Blogs
Tips for staying fit during pregnancy and postpartum
Fitness Tips for the First Trimester
We know.. fitness sometimes sucks.. but incorporating daily exercise into one’s routine has a lot of health benefits, especially for pregnant women who are looking to stay fit during the course of their pregnancy. Exercise can help reduce fatigue, stress, morning sickness, improve sleep, and can help you maintain an overall healthy weight.
We highly recommended you participate in low-impact exercise when you are pregnant so that you do not put too much stress on your bones, joints, and most importantly your baby. Consider walking, swimming, water aerobics, spin, and/or yoga instead of sprinting, or taking a stab at the weights at the gym! These activities are also both low impact exercises which can increase your heart rate without the danger of biking outdoors.
Fitness Tips for the Second Trimester
As you enter into your second trimester, try to take a few more precautionary measures as you think about exercising. It is important that you do not overly exercise once you hit the second or third trimester. Instead of your typical routine, try to exercise for smaller intervals. Additionally, Sudden movements, such as jumping, should be avoided. If you find yourself experiencing abdominal pain or vaginal discharge, stop all activities altogether and consider some much needed bed rest. Listen to your body, and life will be good!
Fitness Tips for the Third Trimester
As the third trimester approaches, regular exercise still is advised to be maintained in order to help prepare a pregnant woman for labor. According to Dr. Sheryl A. Ross, M.D., an award-winning OB/GYN, entrepreneur and woman’s health expert, a regular exercise routine may not only help in feeling less bloated or swollen, but it will also give you more energy as you head towards the home stretch. Strenuous activities such as jumping, hopping, skipping, and bouncing, however, should be avoided. Walking and jogging are still recommended as the best forms of exercise for pregnant women. Swimming, aqua aerobics, yoga, pilates, barre, and cycling, are also great exercise routines while still maintaining low impact. Another recommendation is to take core strengthening classes, which specifically cater to pregnant women. An advantage to these classes is that the poses used for pregnant women are already tailor-fitted for their ease and comfort. It is important to strengthen the core muscles during the pregnancy, as these groups of muscles are considerably weakened during this period. While heavy weight lifting is not advisable during the third trimester, squats, modified planks, and wall push ups are allowed to maintain over-all strength in one’s body.
Fitness Tips PostPartum – for two
Post-pregnancy workouts are not advised to be done right away after child birth. Easing back slowly into exercising is recommended. For starters, one can go back to walking for 5-minutes, gradually increasing your time per day until she gets used to the activity. For strengthening of one’s pelvic floor muscles post-pregnancy, one can opt to add kegel exercises to her daily routine. Kegel exercises are good for the body as it helps in reducing risks associated with childbirth.
There are a few exercises that can be done by the mother while being with her baby, and even with her husband.
- Introducing the baby glider. To do this, the mom must be holding the baby close to the chest, then do a forward lunge with the left leg. After the lunge, return to the starting position, then lunge with the right leg.
- Second is the baby bouncer. This is similar to the baby glider, but rather than lunging forward, the mother will do side lunges and do a squat.
- Lastly is the rock-a-baby squat and curls, which can only be done if the baby is at least 10 to 12 weeks old. The mother will stand with her legs shoulder-width apart, then holding her baby close to the chest, she will squat down. The baby’s feet should be touching the ground. As the mother stands up, she will bring her baby close to her chest.
Any questions? – chat with us! We’re PostPartum Doulas located in Arizona, and can help you think of new and fun ways to keep yourself healthy and fit !
