Exercise for Pregnancy

Pregnancy is an incredible time for a woman marked by an amazing, and at times challenging, transformation. Pregnancy might leave you feeling delighted, anxious, exhilarated and exhausted — sometimes all at once. Common physical changes during pregnancy include bouts of nausea from rapidly rising levels of estrogen and progesterone, tender, swollen breasts, increased urination, fatigue and dizziness, and increasing laxity in joints due to hormones, all of which must be managed appropriately to avoid injury.

For those that going through pregnancy and are not experiencing any complications there is no reason why they cannot exercise whilst pregnant. On the contrary, staying active and incorporating regular exercise into a pregnancy routine offers a host of benefits for the mum-to-be. Regular exercise will help keep pregnant women healthy and help avoid pregnancy complications like preeclampsia and diabetes.

Why is exercise so important?

Exercise is important for everyone and regular physical exercise can provide many social, mental, health and fitness benefits during pregnancy.

Exercise during pregnancy is particularly recommended to reduce pregnancy related hypertension and gestational diabetes. Not all exercises are suitable for pregnant women however – so seek professional advice early.

Things to remember:

• Exercise should be terminated should any of the following occur: vaginal bleeding, dyspnea before exertion, dizziness, headache, chest pain or muscle pain
• Pregnant women should avoid exercising in the supine position (lying on your back) after the first trimester to ensure that venous obstruction does not occur
• Deconditioning typically occurs during the initial postpartum period, so women should gradually increase physical activity levels until pre-pregnancy physical fitness levels are achieved.
• Increased laxity in joints due to hormonal changes can cause injury if not managed appropriately.