You can’t go without exercise: how to exercise properly during pregnancy

It is believed that during pregnancy, girls can only do foot exercises and breathing exercises. But what to do for those who want to fully exercise even at this time? Is it safe for pregnant women to train, how to do it correctly and what are the contraindications, we understand together with the trainer Natalia Minaeva.

Why train during pregnancy?

Exercise during this period is different from the usual. As a rule, their purpose is not to increase muscle mass or figure correction, but to prepare for childbirth. Training will help to transfer this process more easily and recover faster after them.

Also exercise during pregnancy:

• relieve the frequency and strength of back and lower back pain;
• help keep your posture straight;
• support and psycho-emotional state – keep confidence in yourself and your strength;
• improve digestive processes and the intestinal tract;
• help get rid of swollen limbs and leg cramps;
• improve sleep;
• keep your weight in check.

When should I start exercising?

The first trimester a girl should carefully monitor her own condition and observe the development of the fetus. Since in the first 12 weeks the fetal egg is not yet tightly enough attached to the uterine wall and the placenta is not fully formed, there is a risk of miscarriage. Therefore, at this time to train, and especially to perform weight-bearing exercises is not recommended.

But if the future mother is absolutely healthy and has been regularly exercising before, you can carefully start exercising from the first trimester, observing the safety rules.

What exercises can be performed?

Viktigt! During the performance of all exercises, it is necessary to control the pulse and breathing. For this purpose, you should use a heart rate monitor or a conversation test: if the pregnant woman can talk freely during the exercise, everything is normal. If the heart rate is high, the mother and fetus fight for oxygen, causing a state of hypoxia, which can lead to dire consequences.

Warm-up: 5 minutes.

For all three trimesters, the warm-up is approximately the same: walking on a track (without running!), exercise on a spinning bike at medium intensity.

The main part: 40 minutes.
Wellness workouts, Pilates (mommy Pilates, mommy yoga) are ideal for pregnant women.

Types of exercises performed – low-intensity aerobic exercise, strength training with a small weight, work on breathing. You can include strength, stretching and corrective exercises, foot exercises are mandatory.

From the third trimester, it is necessary to limit the exercises that are performed standing, since during this period the load on the musculoskeletal system is already great. Therefore, exercises are performed either on a fitball or on another elevated position.

Warm-up: 5 minutes.

To calculate the ideal individual time and load, you should reduce what you did before pregnancy by 50%, and eliminate axial loads, vertical pulls, sudden movements, exercises with breath-holding or pushing, leg lifts and exposure of the abdominal muscles. In addition, torso bending is highly discouraged in the third semester.

How often should I exercise?

It is ideal to exercise five times a week. In exercises for pregnant women, regularity and variety are important. You can start from the following program: three days – wellness training, strength training with minimal weights with permissible exercises and 1-2 times a week – Pilates or yoga.

During pregnancy, you can not workout on an ad hoc basis. If you have started going to the gym, you need to continue to do so until you give birth. Training during pregnancy should be more regular than in normal times, but the classes can be less intense.

What are the contraindications to exercise?

Any pregnant woman should start exercising with her doctor’s permission. It is ideal if the trainer and the gynecologist keep in touch and the doctor passes on recommendations as the fetus develops.

The goal of exercise is to provide an optimal level of physical activity to promote maternal and fetal health, stay active, support and maintain social roles and self-confidence and self-esteem. It is important for pregnant women to feel that this is not an illness, but a period that can be spent perfectly and prepare the body for childbirth.

Contraindications to exercise during pregnancy include:

• hypertension – persistent increase in blood pressure;
• more than two miscarriages before the current pregnancy;
• placenta previa;
• threat of abortion;
• bleeding during pregnancy;
• abnormal position of the cervix;
• systematic onset of lower abdominal pain after exercise.