Is it safe to exercise during pregnancy?
-Shomaila Issam Contrary to popular belief, exercise is actually good for pregnant women and it’s safe. However, research shows that most pregnant women don’t get enough exercise on a regular basis. Exercising regularly will not harm your baby; in fact, it may help in the prevention of some pregnancy-related complications like pre-eclampsia.
Know what you should avoid
Avoid horse riding, scuba diving, football or any contact sport that may cause any type of trauma to your abdomen. Ruling these workouts and sports out, you still have large variety of exercise you can do.
Avoid exercises that require lying on your back for prolonged periods. Lying on your back for prolonged periods during your pregnancy can cause the uterus to push down on your veins and reduce blood flow. This may dramatically take …show more content…
This is especially important for pregnant women. Warming up before a workout will also help gradually build your heart rate. Your heart rate is already higher when you’re pregnant so increasing it at a moderate pace will make your workout safer and more rewarding.
In addition, you should also cool down after a workout with 5 to 10 minutes of light stretching.
Understand why you’re working out
You’re not working out to lose weight or to challenge yourself, you’re working out to maintain your fitness and not lose it. Pregnancy is not about strenuous workouts, it’s about feeling healthy for yourself and your baby. If you’re comfortable with 30 minutes, don’t push yourself beyond this limit. As per your doctor’s advice, if you feel any pain, stop immediately.
Beginners should aim for 10 minutes every other day and slowly build up the length to 30 minutes. Be sure to call your doctor if you experience any of the following:
• Dizziness
• Chest pain
•
-Shomaila Issam Contrary to popular belief, exercise is actually good for pregnant women and it’s safe. However, research shows that most pregnant women don’t get enough exercise on a regular basis. Exercising regularly will not harm your baby; in fact, it may help in the prevention of some pregnancy-related complications like pre-eclampsia.
Know what you should avoid
Avoid horse riding, scuba diving, football or any contact sport that may cause any type of trauma to your abdomen. Ruling these workouts and sports out, you still have large variety of exercise you can do.
Avoid exercises that require lying on your back for prolonged periods. Lying on your back for prolonged periods during your pregnancy can cause the uterus to push down on your veins and reduce blood flow. This may dramatically take …show more content…
This is especially important for pregnant women. Warming up before a workout will also help gradually build your heart rate. Your heart rate is already higher when you’re pregnant so increasing it at a moderate pace will make your workout safer and more rewarding.
In addition, you should also cool down after a workout with 5 to 10 minutes of light stretching.
Understand why you’re working out
You’re not working out to lose weight or to challenge yourself, you’re working out to maintain your fitness and not lose it. Pregnancy is not about strenuous workouts, it’s about feeling healthy for yourself and your baby. If you’re comfortable with 30 minutes, don’t push yourself beyond this limit. As per your doctor’s advice, if you feel any pain, stop immediately.
Beginners should aim for 10 minutes every other day and slowly build up the length to 30 minutes. Be sure to call your doctor if you experience any of the following:
• Dizziness
• Chest pain
•