Walking: Walking is a wonderful exercise that you can do virtually everywhere. Be sure you have comfortable shoes and that you stand up straight using your abdominal muscles to keep your spine straight. Begin with a 5-10 minute warm-up and then stretch and resume your walk. Don't forget to stretch afterwards to reduce soreness. Walk for at least half an hour a day, three to five days a week.
Swimming: Swimming can be one of the most relaxing and safest exercises to do while pregnant. Swimming takes pressure off your joints with the weightless feeling of being in the pool. You get a good cardio workout while swimming that uses your big muscle groups. There's also a reduced risk of injury while swimming, still, be cautious when walking around the pool to avoid slipping. Some things you can do in the pool include water aerobics, deep-water running and swimming. Try joining a water aerobics class or simply swim twenty minutes each day- 3-6 days each week. Don't forget to avoid hot tubs and saunas since they can increase your temperature to high levels that may cause harm to your baby.
Jogging: If you have been running or jogging before you became pregnant, you may continue to do so. You should use common sense. If you feel tired, slow down or walk. Do not overexert yourself. As you get closer to the end of your pregnancy, you should cut back. If any problem occurs, chances are your practitioner will ask you to stop running for the remainder of your pregnancy. Always consult your practitioner before beginning.
Low impact aerobics: Low impact aerobics is safe to remain doing while pregnant. You shouldn't do jumps or high kicks (these aren't typically done in low-impact aerobics anyway). Adjust the exercises if you need to. A good way to do this is by doing the exercises at half speed. Try joining a low impact aerobics class at a local gym or buy a workout video and exercise in your own home. Some women find that joining a class at a gym helps keep them motivated to continue to workout.
Bicycling and spinning: When bicycling or spinning, be cautious. Your center of gravity is changing making you more vulnerable to falls. Steer clear of rough terrain when bicycling outside. As you get father along, you may have a hard time reaching the handlebars due to your growing abdomen. You may also find the bicycle seat to become very uncomfortable in your third trimester. Don't overwork yourself. When you need a break, take one. If you participate in a spinning class, lower the tension and slow down if you feel tired.
Pilates: Pilates toughens your entire body(particularly your abdominals, pelvic muscles and back which may aid you in labor), teaches you body awareness and helps increase your flexibility. It's okay to do pilates when you're pregnant. Some gyms have prenatal Pilates classes or you can easily obtain prenatal Pilates videos to exercise at home. You can attend regular Pilates classes, just don't forget to avoid movements that compress your neck.
Yoga: The focus of Yoga is techniques to help you relax and breath. These techniques could help you breath correctly through labor pains. You can participate in Yoga classes throughout your whole pregnancy. You will want to avoid poses that involve lying flat on your back or inverted poses. Just like Pilates, a local gym might have prenatal yoga classes or you can find exercise videos for pregnant women to workout at home.
NOTE: Use of this article requires links to be intact.
Having eight children of his own, Chris Dunn often writes articles about
labor for his childbirth website.
