Grace is having her second baby and she appeared all sharp in the hospital ward. “How are feeling madam?”, the doctor asked. “I am alright and ready to push”, she replied. After getting examined by the midwife, Grace spotted an old friend of hers lying on the bed next to hers who had been admitted three days ago with a full-term pregnancy, but was anxiously awaiting her labor to begin.
“You look all strong Grace, but I don’t understand why I’m yet to contract”, she said. Grace after a brief exchange of pleasantries asked “how often did you exercise?”. “Never”, she responded. Grace was surprised and said “I formed a habit of regular exercises and this has helped me to stay strong”. The midwife said my cervix is dilating smoothly and that is thanks to my active lifestyle.” Grace stated.
Regular exercise during pregnancy is a healthy habit that many pregnant women fail to adopt. And if you are a fitness enthusiast, it will be satisfying to know what your active lifestyle has in store for you as your tummy begins to bulge.
It is normal to hear phrases and advice that you must “eat for two”, but that “exercising for two” is rarely advised doesn’t make it less important. In fact, you need regular exercise during pregnancy, but in moderation.
Before lacing up your sneakers, read up, and find out what exercises your body needs now, and the benefits awaiting you.
Workouts during pregnancy
- Walking. Bear in mind that you don’t need the strenuous exercises now but a simple walk around your yard, street, at the park, and your neighborhood. While preparing for the arrival of my first child, I loved admiring the water fountain and the kaleidoscopic impression of the lightings embedded in the structure. I would take an evening stroll twice or three times in a week and this always brightened my mood in the end.
- Running on the treadmill. Running is a strenuous exercise, but when it is regulated on a treadmill, you can run safely without any threat to you and your baby. I did this quite often with my husband and it help our relationship. So, in addition to your body and baby, you can enjoy some bonding time with your partner and that is necessary.
- Dancing. As your body begins to change, the hormones that accompany pregnancy sometimes upset your emotions, but regular dance aerobics is all you need to stay happy. If your partner isn’t in love with dancing, find some pregnant friend and schedule a dance timeout together if you can’t afford a dance class. You will enjoy the improved mood and agility at the end of every dance session.
- Yoga. This always comes handy with a lot of benefits. If you are a yoga lover, your quiet moment is important to help you release the stress load and get you vibrant again. All you need to do is get the right and recommended poses from your instructor.
- Swimming. Pregnancy comes with the hot flushes, the heat is intolerable and you wish you could stay the whole day under a friendly temperature. Well, swimming can be beneficial, but you must know how to swim before sliding into swimwear and swimming to your heart’s content.
The WHO recommends that a healthy lifestyle should include aerobics and strength-conditioning exercises that will give an appreciable level of fitness during pregnancy. The benefits of these exercises are so enormous that you shouldn’t hesitate to start living an active life even with the pregnancy.
The Benefits Of Exercises During Pregnancy.
- Enhances mood. Like I earlier mentioned, hormonal change can get your mood against you and everyone around you. When this happens, a habit of aerobics helps to get you sweating and smiling at your feeble efforts, and this is the lift your mood and baby needs.
- Relieves backache. All thanks to your protruding abdomen, weight gain, and posture changes, your back aches and brings with it lots of discomforts. While the frequent taking of pain killers isn’t advised, you can create the relief you need through simple exercises as recommended by your doctor. Exercises like “sitting on the wall” and other posture exercises are advised here.
- Better sleep. Sleeplessness is one of the issues associated with pregnancy because someone has to wake up to wee, and there is the backache, heartburn, and other discomforts that make sleep elusive at night. But after an exhaustive evening stroll, your body naturally craves for the comfort of your cozy bed. And when you rest well, your foetus is equally happy too.
- Hastens labor. Prolonged labor isn’t anything a woman desires even when medical solutions like induction and others can help to hasten labor. Natural progressive labor is preferred and that comes handy with an active lifestyle during pregnancy.
- Weight management. Gaining weight is synonymous with pregnancy, but you can deliberately prevent unhealthy weight gain with regular aerobics. This can reduce the risk of gestational diabetes, a form of diabetes seen in some pregnant women. It can also make it easier to return to pre-pregnancy weight after delivery.
Some take-home tips
- Stop the walk or swimming when you feel tired, dizzy, or nauseous. Remember, everything must be moderated for the desired result to be obtained
- If you are visiting the gym, choose a class designed for pregnant women.
- Your sports gears must be comfortable, skip the tight and non-stretchy ones.
- Stay well hydrated while embarking on aerobics
- Have a partner that will keep you motivated.
Pregnancy isn’t a license for a sedentary lifestyle, in as much as you need to be cautious with everything you do. Living the “fit life” is always recommended at any stage of life. And as a pregnant woman, you are free to stick to your aerobics regiment, stay healthy and birth a healthy baby.
