So lets talk about exercise and pregnancy , you either are feared into thinking its unsafe or you have little or no information on what you can do , or you think you can still go 100 miles an hour like you used to .. so lets talk the facts here!
There is a “middle ground” I’d like to welcome you to, and one thing for you to realise and be aware of is that … that middle ground will change all the time, as you progress in your pregnancy, to right before you give birth , you will be a completely different person from when you started out to when you reach your due day! literally on a weekly basis you may start to notice, that one day you can do something easily and then suddenly you are unable to the next , your body shape changes and also you have this massive powerhouse of hormones that are controlling lots of things and shifting all the time with the main goal….. to help you adapt and your baby to grow!
It is quite literally amazing .. It really and truly is, and well I want you know that exercise can be part of this for you, and not only part of this, it can be so beneficial to you and bump, and it is really not to be feared , but do know that you will have to adapt and change and listen to your body and THAT IS OK!
Here is the evidence and up to date potential health benefits for women who exercise during and after pregnancy .
At least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise weekly has shown to:
- Control gestational weight gain
- Reduces the risk or preeclampsia / hypertension
- Reduces the risk of gestational diabetes
- Improves mood and sleep
Individualised physio prescribed exercises can help with-
- Abdominal strength
- Pelvic floor muscle training
- Targeted stretching
- Mobility
- Help with pelvic girdle pain and lower back pain
General mixture of cardio light and strength can-
- Including all the above benefits
- Less complicated birth
- Labour can be shorter
- Improved mental state
- Decreased risk of postnatal depression
- Hospital stay shorter
- Decreased chance of c section
So as you can see, there are many benefits to exercise and pregnancy , not just for mum but also for baby, and they can be amazing. But its important to listen to your body, and never be afraid.
If you have any red flags for why exercise isn’t safe for you and yes there are some, well you will already have been told that you can not exercise by your health care person that’s a given, but if you have a non complicated pregnancy then great news you can avail of all these benefits … for free! And if you are scared there are loads of brilliant qualified people out there that can help advise you.
