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The Benefits of Exercise during Pregnancy
The joy of
learning that you are pregnant is quickly followed by thoughts of what
you need to do to make sure your baby is born healthy. This includes
regular prenatal checkups with your doctor, not smoking or drinking
alcohol while pregnant, taking prenatal vitamins and nutritional
supplements, eating healthier foods and adding more calcium to your
diet, getting a healthy amount of regular exercise, cutting back on your
work hours when needed, and listening to your body when it says it is
time for a rest.
As your
baby grows inside of your tummy, you may not always feel much like
exercising. This is normal because a lot of your energy, physical and
emotional, is now devoted to the nurturing of your growing baby. It is
very important to listen to your body during this time and if it says
that it needs a rest, heed what your body is telling you for your health
and the health of your baby.
There are
benefits to exercise during pregnancy, and exercise is safe for pregnant
women, as long as certain precautions are followed. A pregnant woman
should never push herself past her limits exercising, while pregnant.
The goals of exercise during pregnancy should be for preparing your body
for the impending birth of your precious bundle of joy, and for keeping
yourself fit and healthy, which also keeps your baby healthy. The goals
of exercise during pregnancy should never be to reach new heights of
fitness; you can worry about that after the baby arrives.
Women who
have not engaged in regular exercise prior to becoming pregnant can
still begin an exercise routine such as walking, and benefit themselves
and their babies through exercise. For those women who have been
exercising on a regular basis, it is safe to continue doing so, as long
as they make modifications to their exercise routines such as keeping
the heart rate from going above 140 beats per minute, and restricting
the heavier lifts in weight training, or movements that may cause injury
because a pregnant body is off-center due to the additional weight in
the tummy region. These modifications to your regular exercise routine
will keep you and your baby safe, while still allowing you and the baby
to receive the benefits of exercise.
Exercise
during pregnancy benefits your baby in that your placenta will increase
in size and provide even more of the nutrients your baby needs to
develop fully and healthy. An increase of nutrients will also give a
boost to the immune system of your baby, for the best possible start
to life long health.
Exercise
during pregnancy benefits your emotional health. Hormonal imbalances in
the body are a natural result of pregnancy. This can lead to feeling
irritable, tired, and even weepy at times. Exercise can help your body
to regulate hormones so that you can experience less of these feelings,
and instead experience more feelings of well being and happiness. The
positive feelings will be transferred to your baby, allowing him or her
to experience these same good feelings.
Exercising
during pregnancy increases the strength of the muscles used to give
birth, including those in your lower back. This results in less labor
pains, and quicker deliveries, and has even been shown to result in the
necessity of fewer caesarean births. And because you exercised during
your pregnancy, your body will recover from giving birth much sooner.
You and
your baby can benefit from exercise during pregnancy. To learn more
about the exercise resources available for you to stay healthy while
pregnant and give your baby a healthy start, check out
www.personalpowertraining.net
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