Pregnancy and exercise are a perfectly safe combination. In fact, doctors recommend you exercise when with child. Exercising when pregnant is usually safe, but it can be dangerous if done wrong. So, there are some things you need to be aware of first. Some are included here.

The Safety of Pregnant Exercises

You can keep working out during pregnancy and after giving birth. You can exercise at any time during pregnancy. But it might be best to start slow. With an ante-natal assessment, physiotherapy services can figure out if you are ready and able to exercise while you are pregnant. But you shouldn’t work out if you have serious problems like vaginal bleeding, pain in your abdomen or pelvis, or leaky amniotic fluid. Listen to both your body and your doctor.

Why Exercise When Pregnant?

Standard physical activity and exercise can make your heart muscles stronger and reduce the effects of common pregnancy constipation. Continuing to train is also essential after giving birth because it can make you feel better and lower your risk of getting deep vein thrombosis.

Research findings have shown that pregnant women who workout are much more likely to experience an easier vaginal birth and get better faster following the delivery of a baby.

Pregnancy and Exercise Amounts

At the moment, pregnant women and women who just had a baby are told to do at least 2.5 hours of moderately intense aerobic activity per week. You can do 30-minute workouts on five days of the week, or you can do shorter workouts throughout the day. But don’t give up if you can’t do the full amount. Any activity is better than nothing at all, especially when you’re pregnant. The hardest part is just making sure you don’t do too much if you are used to it.

Exercises You Should Avoid

Don’t move in jerky or bouncy ways because the hormones you make when you’re pregnant cause the muscles and tendons that sustain your joints to loosen, which can make you more likely to get hurt. It would help if you also tried not to work out in hot places like Hot Yoga studios and make sure to drink plenty of water. Lastly, activities like crunches should be avoided so that the outer layer of the abdominal wall, which gives support when pregnant, can stay flexible.

Exercise and the Pelvic Floor

The pelvic floor is a cluster of bones and muscles at the bottom of the pelvis. They connect the sit bones, the tailbone, and the pubic bone to make a bowl-shaped structure. Making the pelvic floor stronger throughout pregnancy may also help reduce the risk of peeing yourself, and painful and unsightly prolapse, both during pregnancy and after the baby is born. The idea is that if you can get stronger during pregnancy, you’ll heal essential parts faster after giving birth.

Summary

For the most part, exercising when pregnant is perfectly safe and recommended for various reasons. Yet there are some things you need to know about pregnancy and exercise. These include the safety of it, how much you should exercise, and how to strengthen the pelvic floor.