Exercises for Pregnant Women

For many women, pregnancy is a time to make healthy lifestyle choices such as getting fit and quitting smoking. Whether you are a fitness fanatic or have never exercised regularly, safe exercise during pregnancy is recommended to improve the health of you and your baby. The benefits of exercise during pregnancy include increased body awareness, enhanced endurance and improved posture.

Exercise is healthy and even more so for women, they will have safe pregnancy if apply exercise. They should start at the early stages of their pregnant to prepare the body physically for the added work of it, labor and delivery.

Exercise has been shown to lower your risk of developing gestational diabetes and to reduce the physical discomfort associated with pregnancy. Through exercise, you can achieve an increased sense of wellbeing and feel less fatigue and more satisfaction with your changing body. In fit women, the active phase of labor tends to be shorter and there is less likelihood that a forceps delivery or caesarean section will be required.

The types of exercise that pregnant women should do are:

Do prenatal exercises which will help strengthen the body structure providing physical comfort, support and good posture.

A brisk walk every day in the fresh air helps to keep muscles in tone. Wear sensible shoes and keep abreast of the distance walked and the weather conditions.

Kegels exercises (Pelvic floor exercises). These exercises are very important because they decrease risk of tearing of the perineum during birth and help to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, which tend to loosen after labor. All the pregnant women need to do is squeeze their pelvic muscles for a few minutes everyday.

Flexibility exercise such as yoga that is a good way to improve the flexibility and this type of exercise is very popular in pregnant women. However, not all Yoga exercises are safe for pregnant women. Look for a prenatal yoga class that is tailored to pregnant moms.

Take extra care when exercising in hot weather as when doing strenuous exercises your core body temperature can be rise. Excessive heat is unhealthy for you and the baby.
For a more strenuous pregnancy workout than a brisk walk, try activities like running, bike riding and playing tennis. These may be continued after being guided by good judgment.

A few guidelines exist for exercising when pregnant. It is important to exercise at a comfortable intensity and not to undertaken anaerobic exercise. Try to avoid overheating, particularly in the first trimester when your baby is more sensitive to high temperatures. Exercise wearing light, comfortable clothing and drink plenty of water. You should avoid lying flat on your back once you are more than 16 weeks pregnant; doing so may compress the important blood vessels to your heart and therefore restrict the amount of blood your baby receives. It's the best to avoid sports where there is a risk of abdominal trauma, such as contact sports, horse riding or skiing.

I hope if pregnant women can do these exercises, they will get better condition for their body and baby.