The American College of Sports Medicine defines physical activity as any bodily movement produced by the contraction of skeletal muscles that result in a substantial increase in caloric requirements over resting energy expenditure. During all stages of life, physical activity (PA) helps to reduce the risk of obesity and associated comorbities, improve cardio respiratory fitness, and increase the chance of living longer (Committee Opinion, 2015, p. 1326).
Pregnancy is a time of social, psychological, behavioral, and biological changes. Many of these changes have been associated with sedentary behaviors and/or low levels of PA. According to Downs et al, because of these low levels of PA, there has been an increase in the risk for gestational diabetes mellitus, pregnancy induced hypertension (high blood pressure), and high gestational weight gain. There has also been in increase in the long term risk for overweight/obesity development, Type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. “Recent epidemiological data based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) indicates that only 15% of pregnant women meet the minimum national recommendations of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity PA per week” (Downs et al, 2012, p. 2).
There has been abundance of research in the past few years to help determine the benefits and risks of physical activity during a woman’s pregnancy. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists states that many studies have shown
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).
Poet Marguerite Murer once said, “A critical role in athletics I do play; Without me there would be no game today.” Sports medicine professionals and football players go hand and hand. Without Sports Medicine professionals, football players could not perform their job. Without Sports Medicine professionals, there would not be as many healthy athletes, as coaches and players would have greater opportunities to abuse recovery, causing players to ultimately get injured even further. Over time, research in the Sports Medicine field, especially pertaining to concussions, has improved the overall health and injury recovery of football players. Research has not only provided more insight into these type of injuries but has also allowed for advancements in the recovery process. Along with increasing awareness during the recovery process following an injury, research has also been applied to the development and improvement of equipment in an effort to prevent injuries before they occur.
Exercise and physical activity deliver oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and help your cardiovascular system work more efficiently.
Obesity in pregnant women is a global concern. In The United States, obesity is a critical public health issue—one in every three women is obese (Masho, et al). This issue becomes crucial in the context that 36% of pregnant women in the United States are obese (Shub, et al). Studies show a strong association between maternal obesity and health risks during pregnancy and labor. In addition, a disconnect in perception and awareness exists such that most obese pregnant women who gain weight during pregnancy underestimate their Body Mass Index (BMI); and also have poor knowledge about the risk associated with obesity.
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.
Elite Sports Medicine is a full-service sports wellness center and physical therapy clinic. Their sports wellness centers and physical therapy clinics are located in Dacula, Georgia and Buford, Georgia. Their treatments include therapy, exercise, rehabilitation, and wellness program. Their services include physical therapy, therapeutic exercises, manual therapy, post-operative rehabilitation, and fall prevention/injury prevention/wellness programs. Their additional services include tendonitis/overuse injuries, chronic pain, TMJ treatment, kinesiotaping, custom orthotics, and compression garmets. Elite Sports Medicine brings the leading edge technology in sports medicine. Elite Sports Medicine offers manual therapy / spine rehabilitation currently
PA is defined as any body movement that works muscles and consume more energy than resting. Regular participation in PA such as: playing sports, walking, cycling, swimming, and generally moving more in a daily basis (shopping, walk instead of drive etc.) will have a significant positive impact on our health (WHO 2015).
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.
Physical activity has been defined as “bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure”. There is no debate about the value
The main purpose of a sports medicine physician is to help prevent, diagnose, and treat injuries related to physical activity. They work with injuries from sporting events, physical activities, athletic training, etc. Sports medicine physicians care for both professional athletes and amateur athletes. Past tense to an injury the physician my counsel that athlete on injury prevention. The physician then records and maintains medical care information and medical records for that injured athlete. An examination may be given prior to participation in physical activity to determine the preposition of the injury.
Pregnancy can sap your energy, but regular bouts of exercise will help you get through your day. And the good news is that you can safely start an exercise program during pregnancy even if you’ve been an avid couch potato until now.
Some major advantages of exercise during pregnancy are that you can control your weight gain, you can maintain your body strong enough to carry the baby, the labor is easy, shortened and relatively stress free and the post delivery recovery is fast. The spine is well toned for better posture and overall muscle strength and endurance is improved.
This quantitative study used a prospective, two-group, quasi-experimental, pretest-post test design to explore the effects of Qi exercise on the interaction between the mother and fetus and maternal well-being (Ji & Han, 2010). The researchers Ji and Han (2010) recruited a convenience sample of 80 women from a women's health clinic and a wellness center located in Seoul, Korea. The inclusion criteria involved a gestational age of more than 18 weeks, an age between 18 and 35, and an absence of any health conditions that may contraindicate the performance of Qi exercise, such as high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, abnormal bleeding, and preeclampsia (Ji & Han, 2010). At first, Ji and Han (2010) assigned 40 women from the health clinic to the usual care group and the other 40 women from the wellness center to the intervention group. However, the final sample size went down to a total of 70 women, due to losing three from the usual care group and seven from the intervention group for reasons of changing minds and attendance issues (Ji & Han, 2010).
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.
Exercise, or physical activity helps your body in many ways. For example, exercise helps control the weight of a human. It helps prevent people gaining unwanted weight and helps people who have unwanted weight to lose it. (mayoclinic.com) When we eat, we are taking in calories, and then when we exercise we burn off