Pregnancy is one of the most exciting time in a lady’s life. It is also taxing emotionally, physically and mentally as the mom-to-be does all she can for the well-being of the baby. There’s all sorts of advice for her from all quarters. Most people would discourage her from doing physically intensive work, and for good reasons. However, exercise is still important. It may even significantly contribute to easier delivery.
The most important thing to remember is to take it easy. Your body is already under a lot of strain since you’re pregnant. Your exercise routine should be light to moderate, easing off as your due date approaches. In the interest if safety, consult your physician before embarking on workouts.
If you weren’t exercising before the pregnancy, don’t suddenly take on heavy workouts. Start slowly and increase the length of the sessions as you go along. Aim for 30-minute sessions 3 times a week.
Carrying a pregnancy puts a lot of strain on the pelvic and abdominal areas, thus you should focus on these. To exercise the pelvic area, stand straight with your back and bottom against a wall. Exhale to push your belly button towards the spine. Hold for 4 seconds, inhale then repeat. Do 10-15 reps.
For the abdominal area, go on all fours with hands under shoulders, fingers facing forward, knees under hips and abdominals lifted such thatyour back straight. Pull in the stomach muscles while curling your back towards the ceiling. Let your head relax gently forward but the elbows shouldn’t lock. Hold this position for a few seconds then go back to the original position. Make sure your back doesn’t hollow when you do this.
Precautions
As your pregnancy progresses avoid aggressive contact sports such as hockey, basketball, tennis and rugby where there’s a high chance of getting injured. Avoid lying flat on your back- the abdomen will press against major blood vessels, denying blood flow to the baby. Activities that involve a risk of falling such as horse riding, gymnastics and cycling aren’t appropriate at this time as well.
