Fitness for pregnant women

It has long been noticed that the motor passivity of the expectant mother during the gestation period does not affect the health of the baby in the best way. Moreover, doctors recommend regular physical exercises, provided that they are aimed at strengthening the muscles and respiratory system and are selected during consultations with specialists.

Is it possible for pregnant women to do fitness

The word “fitness” in Russian means “to be in good shape”, i.e. what you need during pregnancy!

In general, they do fitness in order to develop:

• cardiovascular system
• power
• flexibility
• endurance
• speed
• power
• coordination of movements
• reaction

In addition, fitness allows you to normalize the ratio of fat and muscle tissue.

Some of these qualities will be very useful to moms during childbirth and during the recovery period. However, before starting classes, you need to consult with a doctor who is monitoring your pregnancy. Only he knows whether it is possible to do certain exercises in your particular case.

Fitness for pregnant women: some tips

In order for fitness during pregnancy to bring only benefits, you need to follow the following tips:

• Don’t overexert yourself. Even classes with a low intensity will provide the desired effect.
• Practice regularly. Otherwise, fitness in the early stages of pregnancy will not bring tangible benefits.
• If it is difficult to breathe, pause the workout, and then continue by choosing a more gentle mode.
• The most common mistake of moms attending a fitness class is to practice in order to get rid of “extra” kilograms. In fact, the goal should be to strengthen the muscles and prepare them for childbirth.
• Fitness requires comfortable sportswear that does not tighten the chest and stomach, and does not restrict movement.
• When doing exercises during pregnancy, you do not hold your breath. This will increase the pressure on the pelvis and cause dizziness.
• Rest after class. It is not recommended to immediately return to household chores. Lie down quietly for a while, but better try to sleep.

Fitness for pregnant women: 1 trimester

Some exercises should not be performed by pregnant women. During the 1st trimester of gestation, twisting and tilting are prohibited. They should not be done in the future, as this can damage the health of the mother and even cause a miscarriage, provoked by uterine hypertension.

Even with toxicosis observed at the initial stage of pregnancy, you should not give up fitness, as daily gentle workouts lasting 20 minutes will help to mitigate its manifestations.

The simplest and most effective exercise is to stand behind a chair with a back and spread your legs shoulder-width apart. Then you need to take up the “projectile” and gently rise on your toes.

At the same time, an inhalation is made on the rise, and when moving to the starting position, an exhalation is made. The exercise is done 10 times. You need to make sure that your back is straight all the time.

Another simple exercise is to perform swings with your feet in all directions, standing straight and holding on to the back of a chair. It needs to be done 10 times, alternately with both legs.

2nd trimester

If you decide not to forget about fitness in the future, choose exercises for pregnant women for the 2nd trimester so that they develop the muscles of the legs, back and abs as much as possible.

It is strictly forbidden to perform exercises from a horizontal position on the back, since you risk causing hypoxia in the fetus. With this position of the body, you may have a deterioration in the blood supply to the brain. To avoid this, the trainer for pregnant women usually replaces the recumbent position with a stand on all fours.

Fitness for pregnant women: 3rd trimester

In the 3rd trimester, stretching exercises are prohibited, which can cause dislocation, since during this period the pregnant woman’s body produces the hormone relaxin, which is responsible for the flexibility of the joints. It is allowed to perform only the movements recommended by specialists, as you will be hindered by an excessively increased belly. In general, during the last months of pregnancy, fitness, basically, should be a restorative exercise to prepare muscles and joints for childbirth.

You will need to buy a fitball (fitness ball) or use a comfortable ottoman. On them you will practice breathing exercises for pregnant women. The most famous of them is done this way: they sit on a fitness ball and, with their legs apart, begin to perform breathing exercises. They breathe like dogs, i.e. superficially. After 10 breaths, they switch to normal breathing. They pause for a minute and repeat the exercise. In total, you need to do 5 such approaches, and after a short break, go to other exercises.

During childbirth, it is more important how well the pelvic muscles are prepared for them. In order to bring them back to normal, we can recommend the following exercise:

• sit on the fitball
• cross your arms on your chest
• rotate the pelvis

It is necessary to make such rotations of 10 in both directions.

Now you know whether it is possible to do fitness, what exercises you need to do when the 3rd trimester of pregnancy has come, and what is not recommended for this or that period. It remains to be hoped that these recommendations will help you to bear and give birth to a healthy baby, as well as recover faster afterwards.