FREE UK delivery | Shop Now
Shopping Cart

How can working out during pregnancy be helpful?

Posted by coco babybox on
How can working out during pregnancy be helpful?

Pregnancy puts your body through an awful lot. Whether it is morning sickness, the constantly changing body, back pain or the need to relieve yourself every other hour, expectant mothers have to deal with all of it. The only motivation amidst all of this is the light at the end of the tunnel, which is the baby that is going to grace your household. 

 

As soon as you receive the news of your pregnancy, all your time and effort goes into ensuring that you have a healthy pregnancy and the baby’s growth and development is uncompromised. In the hustle-bustle of maintaining a healthy diet, getting good sleep and taking prenatal vitamins, expectant mothers often ignore their own well-being and invest all their efforts in thinking about the baby. However, to ensure that you have a healthy pregnancy and a comfortable delivery, it is important that your body gets the exercise and workout it needs.

 

If you are an expectant mother and are wondering how working out can help you through the pregnancy, you have come to the right place. Read on to find out more about the benefits of regular exercise during pregnancy. 

 

Benefits of exercising when pregnant

 

While many believe that exercise during pregnancy is a bad idea, it is a myth that now needs to be forgotten. In fact, researchers have found that exercise during pregnancy can work to the advantage of the mama-to-be. Let’s find out how!

 

  • Mood-lifter: Exercising during pregnancy helps you deal with mood swings better, makes you feel fresh and integrates positivity in your life. 
  • Improved metabolism: Exercising for at least 30 minutes a day can work wonders on the metabolism of expectant mothers. It helps avoid issues such as constipation, swelling, bloating and provides enough energy to get through the long days of pregnancy. 
  • Limited weight gain: Exercising on a regular basis during your pregnancy helps maintain a healthy posture and builds muscle tone, endurance and strength for your body. 
  • Better sleep cycle: Pregnancy often leads you to become a night owl and sometimes causes erratic sleep schedules. However, safe exercise during pregnancy can help ensure a healthy sleep cycle and keep issues such as insomnia at bay.
  • During and after labour: Regular exercise during pregnancy helps cope with labour better and comes in handy when you want to lose the extra mass after you have delivered. 

    •  

    Go-to exercises during pregnancy

     

    When choosing an exercise to stay fit during pregnancy, ensure that you keep certain factors in mind. These include choosing exercises that have a lower risk of falling or overexerting yourself. Furthermore, ensure that the postures or positions involved in the exercises are comfortable and safe for you. Some of the safe exercises during pregnancy are as follows:

     

  • Brisk walking: This is the ideal choice for expectant mothers who did little to no exercise before their pregnancy. It is a cardiovascular activity, so it gives your heart a healthy workout without having to strain your knee or ankles. The only precautions pregnant women must take if they opt for this activity is that they choose a smooth surface to walk on, wear comfortable shoes and ideally take someone along with them for company and safety. 
  • Yoga: Yoga is one of the most popular forms of workout among pregnant women. Not only is it extremely effective but also allows you to work out from the comfort of your home. While some women prefer going to group prenatal yoga classes, during this time of the pandemic, online classes are also available. Pregnancy during pandemic has increased the risk of stress during pregnancy. Yoga can help in stress management as well as maintaining a healthy body. Yoga benefits expectant mothers in more than one way, such as stimulating blood circulation, improving flexibility (which further helps during delivery), maintaining healthy blood pressure, strengthening muscles and acts as a relaxation therapy. Precautions that pregnant women must take while performing yoga poses would be to avoid poses that involve balancing, sleeping with face down and lying flat on the back for too long. 
  • Aquatic workout: Whether it is swimming, aqua aerobics or simply walking in the water, aquatic workouts are godsent for pregnant ladies. As the baby bump grows, the joints and back start feeling the pressure of the growing weight. In this event, the buoyancy that staying in the water offers can be relaxing and fun at the same time. When deciding to indulge in aquatic workouts, there are a few things that you must keep in mind such as choosing a swimming stroke that is comfortable and does not strain any of your muscles, using the railing for support when you enter the swimming pool to avoid slipping and avoiding warm pools and saunas. 
  • Stationary bicycling: Cycling is an excellent workout whether you are pregnant or not. However, since normal cycling involves the risk of falling down, pregnant women can choose indoor or stationary cycling to keep themselves healthy. Stationary cycling is the go-to exercise during pregnancy for many women, especially since it can be done from the comfort of their homes (of course, you will need a stationary cycle installed at home). This exercise helps in regulating the heart rate, refrains you from straining your joints or pelvic muscles and lowers the risk of falling. 
  • Pregnancy-specific exercises: Certain exercises during pregnancy can help you prepare and cope with labour and delivery. These include squatting and pelvic tilts. While squatting is the best exercise to open up your pelvic area for the delivery process, pelvic tilts can strengthen the abdominal muscles, which help you carry the extra weight as well as reduce backaches. 

    •  

    While many “advisors” often suggest keeping your movement to the minimum during pregnancy, it will only make you lethargic, drowsy and more irritable. The above-mentioned exercises are great for expectant mothers; however, it is always advised to consult with your gynaecologist and integrate a doctor-approved exercise regime into your daily routine. If you want to read more about pregnancy-related topics, follow us on Instagram and Facebook for more updates. 

    ← Older Post Newer Post →

    0 comments

    Leave a comment

    Please note, comments must be approved before they are published