If you are pregnant, it is essential to ensure that you stay active. Women who maintain a healthy body during this period generally experience fewer complaints and often have a better and faster recovery after childbirth. During pregnancy, your body prepares itself for the healthy growth of your baby over the nine months. This process requires a strong body. Regular exercise provides many benefits for both you and your baby. Continuing or starting to exercise during pregnancy has numerous advantages. Being active can prevent or reduce many common pregnancy complaints, improve your sleep, and help you navigate the birth process more easily. In the rest of the article, you will find information about pregnancy exercises and various topics you should pay attention to during this period.
The Importance of Exercising During Pregnancy
Exercising during pregnancy has positive effects on both the mother and the baby. Especially if you had an active lifestyle before pregnancy, it is recommended to continue with the same routine. It is important to pay attention to the changes happening in your body and avoid movements that strain you. However, if you are starting for the first time, you should be more cautious. Since your body is not used to exercises, it is recommended to progress gradually and include exercises approved by your doctor in your routines. In cases of a high-risk pregnancy, especially with risks like miscarriage, there are certain movements to avoid. However, if you have been exercising and participating in sports activities throughout your life, continuing can generally be beneficial for both you and your baby.
You can continue doing all the sports you did before pregnancy until the last moment. It is not recommended to start any new sport that you are not familiar with. After all, you never know how your pregnant body will react. In short, make sure you avoid doing things that no longer make you feel good. Your body will guide you if you listen to it. During pregnancy, activities such as walking, swimming, or cycling are good for your energy levels. Here are a few tips to help you with exercise during pregnancy:
- Those who were fit before pregnancy typically gain less weight, and since the body is accustomed to physical activity, you can continue to support it with exercises.
- Pay attention to your body temperature; since more blood is pumped and heart rate increases during pregnancy, be cautious of movements that raise body heat and heart rate.
- Avoid exercises that target the abdominal muscles, as the stomach, intestines, and ureters are affected during pregnancy.
- Monitor your heart rate and breathing, and make sure you can still talk while exercising.
- To maintain sufficient energy, you can eat some fruit or a cookie before exercising.
- Be cautious with or avoid high-impact movements such as jogging and jumping.
- Avoid movements that involve unexpected twists, as your joints and connective tissues may be weaker during pregnancy, which means you are at a higher risk of injury.
- Lying on your back may not always be ideal for circulation; therefore, avoid staying in the same position for a long time as it may reduce blood flow.
- It is recommended to drink plenty of water (at least 1 liter) during exercise.
- Since your breasts also grow, it is important to have a good sports bra.
- You should avoid contact sports like horseback riding or skiing, where the risk of falling is high.
- Exercise can be performed throughout pregnancy (albeit less intensely). However, in cases of early contractions, vaginal discharge, a very high heart rate, very high blood pressure, palpitations, or early contractions of the uterus, exercise should be stopped immediately.
- In cases of a complicated pregnancy, always consult your doctor for guidance.
The Benefits of Exercising During Pregnancy
If you are pregnant and accustomed to exercising, it is often questioned whether continuing is a wise choice. In the past, people were mostly advised to stay calm and minimize movement, but today, the benefits of staying active during pregnancy have been proven through research. Therefore, exercise is generally healthy even if you are pregnant.
There are several benefits to exercising during pregnancy. For example, women who exercise regularly during pregnancy experience fewer pregnancy-related discomforts, sleep better, and gain weight in a healthy manner. Here are some highlighted benefits of exercising during pregnancy:
- By exercising, you can prevent excessive weight gain, as exercise always helps with weight control. Gaining around 10-15 kilograms during pregnancy is ideal. You can continue to exercise while managing weight and increase your calorie intake when necessary.
- Exercise can prevent fluid retention for long periods since it keeps your circulation active and helps you feel better. You can do exercises that work your pelvic muscles for this. Even if you haven’t exercised before, you can start.
- Exercise also has positive effects on your unborn baby. Gentle endurance sports can be a great preparation for the final stages of your pregnancy and delivery.
- It strengthens your muscles and endurance, allowing you to move more easily as your belly grows and becomes heavier.
- You stay fit during pregnancy, and labor can be easier.
- Regular exercise ensures good blood flow to the placenta, which continues to function perfectly until the end of pregnancy. This can reduce the risk of chronic diseases in your baby in the future.
- Exercise also has a positive impact on your baby’s IQ. Research shows that exercising contributes to the brain development of the child.
- Exercising with other pregnant women makes you feel strong and not alone.
- An additional advantage is that after your child is born, you recover more easily and return to your pre-pregnancy body faster.
Beneficial Exercises During Pregnancy
Some sports are more suitable than others when you are pregnant. Exercising during pregnancy often makes you feel more energetic; in addition, maintaining your weight and strengthening your muscles are, of course, beneficial. However, you need to be careful, as some exercises and movements can be too challenging during pregnancy. Here are the recommended exercises and sports to do when pregnant:
Swimming or Aerobics
Swimming or water running is extremely suitable when pregnant. Water helps you carry extra weight thanks to its buoyancy. It supports movement in your joints without adding extra strain, helping to prevent injuries. The soothing feeling of water is also beneficial for stress. Swimming strengthens many muscles without requiring extreme movements, making it beneficial for both pregnancy and childbirth. For more detailed information about swimming, you can check our article on the Benefits of Swimming.
Aerobics is a sport you can continue if you keep the impact low. After the 4th month of pregnancy, jumping or running can be risky. Additionally, arm and leg movements should be light. Weight training is not recommended during pregnancy. However, stretching movements can always be done. The best approach for every sport is to listen to your body.
Tennis and Badminton
You can play these sports during pregnancy as long as you feel comfortable. However, be cautious with sprints, turning movements, and sudden stops. Your body changes during pregnancy, so sports like tennis can sometimes be very challenging. Due to the risk of miscarriage, some sports, including tennis, are not recommended for the first three months of pregnancy.
Cycling
As long as your body does not indicate that cycling is too strenuous, you can continue. Ensure that there is enough space between the handlebars and your stomach. If you regularly cycled before pregnancy, you can continue cycling during pregnancy by adjusting your speed. However, in the final months and weeks, exercise should be done more carefully or stopped altogether. In the case of cycling, it is advisable to stop once your belly begins to interfere with the ride.
Yoga
Yoga is one of the most recommended practices during pregnancy. Especially yoga exercises designed specifically for pregnant women are highly beneficial. These exercises are grouped under prenatal yoga. Through different exercises, you relax your mind and learn different breathing techniques that may help you during childbirth. Yoga includes special exercises to strengthen your pelvis, helping you stay fit and approach birth with confidence. For more information on yoga, you can read our article on The Miraculous Benefits of Yoga.
Fitness
Fitness and exercise offer many benefits not only for pregnant women but for everyone. In fact, leading a sedentary lifestyle during pregnancy is associated with some serious health risks that can be life-threatening for both the mother and the fetus. Additionally, if you begin pregnancy overweight (obese), the risk of spontaneous miscarriage, gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, preterm birth, and even stillbirth may increase. Exercising before pregnancy is always recommended.
Things to Consider When Doing Exercise During Pregnancy
Pregnancy exercises can be done at home or in gyms. In a risk-free pregnancy, you can continue strengthening your muscles and working your joints with small movements at home. Of course, this depends on which month of pregnancy you are in. However, it is always crucial for both your and your baby’s health to seek professional guidance and exercise with your doctor’s knowledge. Pregnancy exercises should not be as extreme as regular exercises. Pregnancy can make your body more sensitive, so it is recommended to choose light but active movements, such as warm-up exercises.
In the early stages of pregnancy (up to the 20th week), you can continue doing most sports. However, you should avoid contact with hard objects or punches to your stomach, as in martial arts, soccer, or hockey. From the 20th week onwards, the belly becomes more visible, and for most pregnant women, this means they need to be more mindful of what they can physically do. Nevertheless, every body and every pregnancy is quite different. Therefore, you can listen to your body and continue exercising as much as your doctor allows.
Different programs can be created for pregnant women, and pregnancy exercises can be spread over several days of the week. For a healthy pregnancy, it is recommended that the exercise program be spread over at least three days, typically with a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. This duration can include moderate-intensity efforts such as brisk walking or gardening.
You can start with a 5-minute walk or exercise each day and gradually complete at least 30 minutes daily. Although walking is generally recommended for women who did not have a sports routine before pregnancy, it is beneficial for everyone as it is a low-intensity exercise.
Daily pelvic floor muscle training can help reduce the risk of urinary incontinence after childbirth. Therefore, even while sitting, you can prepare these muscles for childbirth and postpartum by practicing contracting and releasing movements, similar to holding and releasing urine.
To experience a better and healthier pregnancy, it is recommended to stay active. For this, you can create exercise programs at home or follow programs designed by professional trainers.