of the discomforts of pregnancy, such
as lower back pain
- Strengthening the muscles needed for labor and
delivery, which can ease delivery and labor time
Exercise benefits baby by:
- Preparing the fetus to transition to the non-maternal
environment
- Increasing placental efficiency for blood circulation,
which supplies oxygen and nutrients to fetus
- Decreasing fetal fat without decreasing overall growth
of the fetus
- Increasing newborn's readiness to self-calm and
self-quiet
- Increasing fetal movement, which possibly helps develop
oral language skills by age 5
The exercises you can do during pregnancy depend on two things: your current
health and how active you were before you became pregnant. If you were not
active before, don't use pregnancy as the time to begin a strenuous fitness
regime; if you did exercise before pregnancy, you can continue your program
with some slight modifications.
Before you begin (or continue) any exercise program, discuss it with your
healthcare provider. Together, the two of you can plan an exercise program that
is consistent with your current level of fitness and health conditions. It is
mandatory that you consult a doctor first, especially if you have any of these
conditions:
- Anemia
- Heart Problems
- Asthma or chronic lung problems
- High Blood Pressure
- Diabetes
- Thyroid Problems
- Seizures
- Extremely over or under weight
- Muscle or joint problems
- History of spontaneous miscarriages
- Repeated C Sections
- History of previous premature labors
- Carrying multiples (e.g., twins, triplets)
- Incompetent cervix
- Persistent bleeding
- A previously sedentary lifestyle
NOTE: If you experience problems such as bleeding,
premature labor, dizziness, severe abdominal pain, or feeling unusually tired,
during or after exercise, you should stop immediately and contact your health care provider before continuing.
