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Does exercise help during pregnancy?
Because exercise promotes muscle tone, strength, and endurance, it can help you carry the weight you gain during pregnancy, prepare you for the physical stress of labour, and make it easier to get back into shape after the baby is born. (Unfortunately, there's no evidence that regular exercise shortens labour.) Being active during your pregnancy can also reduce the physical discomforts of backache, constipation, fatigue, and swelling; can improve your mood and self-image; and can even help you sleep more soundly.
Guidelines for good exercise in pregnancy
- If you have been following a regular exercise program prior to your pregnancy, you should be able to maintain that program to some degree throughout your pregnancy. Exercise does not increase your risk for miscarriage.
- If you are just starting an exercise program as a way of improving your health during your pregnancy, you should start very slowly and be careful not to over exert yourself.
- Listen to your body. Your body will naturally give you signals that it is time to reduce the level of exercise you perform.
- Never exercise to the point of exhaustion or breathlessness. This is a sign that your baby and your body cannot get the oxygen supply it needs.
- Wear comfortable exercise footwear that gives strong ankle and arch support.
- Take frequent breaks and drink plenty of fluids during exercise.
- Avoid exercise in extremely hot weather.
- Avoid rocky terrain or unstable ground when running or cycling. Your joints are more lax in pregnancy and ankle sprains and other injuries may occur.
- Contact sports should be avoided during pregnancy.
- Weight training should emphasize improving tone especially in the upper body and abdominal area. Avoid lifting weights above your head and using weights that strain the lower back muscles.
- During the second and third trimesters, avoid exercise that involves laying flat on your back as this decreases blood flow to your womb.
- Include relaxation and stretching both before and after your exercise program.
- Eat a healthy diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables and complex carbohydrates.
Exercises or positions to avoid
High-risk sports, such as scuba diving, and activities with a potential for hard falls, such as horseback riding, downhill skiing, snowboarding, or waterskiing, are strictly off-limits to pregnant women. Some other forms of exercise, such as bike riding, should also be modified or delayed until after the baby is born. While biking enthusisasts may disagree, some experts say that biking during the your second and third trimesters is dangerous because your balance isn't what it used to be and you risk falling if you can't avoid an unexpected obstacle in your path. You're also at risk of being hit by a car if you ride on streets.
Pregnancy is not the time to start running, either, although it's fine if you jogged regularly before getting pregnant. Below you'll find some suggestions for keeping your fitness regimen fun and safe.
- Don't go for the burn and don't exercise to exhaustion. You should generally stick to 60 percent of your maximum heart rate while pregnant. Your heart rate should not exceed 140 beats per minute. A good rule of thumb: slow down if you can't comfortably carry on a conversation.
- Be particularly careful to eat properly and get enough fluids. Being pregnant means you need approximately 300 extra calories a day (depending on your prepregnancy weight).
- Stay cool while exercising. Wear a sun hat and layers of loose, comfortable clothing when exercising in hot, humid weather. Keep a bottle of water handy to replenish lost fluids.
- After the first trimester, avoid sit-ups and other exercises done while flat on your back — they can make you feel dizzy and decrease the blood flow to your uterus. Weight lifting or any other exercise where you might be tempted to stand motionless for long periods can also decrease blood flow to your baby. Keep moving: change positions, or step back and forth.
Exercise helps with...
- constipation
- backache
- fatigue
- varicose veins
- circulation problems
- helps you meet other mothers and make friends.
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