Rudy Freno
Is It Okay To Workout During Pregnancy – While everyone is familiar with the benefits of being physically active, most expectant mothers have legitimate concerns about the safety of exercise during pregnancy.
Besides known contraindications for women, studies have shown that exercise is not only safe for pregnant women, but also beneficial for their babies and their health during pregnancy and after birth. However, it is important to know what constitutes safe exercise during pregnancy and what types of exercise are best avoided.
Is It Okay To Workout During Pregnancy
Keep reading to learn all about exercise during pregnancy, including how safe it is to exercise during pregnancy, the benefits of being active during pregnancy, the best and worst pregnancy exercises as well as other precautions to consider.
Tips For Safe Exercise During Pregnancy
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists states that for healthy women during an uncomplicated pregnancy, exercise during pregnancy has not been found to increase the risk of pregnancy complications, such as: miscarriage, low birth weight or premature birth.
However, some pregnant women may be advised not to exercise during pregnancy, including those with multiples and the risk of preterm birth as well as those with preeclampsia, anemia, or placental abruption, strikers, and other contraindications.
In all cases, the woman must have a doctor’s consent and individual guidance about pregnancy exercises during the first prenatal visit.
Research shows that the benefits of exercise during pregnancy not only help women meet fertility needs, but also extend into the postpartum period in the following ways:
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The way women approach exercise during pregnancy depends largely on two factors: the amount of time you rested before pregnancy and the course of your pregnancy.
As long as there is no response from the doctor, it can still be used, keep this in mind:
Since the center of gravity changes during pregnancy and can put extra pressure on the joints, muscles, and lower back, here are some examples of effective and safe exercises during pregnancy:
Although running has been shown to be safe during pregnancy, it should be done in moderation and sensibly. Women who used to run before pregnancy can continue to exercise at different stages as long as it feels comfortable and does not cause fatigue. Wearing a good sports bra and comfortable running shoes is also important, as is adjusting the intensity of your run.
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However, for those just starting out, pregnancy is not the best time to start and they will safely benefit from other pregnancy exercises.
All physical activity during pregnancy should be done with proper water intake. Because overheating can lead to confusion and dehydration, wear loose, breathable clothing when exercising; drink water before, during and after exercise; and it takes time to regain vital breath. Adequate nutrition during pregnancy is also important.
Common sense and the ability to monitor yourself play a big role when choosing pregnancy exercises. Sometimes such safe exercises can be dangerous for pregnant women if done too hard or in an unsafe environment.
Although it is impossible to give a specific list, as a general rule, exercise for pregnant women should not involve lifting heavy objects or standing for long periods; increased risk of falling or abdominal trauma; or there is a significant pressure change.
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Although exercise is beneficial for most women, unexpected complications can still occur. Therefore, staying safe during pregnancy requires extreme caution and contact your doctor immediately if you experience the following:
For moms who exercise regularly, continuing to exercise during pregnancy requires little, if any, change. For other mothers, pregnancy is the best motivator to start taking care of your physical and mental health through exercise. Although some are advised to exercise lightly and not exercise, most women are satisfied with exercise during pregnancy and can enjoy many benefits of exercise during pregnancy. many other benefits. The best exercises for pregnant women include brisk walking, swimming, and prenatal yoga, but sports to avoid are weightlifting, basketball, or horseback riding. As with all choices a woman makes during pregnancy, common sense and diligence are essential to ensure her safety and protect the health of her baby. Low-risk pregnant women are encouraged to do at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week or 20-30 minutes. minutes per day (ACOG, 2015). It is safe for female athletes and other women who are physically active before pregnancy to maintain a regular exercise routine, while sedentary women are advised to gradually increase their exercise routine. education to ensure the health and well-being of their children improves (ACOG, 2015; da Silva, Ricardo, Evenson , & Hallal, 2017). However, it is reported that only 5-15% follow this recommendation (Gjestland, Bø, Owe, & Eberhard-Gran, 2013; Nascimento, Surita, Godoy, Kasawara, & Morais, 2015), and more than half of pregnant women are physically disturbed. activities (Nascimento et al., 2015).
(Sagedal et al., 2013). Exercise during pregnancy has many health benefits for mother and baby (Figure 1) including weight loss, reducing the risk of gestational diabetes, high blood pressure and large babies – all conditions are related to increased rates of childhood obesity. Despite the important effects of exercise, many doctors do not recommend exercise in sedentary pregnant patients (McGee et al., 2018).
Figure 1. Benefits of gymnastics for mother and fetus during pregnancy. Based on Bø et al., 2016; 2017; Silva et al., 2017; Haakstad and
Prenatal Workout Safety Tips And Exercise Ideas
Even with the stated health benefits of exercise, there is long-standing concern about the potential negative effects of maternal exercise on the developing fetus. These problems include placental hypoxia and fetal bradycardia, low birth weight, premature birth, and risk of miscarriage (B, Artal, Barakat, Brown, Dooley, et al., 2016). However, there is weak evidence to support this suspected risk of maternal exercise. Based on a study of six elite athletes who showed fatal bradycardia in the fetus during exercise at 90% of the maximum heart rate, high-intensity exercise is usually not recommended (Salvesen, Hem, & Sundgot-Borgen, 2012). Miscarriage anxiety seems to be only related to strenuous exercise during implantation (Bø, Artal, Barakat, Brown, Dooley, et al., 2016).
Examples of safe exercises during pregnancy are: brisk walking, swimming, water aerobics, twists, yoga, pilates, strength training, running or jogging (the latter is for women who regularly participate in these activities before pregnancy) (Haakstad, Dalhaug). , & Torstveit, 2018). Some adjustments may be necessary, such as if running starts to make you uncomfortable as your pregnancy progresses, elliptical training or brisk walking can be replaced. It is safe to exercise during pregnancy as long as common sense is used; Avoid overheating, lack of energy and dehydration, contact sports (e.g. hockey, martial arts and handball), activities with a high risk of falling (e.g. horse riding, gymnastics equipment, mountain biking and alpine skiing), hot yoga, diving and parachuting. Examples of absolute contraindications include uterine contractions, placenta previa after 26 weeks of gestation, persistent bleeding, and restrictive lung disease (Haakstad et al., 2018).
Figure 2. Physical activity recommendations for pregnant women. Adapted from (ACOG, 2015; Ministry of Health and Human Services and Social Studies, 2016; Haakstad et al., 2018).
Nausea and fatigue are common ailments, especially during early pregnancy (Bø, Artal, Barakat, Brown, Davies et al., 2016), which reduce the motivation for long pull-out sessions. In this case, it is important to remember that the relationship between physical activity and health benefits is dose dependent, meaning ten minutes is better than nothing. In normally active women and even in high-performance elite athletes, the volume of training decreases significantly in the first trimester, then increases in the second trimester, and then slightly decreases during the third trimester (Nascimento et al., 2015; Solli & Sandbakk, 2018). Physically, the growth of the baby is important, and pregnancy is also a particularly important time to listen to your body’s signals and get enough rest when needed (Figure 2). With that said, the positive effects of regular physical activity during pregnancy should not be overlooked, and exercise is a safe and effective way to relieve pregnancy complaints.
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Ida Lysdahl Fahrenholtz holds a Master of Science degree in human nutrition from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark and is currently a PhD student at the Department of Public Health, Sports and Nutrition, University of Agder, Norway. Her main area of research is Relative Energy Deficiency During Exercise (RED-S) and the relationship between exercise and female reproductive function. Personally, he is very fond of long distance running and triathlon. Email: [email protected]
Bø, K., Artal, R., Barakat, R., Brown, W., Davies, G. A. L., Dooley, M., … Khan, K. M. (2016). Elite athletes and athletes in sport and pregnancy: 2016 summary of evidence from the IOC expert group meeting, Lausanne. Part 1 – applies to women who plan to become pregnant and are pregnant.
Bø, K., Artal, R., Barakat, R., Brown, W., Dooley, M., Evenson, K. R., … Davies, G. A. L. (2016). Elite athletes and athletes in sport and pregnancy: 2016 summary of evidence from the IOC expert group meeting, Lausanne. Part 2 – Effects of exercise on the fetus, labor and delivery.
Da Silva