Pregnancy Fitness Guide | Exercise before and during Pregnancy

Pregnancy Fitness Guidelines

Pregnancy fitness provides many benefits to the mother-to-be and can be very beneficial in the nine-month pregnancy process. 

Consider some of the benefits you can enjoy by getting exercise during pregnancy. 

It can improve your fitness, provide greater strength and endurance, relieve back pain and leg cramps, reduce stress, facilitate labor, prevent or manage gestational diabetes, maintain muscle tone and help lose excess weight after delivery.

3 Tips of Pregnancy Fitness Guide

There are several specific pregnancy workouts for each trimester that provide a variety of exercise options and recommendations for pregnancy exercises. 

Consider how you can stay healthy during each stage of your pregnancy.

1-Trimester During the first twelve weeks of pregnancy

• your pregnancy exercises can be as intense as your pre-pregnancy routines. However, pregnancy workouts should be low impact. 

• Therefore, pregnancy fitness during this time often includes activities like strength training, walking, yoga, swimming, and stretching. 

• You should exercise three to four times a week. It is important to get five to ten minutes before each workout, perform your exercise for twenty to thirty minutes and then cool down with stretching exercises for at least ten minutes. 

• Pregnancy and fitness should be supplemented by a healthy nutrition plan and enough water to help support exercise as well as pregnancy needs.

2- Trimester The second trimester is between 13 and 24 weeks

• Here there is still no need to adjust the intensity levels of your exercise routines. 

• There are just a few safety issues related to pregnancy and fitness that you need to consider at this time. 

• Don't do exercises that require you to lie on your back. 

• Don't do exercises that require pressure on the abdomen. 

• Don't do any jerky or bouncy movements. 

• Use good judgment with pregnancy fitness and know your limits.

• If there are any activities that require you to challenge your balance then you should skip them and move on to other activities.

3-Third Trimester This is the 25 to 40 weeks of pregnancy

• And will often vary between women. 
• This is why exercise during pregnancy has some specific guidelines by this point in the pregnancy.
•  In addition to the precautions for the second trimester, you want to follow some additional guidelines. 
• If you are doing strength training, you want to reduce the weight amount by half. 
• Your workouts should only be done two to three days per week.
• Workout levels should be twenty to twenty-five minutes in length. 
• No abdomen or stomach impact exercises should be done. 
• If necessary, don't do any intense exercises. 
• If you have any questions about pregnancy, or fitness at this point you should talk with your physician.

Exercise before and during pregnancy

Exercise before and during pregnancy is very important for the health benefits of both mother and baby. 

When you are active during pregnancy, you will have the strength and endurance you need to deal with the weight gain of pregnancy as well as return to a satisfactory health level after childbirth. 

However, there are some specific guidelines you should follow when choosing a fitness program during your pregnancy:

• Before you start any exercise program you need to check with your doctor first. 
• This way you can get helpful guidance and suggestions from someone who understands your unique physical requirements.
• You should avoid heavy weights during pregnancy, especially during the third trimester. 
• This is because hormonal changes will make your joints, tendons and ligaments laxer in order to facilitate delivery. 
• This makes it easier to sprain or strain your body.

It is important to do abdominal and back exercises. This can help with posture changes and provide better stability to keep your body strong after birth, a time when you will likely have to do a lot of lifting. 

However, be sure to avoid doing exercises on your back. There are still plenty of options that allow you to exercise your back and abdomen without the need to lie on your back.

Lastly, stretching is an extremely important part of pregnancy exercises. While proper diet and exercise play an important part in keeping your health and providing an easy birth, they are only a part of your overall plan. 

You need to stretch to make your workout plans effective. Stretching should be a focus of any routine since it keeps your blood flowing, relieves tension, and keeps your body moveable.