Motherhood: Exercise During Pregnancy

EXERCISE

During Pregnancy

By Deborah C. Gerbers

Exercise during pregnancy is a wonderful way to stay fit and ensure both the health of your body and your baby’s. Done safely, prenatal fitness activities can benefit both you and baby in a variety of ways. It can ease nausea and discomfort, lessen swelling and bloat, stretch out muscles that need to be worked in order to support and stabilize your body during delivery, reduce stress and anxiety, and can also help produce endorphins, which will improve your allover mood.

As with any activity, be sure to check with your doctor before exercising, and make sure to monitor your heart rate so that it stays within the recommended range and you don’t push yourself too hard. You might consider consulting with a professional; for example, a Registered Integrative Nutrition Expert at the Fertility & Midwifery Care Center in Fort Wayne can be a wealth of information and can help keep you safe and fit during your pregnancy. Once you’ve started a plan with your health care professional, here are a few activities to try and some tips on keeping yourself safe throughout your pregnancy:

Swimming — Especially during the second and third trimester when you’re feeling your body change more and might feel more effects of weight gain and imbalance, swimming can be a great way to feel weightless and supported by the water.

Walking — It’s easy, free and you can do it basically anywhere. Be sure to wear supportive athletic shoes with enough tread on the bottom to reduce the chance of losing your footing. Whether it’s on a treadmill, local nature trail or just through the neighborhood, walking is a great way for you and baby to get moving.

Prenatal Yoga — Stretching and gentle yoga moves can be ideal for improving blood flow throughout the body, and can also relieve stressed or sore muscles that often come with pregnancy. Be sure to know your limits, stay hydrated and don’t push yourself too far.

Bicycling — Check first with your OB, but as long as you feel in control of your balance and don’t get your heart rate too high, riding your bike at an easy pace can be another good form of prenatal exercise. Just make sure to wear your helmet, stay on safe sidewalks and welllighted areas, and listen to your body.

Here are some tips for safe and healthy fitness from womenshealth.gov: • When you exercise, start slowly, progress gradually and cool down slowly. • You should be able to talk while exercising.

If not, you may be overdoing it.

• Take frequent breaks. • Don’t exercise on your back after the first trimester. This can put too much pressure on an important vein and limit blood flow to the baby. • Avoid jerky, bouncing and high-impact movements, as they may put you at risk of joint injury. • Be careful not to lose your balance. As your baby grows, your center of gravity shifts making you more prone to falls. For this reason, activities like jogging, using a bicycle, or playing racquet sports might be riskier as you near the third trimester. • Make sure you drink lots of fluids before, during and after exercising. • Do not workout in extreme heat or humidity. • If you feel uncomfortable, short of breath, or tired, take a break and take it easier when you exercise again.

Stop exercising and call your doctor as soon as possible if you experience dizziness, headache, chest pain, abdominal pain, less fetal

movement or contractions. a Sources: Women’s Health Advantage (heradvantage.org) Office on Women’s Health (womenshealth.gov) Fitpregnancy.org Fertility & Midwifery Care Center (fertilityandmidwifery.com)