Lots of women think that when they get pregnant they need to take it easy. They don’t do much at all and eat whatever they like, resulting in a harder birth and perhaps even complications. While taking it easy is good to a certain extent, there’s no reason you should lie around doing nothing. Exercising while you’re pregnant is good for both you and the baby. Don’t you want the best for both of you? Want to learn more? Read on!
~ Release Endorphins
It’s no secret that exercise releases endorphins. Many people talk about the high that they get after exercising. These are especially beneficial when you’re pregnant and your hormones are all over the place. You’ll feel much happier and more content with your situation and will be able to act more ‘zen’.
~ Reduce Pain
Pregnancy changes your body completely, and so it can come with a lot of pain. By exercising regularly, you can reduce your back pain and become stronger in general as you tone your legs, arms, and other areas. The pain of the birth itself is even thought to be reduced because of exercise. Buy yourself some yoga clothes for maternity while you’re at it. Retail therapy is good too!
~ Reduce Constipation
Constipation is never nice, especially when you’re pregnant. Because exercise encourages movement in your intestines, you’ll be able to go the toilet with minimal issues.
~ Prevent Damage to Joints
As the hormones change during pregnancy, the joints change. This can leave them susceptible to wear and tear. By exercising, you lubricate the joints better and stop them from getting damaged.
~ Get Your Pre-Pregnancy Body Back Quickly
Now, don’t get me wrong; you should never try to use exercise while pregnant to lose weight. It should only be for maintaining your fitness. By doing this, you’ll keep your body fat levels lower and be much more able to get your pre-pregnancy body back when you’ve given birth. Many women complain they never get theirs back, but if you put in the work while you’re pregnant you can get yours back quite quickly. You’ll need to wait a little while after you’ve had your baby before you can start your fat loss plan, but you should look great again in no time!
~ Lower Risk of Complications
Pregnancy can come with complications, but you can lower some of the risks by exercising. If you’re worried that you might experience complications, taking up some light exercise each week is a great way to make sure you stay healthy. Try some light aerobic exercise for around 2 and a half hours per week. You should be fighting fit by the time your baby is 6 months old!
Before you start exercising during pregnancy, you need to speak to your doctor. They can run some tests and let you know what you can do to get fitter. You must always build yourself up slowly. Exercising can also be a great way to control your breathing better and deal with pain, which are great qualities to have if you’re worried about the pain.
In short: don’t give up your gym membership just because you’re pregnant. Continue exercising and you’ll reap the rewards.
Rebecca x
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I tried to exercise for 30 minutes everyday during my pregnancy and was even in the gym on my due date – you should have seen the look on people’s faces!! But in all honesty I was struggling to walk so it was much easier to do some gentle working out on the bike or cross-trainer. And swimming was amazing, I almost felt like I wasn’t pregnant!
Great post 🙂 Thanks for linking up xx #TheList
Thank you for covering such an important topic! By the way, if you’re looking for something you can do as an exercise, try swimming. I’ve heard that swimming is very beneficial for new moms and pregnant women as well.
In the first trimester, no restrictions are imposed. But after the second trimester, speed and sports swimming styles are not suitable. The butterfly is almost always excluded. But a calm breaststroke and crawl can be used even at a later date.