Prenatal Exercise Benefits and Guidelines
Exercising while pregnant has been proven to shorten time in labor, reduce chances for postpartum depression, provide more oxygen to baby and promote faster return to pre-pregancy weight and muscle tone.
As with any fitness plan, Doctors and health care providers should be consulted first.
Congratulations! You’re pregnant!
While it may be one of the most exciting things you’ll ever experience, it can also be the most physically taxing. Between the nausea and fatigue – especially the first trimester – you may be wondering if you’ll ever be able to work out again. The good news is: yes! For most women, those symptoms start dissipating by the time you hit your second trimester and you’ll be feeling like yourself again in no time. As long as you have a normal, healthy pregnancy*, exercising can help you feel great, gain less weight, and achieve a faster return to feeling like yourself again postpartum. The best part is, not only is exercising a great way for you to feel good, it also promotes growth and function of the placenta, which in turn brings more blood, oxygen and nutrients to your baby.
Exercise Benefits
Strengthens the placenta
More oxygen and nutrients to baby
Less maternal weight gain
Easier, faster and shorter labor
Faster return to pre-pregnancy weight
Development of stamina. Some women compare labor to an extreme sport,
and it definitely requires endurance.
Loosens joints and creates flexibility and strength for labor
PRE & POSTNATAL FITNESS: MYTHS VS. FACTS
There are many myths about what women should and should not do when pregnant, especially when talking about prenatal exercise. A few of these include: Regular exercise during pregnancy can cause a miscarriage, hormonal imbalance, over stressing of the joints, uterine bleeding, and overheating of the fetus in the womb.
In fact, a woman’;s body temperature will fall slightly as soon as she is on her feet and moving around, and her cooling system is much more efficient during pregnancy.
How did many of these myths begin and how were they disproved? Many of these myths started as a result of research performed on animals, which often do not correlate to human pregnancies. Thankfully, research conducted in the past 15 years or so has disproved these myths.
According to Dr. Artal and Dr. Clapp “The benefits of exercise appear to be substantial for both the woman and the pregnancy.”
Ironically, much of the research that set out to prove why exercise was not good for the pregnant woman ended up proving the opposite! And mothers who exercise throughout their entire pregnancies have fewer complications than those who exercise sporadically, quit in the middle, or don’t exercise at all.
Exercise plans vary from individual to individual depending on your personal level of
fitness and experience. As with any fitness plan, Doctors and health care providers should be consulted first.
A few rules of thumb include:
Eat a small snack about an hour before your work out.
On a scale of difficulty 1 to 10, keep yourself between 4 to 8.
Now is not the time to try any NEW exercises and aerobic classes, so stick to things you are already used to doing.
Don’t over exhaust yourself.
Don’t worry about keeping your heart rate below 140. That’s a myth.
*Women who are doing in vetro fertilization or who have other high risk factors should not exercise. Consult your doctor first to make sure its ok to be physically active. Exercise plans vary from individual to individual depending on your personal level of fitness and experience. As with any fitness plan, Doctors and health care providers should be consulted first. Congratulations! Having a baby is one of the most MAGICAL and AMAZING experiences you’ll ever have. Yet at the same time, the recovery period after birth may be more difficult than you ever thought it would be. You may be experiencing more pain than you had expected – whether from a vaginal or a cesarean birth. You may even be experiencing postpartum blues (75% of women experience this so you are not alone!) or even postpartum depression. There are so many different emotions and feelings and new responsibilities it can be overwhelming.
Working out when you feel ready – usually about six weeks after your delivery– has so many positive benefits to your physical and emotional health including:
Reduce postpartum depression.
Time to yourself.
Lose postpartum weight faster.
Feel like yourself again.
More energy.