10 Benefits of Exercising During Pregnancy
By Lorraine Scapens | Submitted On May 14, 2011
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Expert Author Lorraine Scapens
Benefits of Exercising Pregnant
There are lots of wonderful benefits that exercise can provide for both you and your baby if you continue to exercise through your pregnancy. Only 5% of pregnant women exercise through their pregnancy. I think this is a very poor statistic especially with all the information available proving that exercising through a pregnancy is perfectly safe for both mum and baby. Pregnant women should be encouraged to exercise moderately through their pregnancies.
I believe too many pregnant women are just too sedentary in their daily lives and many pregnancy and birthing complications are occurring due to lack of fitness and strength. If you are healthy, exercise regularly and have a normal uncomplicated pregnancy then there is no reason for you not to exercise through your entire pregnancy.
I often find that when you are exercising through your pregnancy everyone from family, friends and work colleagues all think you are crazy and shouldn 't be exercising. Show them or tell them all the reasons why you
Target population was pregnant women less than fourteen weeks gestation that had a sedentary lifestyle. The researcher used two data collection instruments to complete this study. The first is The Cornell Protocol Fitness Tool that measured cardiovascular fitness level and peak oxygen consumption. The second data collection instrument used was The Minnesota Leisure Time Physical Activity Questionnaire assessed energy expenditure and daily physical activity. Candidates were excluded if they had chronic hypertension, gestational diabetes, and any medical condition that will prohibit daily exercise, communication problems, or recommendation of primary care provider not to participate (Yeo 2009).
Make sure the better care of your self during the first trimester. This is the time when you need to be fit emotionally and physically both. Talk to your friends and the member of the family to be emotionally fit and for the physical fitness intake
Another important factor is doing daily activities as tolerated. Exercise in moderation, and incorporate stretching lower and upper extremities with rest period. Also monitor daily weight daily and notify physician if any critical change. The pregnant woman will be encouraged to practice deep breathing exercises and this can be used to minimize anxieties and promote energy. This will also prepare the pregnant woman for proper fitness and endurance during delivery and caring for the newborn. These regimens mentioned will minimizes fatigues both on the mother and the developing fetus.
Second daily activity, start up a low impact exercise routine to obtain pre-pregnancy weight. This will help both mentally and physically once you are closer to your pre-pregnancy weight. The lack of physical activity contributes to excess weight gain during pregnancy and weight retention during postpartum. Many gyms have child care, and as your child ages this will help him or her fine tune attachment social skills early.
While exercise may not be able to eliminate all of the discomfort associated with pregnancy, it can help with circulation, digestion, and constipation, as well as improve posture and muscle tone, which you will need to support joints that are loosened by various hormones as your body prepares for childbirth. Additionally, exercise can counteract the changes in body image and self-esteem that you possess. Most importantly, an appropriate exercise program can help prepare for the mental and physical demands of labor and delivery.
However a women feels during pregnancy, photography can be a gorgeous way of documenting this amazing stage of life. For some of us, including me, the road to pregnancy can be a long and difficult one, which is all the more reason to document it. Pregnancy is such a short time of life that for most women, only happens a handful of times so I am super passionate about helping women record that moment. Like me, you don't have to showcase baby bump photos to the world but if you don't have them, you can't get them at a later date. And trust me, you don't want that regret.
Depending on your circumstance, they may recommend a variety of exercises you can do at home to keep your muscles, tendons and ligaments where they need to be, all while strengthening your body. This added strength is a great way to stay healthy and active during pregnancy. Your chiropractor may recommend:
What physical and/or emotional challenges women face during pregnancy especially during the third trimester? Unlike the trimesters of pregnancy, the third trimester is the most challenging period experienced by women. In class, the teacher provided some students with the Pregnancy Profile Simulator (PPS) to experience what the eighth month of pregnancy feels like. The Pregnancy Profile Simulator is a weighted pregnancy vest included along with a water bladder, rib constrictor belt, and weight bag which gives the wearer of it the understanding of ” the physical, emotional and social impacts of pregnancy and its impact on life goals, finances, relationships and more.” I used to believe that the eighth month of pregnancy only brought physical
Granted during this time, it will be extremely modified, but maintaining her health will help maintain the baby’s health as well. This can be done within the first trimester by maintaining your normal workout routine. Many don’t even know they are pregnant until halfway through the first trimester. By the second trimester, you would want to greatly decrease the weight and maybe even begin some modified exercises. Within the third trimester, you would want to fully modify your routine so as not to over stress the baby. Some exercises that can be done throughout the whole pregnancy though, may consist of: Pull ups with band assistance, chin ups with band assistance, kegels, chair dips (body weight only) basic squat from chair, wall sits, alternating reverse lunges with hands on a chair, alternating leg extensions to the back with hands on a chair, heel slides, single heel drop, double heel drop, side single leg raises, the clam (legs bent and slightly elevated, heels together, slightly open and close at the knees), side bicycles to the front and the back, scissor kicks back and fourth, speed bicep posture curls with 5lb – 7.5lb hand weights (one armed, hammer curl, fully extended two arm curl), internal/external rotator cuff exercise with bands or 2lb – 5lb hand weights, Single arm, and 45 degree bent over, tricep kickbacks with 2lb – 7.5lb hand weights. If you do not have diastasis recti, (the splitting of the abs) it
Though explaining how obesity affects the pregnant women is important, by going a step further and educating them on how to prevent obesity will have a greater impact. Education is a primary intervention that is used with most disease processes. In obese women, the education process must really start before pregnancy even occurs. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (2013) states that obese women are strongly encouraged to undergo preconception assessment and counseling that should include specific information regarding the maternal and fetal risks of obesity in pregnancy, as well as undertaking some kind of weight-reduction program. In addition, nutrition counseling as well as encouragement to follow an exercise program should be offered to all overweight or obese women. Once in the postpartum period, nutrition and exercise counseling should be maintained and also before pursuing another pregnancy (The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2013). Something that can be used in conjunction with nutritional counseling is an app called My Fitness Pal. It is a fast and easy calorie counter that tracks one’s food for the day. The app has over five million different foods stored in its database, making it easy to look up food even when going out to eat. One can log his/her own personal recipes as well and save them for future use. This serves as a daily
Participants were recruited at a prenatal visit during early pregnancy and randomized to either a 12-week individually tailored, motivationally matched exercise intervention (n = 132) or to a comparison health and wellness intervention (n = 128).
Haakstad and Bø (2011) sought to examine the effects of exercise on birth weight in previously sedentary women in Norway by establishing an exercise schedule using an assessor blinded RCT. They supposed lower birth rates would not result from pregnant women participating in moderate intensity exercise. The study included nulliparous women who had not participated in a structured exercise program of >60 minutes once a week or > 120 minutes of brisk walking per week over the last six months (Haakstad & Bø, 2011). Participants were chosen to examine effects of exercise during pregnancy in women without a previously established exercise program. Participants were placed either in the exercise group or the control group. The exercise (intervention) group participated in two 1-hour aerobic dance programs per week, and 30 minutes of additional exercise of choice on remaining weekdays. The control group was neither encouraged nor discouraged to exercise.
The majority of pregnant women hope to have a smooth pregnancy and an easy, natural childbirth. Despite this, undesirable weight gain in mothers (Kowal, Kuk, & Tamim, 2012) and the instances of caesarean birth (Domenjoz, Kayser, & Boulvain, 2014) have been very prevalent in recent years. However, there are many lifestyle choices which women can make during pregnancy that can decrease risk of complications, as well as other lifestyle choices which can increase risk of complications during pregnancy. I am interested in the effects that a physically active lifestyle has during pregnancy. Some common concerns are that physical activity during pregnancy lowers the birth weight of the child, as well as increases risk of premature delivery and hospitalization during pregnancy (Tinloy et al., 2014). I am looking to approach this topic in three segments. The first is concerned with how physical activity affects the mother during all three trimesters of pregnancy. The second is concerned with the effects of physical activity during pregnancy on the birth of the child. The final is focused on the effects that a mother’s physical activity during pregnancy will have on the health of her child. This paper is aimed to cover the three main areas of concern about physical activity during pregnancy. It will cover the potential benefits or drawbacks of physical activity during pregnancy for the mother during pregnancy and birth, as well as for the child in the hopes that it can ascertain
It is good for any woman to be physically fit throughout her life. However, being in good physical condition before becoming pregnant is substantial. Being fit helps a woman’s body meet the physical demands of carrying and delivering a baby. Regular exercise reduces the occurrence of common pregnancy ailments. Unless a doctor decides against it for medical reasons, pregnant women can and should be active before, during and after pregnancy.
You can enjoy the perks of having lots and lots of sex as well as have intimate moments with your partner, because let’s face it, once the baby’s here-you will wish to be pregnant again. At the beginning of your pregnancy, sex may be the last thing on your mind, with all the vomiting and nausea, and your sex drive may not be as high as previously. However, in order to maintain a healthy, intimate relationship with your partner you should be able to talk to each other- share you fears, your doubts and concerns and try to work this out, together as a