7 Pregnancy Workout Tips to Help With an Easier Delivery

Having a baby inside you is a big responsibility. While you need to get exercise to stay healthy for you and your unborn child, you may be apprehensive about trying it while pregnant.

Thankfully, there are many things you can do to ensure that you and baby are safe while getting the workout your body needs.

THE BENEFITS OF A PREGNANCY WORKOUT

Working out can have many benefits for you as an expectant mother. First, you will sleep better.

Second, your stress levels will decrease as your feel-good hormones increase.

Lastly, everyone in the house can benefit when you are getting the workout you need. Here are some other benefits of a pregnancy workout:

• Lessens Lower Back Pain
• Reduce the Chance of Gestational Diabetes by 30 Percent
• Keep C-Sections at Bay
• Reduce the Chance of Developing Depression
• Reduce Weight Gain
• Help with Urinary Incontinence
• Keep Constipation Away
• Increase Your Stamina
• Have Reduce Labor Times

While these are the benefits to you as an expectant mother, the baby also has many benefits when you do a pregnancy workout. Some of the advantages include:

• Healthy Heart
• Proper Neurological Development
• Keep Respiratory Distress at Bay
• Healthy Birth Weight

When you have less stress, it has an impact on the baby’s immune system development.

THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE STARTING A PREGNANCY WORKOUT

Before you begin any exercise regimen, you must check with your midwife or doctor. Since each pregnancy is unique, you need to make sure that everything is okay. Some women cannot have the vigorous activity that exercise allows, so you need to make sure that no complications arise from these maneuvers.

One of the most popular exercises is crunches. However, it’s not advisable to lay flat on your back as it can put unnecessary pressure on your body. You will notice after about four months into your pregnancy that you have a hard time lying comfortably on your back.

As you hit the 16-week mark, the weight of your baby bump will press on the blood vessels in the region, making you feel dizzy and affecting your blood flow. So, while you need pelvic and core muscle strengthening, you need to save stomach crunches until the baby is born.

If you’re someone who turns the treadmill up to 10 and doesn’t break a sweat, you may want to tone it down while you have a baby on board. It would help if you took it down from a 10 to a 7, at least. The rule of thumb is that you should be able to hold a conversation without panting.

Another important thing is that you don’t want to raise your core body temperature by more than 2°F. While it may not seem like much of a temperature change to you, your unborn child can feel the difference. Additionally, these higher temperatures can cause congenital disabilities to the spine or brain.

Due to the risk of hyperthermia, or having a body temperature that’s too warm, you should also avoid hot tubs. Exercises like hot yoga that involve heat to sweat out impurities should be averted.

Lastly, on the things to consider during your pregnancy workout, you don’t want to involve any contact sports. While it may be fun to toss the football around with your other kids, it can be hazardous for the fetus. Other activities to avoid include scuba diving, horseback riding, gymnastics, cycling, and kickboxing.

7 SAFE WORKOUTS FOR EXPECTANT MOTHERS + TIPS

If you’re going to work with a personal trainer, which is advisable, you should let them know that you’re expecting upfront. They need to tailor your workout to your specific needs. Since you’re getting ready to bring a child into the world, you need some muscle strength in your pelvic floor.

1. STRENGTHEN CORE MUSCLES

During your workout, learning to breathe and control your core correctly will help you have reduced back pain during labor and delivery. As your baby grows, the fetus is putting pressure on the pelvic floor and your lungs. When you can learn to breathe correctly and keep core integrity, it will help you during labor and afterward.

2. UTILIZE HOLISTIC CORE RESTORE

Have you ever heard of Holistic Core Restore? Since you can’t do traditional abdominal crunches, you can work with a coach who will use your pelvic floor and core muscles throughout the workout. Using a unique series of movements, you can learn how to do modified abdominal exercises.