Being pregnant can bring a lot of discomfort like fatigue and backaches, but exercise during pregnancy can help reduce those symptoms. Maintaining a regular exercise routine throughout your pregnancy can help you stay healthy and make you feel your best.
As regular exercise during pregnancy can improve your posture and decrease some common discomforts like fatigue and backaches, isn’t it convincing for pregnant women to start exercising?
It’s been said that physical activity may build more stamina needed for labour and delivery, prevent gestational diabetes (diabetes that develops during pregnancy), and relieve stress. If you were physically active before your pregnancy, you should be able to continue your activity in moderation.
Don’t try to exercise at your former level; rather, do what’s most comfortable for you now. Low-impact aerobics (walking, cycling, yoga, swimming, etc) are encouraged instead of high-impact (jumping, running, etc).
And if you have never exercised regularly before you got pregnant, you can safely begin an exercise program during pregnancy after consulting with a doctor, but do not try a new, strenuous activity. Walking, for instance, is considered safe to initiate when pregnant.
Thirty minutes or more of moderate exercise per day on most, if not all days of the week (except if you have a pregnancy complication or medical condition) is recommended. Here is why pregnant women should start exercising;
Fight fatigue
During the first trimester and again late in the third trimester, many women experience low-level tiredness. While it seems illogical, getting too much rest can sometimes make you feel more exhausted. Therefore, as you’re not pushing yourself to exhaustion, a little walk or a yoga class (prenatal, actually) can make a big difference in your energy level.
Ease back and pelvic pain
As your baby bump grows, it puts extra strain on your lower half, leading to lower back pain and an achy pelvis. But when you strengthen your abdominal muscles, it may result in less back pain and pelvic pain during late pregnancy. All you need to do is to avoid any moves that may worsen backaches (or create new ones) when you hit the gym.
Reduce the risk of pregnancy complications
Exercising while pregnant may lower the odds of developing certain conditions like gestational diabetes. Even though you develop gestational diabetes, staying active can help keep your insulin levels in check.
Boost your mood
Pregnant women are more susceptible to depression, with an estimated one in two of all women reporting increased anxiety or depression while expecting. But it’s been found out that exercise during pregnancy releases endorphins that help improve mood while diminishing anxiety and stress.
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