The importance of exercise is well-known, yet not all women engage in it during pregnancy. Various factors contribute to this: heavy workloads, caring for a young child, numerous family duties, or simply laziness. Despite these reasons, it’s crucial to understand that exercise during pregnancy can aid in carrying the child and giving birth without complications. This serves as a significant incentive since the child’s health is of utmost importance to the mother.
Here, you will find the best women’s online workouts, follow the instructions to improve both your health and your child’s health. While the benefits of physical exercise are significant, it is advisable to consult a doctor before starting. If there are contraindications, it is better to postpone the exercises. Home exercises for pregnant women are not recommended if there is a risk of miscarriage, uterine hypertension, hormonal problems (such as corpus luteum insufficiency), or a history of bleeding.
4 Rules You Should Follow Before Doing Exercises During Pregnancy
Rule number 1. Move more
Movement improves the blood supply to all organs, including the pelvic organs, which is excellent for preventing labor complications. It enhances tissue elasticity, preventing injuries and ruptures of the birth canal. Additionally, movement helps maintain a good mood, alleviate anxious thoughts and depression, and improve sleep.
Rule number 2. Avoid sudden movements
Future mothers at all stages of pregnancy should avoid exercises that strengthen the abdomen, jumps, and the use of power equipment. Move smoothly and gradually increase the load. When lying down or getting up, do so in stages and very carefully.
Rule number 3. Watch your pulse
If your heart rate increases, you must immediately stop and inform your doctor. The same applies to any drawing or aching pains in the abdomen.
Rule number 4. Follow the time recommendations
Exercises should be done either 2 hours before meals or 2 hours after eating. It is advisable to exercise at the same time each day, dedicating 30 minutes to an hour daily. Do gymnastics in a well-ventilated room and on a rug, not on a slippery floor.
Usually, during the first trimester, a woman only realizes that she is pregnant. The belly has not yet grown, and no one is kicking inside. If there is no toxicosis, pregnancy is only noticeable due to the absence of menstruation. Therefore, a woman rarely makes significant lifestyle changes. However, it is better not to forget about exercise in the first trimester.
Exercise for pregnant women in the first trimester usually includes breathing exercises and light warm-up movements. Active movements are not recommended, as the risk of miscarriage in the first twelve weeks is high. In the presence of gestosis, physical activity can help alleviate its symptoms and other issues arising from hormonal changes in the body.
You will need a chair with a backrest: Leaning your hands on the back of the chair, perform shallow squats with legs apart. Alternate this exercise with lifting onto your toes.
Exercise 2.
Strengthen the chest muscles and improve its shape: During and after childbirth, many women experience changes in breast shape. This simple exercise can help maintain breast shape. Keep your hands at chest level, press your palms together, and exert pressure to feel the chest muscles working.
Exercise 3.
Exercise for oblique abdominal muscles: Leaning on the back of the chair, cross one leg over the other, then move it sideways and back. This helps prevent stretch marks and prepares the body for childbirth.
Exercise 4.
Rotation of the pelvis: Perform circular movements of the pelvis in both directions. Keep your legs shoulder-width apart and slightly bent at the knees.
Exercise 5.
Rotation of the foot: This exercise can be performed anytime, anywhere. Perform circular rotations of the foot, rising onto the toes if desired. This helps avoid varicose veins and cramps, especially for women who spend a lot of time sitting.
Important: If there are signs of poor health, stop exercising and perform a few breathing exercises. Overexertion and forced exercise are unacceptable.
The second trimester is calmer in terms of hormonal changes. The uterus increases in size, making the pregnancy more noticeable. During this period, exercise is recommended to prevent various issues. As the fetus grows, the load on the cardiovascular system increases, and posture changes. Exercises help manage these changes, improving the pregnant woman’s overall condition.
Exercise 1.
Lift your arms up and gently stretch your whole body. You can move slightly to the left and right. All movements should be smooth and slow. Repeat 3 times and take a short break.
Exercise 2.
Sit on a firm surface. Cross your legs in front of you in a “Turkish” position. Keep your back straight and make smooth head turns. Extend your arms and make rotational movements from your wrists to your shoulders. Repeat 10 times, then rest for 30-60 seconds. Visualize your skin becoming elastic and smooth. After the preparatory exercises, proceed to the basic exercises for different muscle groups.
Exercise 3.
In a sitting position, press your open palms together at chest level. Alternately press one hand against the other, simulating the motion of squeezing juice from citrus. Do this 10 times and repeat for several sets if desired.
Exercise 4.
Channel your inner “Mermaid” from the cartoon. Sit on your hip with your legs slightly forward. Support yourself with one hand along your body while the other hand is extended upwards and slightly to the side. Change sides and repeat 10 times for each hand.
Exercise 5.
For oblique abdominal muscles: Lie on your side with your arms extended and stacked. Slowly turn your body, taking the upper arm 180 degrees. Return to the starting position and repeat 10 times for each side.
Fitball exercises are excellent for training the perineum muscles. Sit on a large rubber ball with your hips as wide as possible. Hold the position until you feel a slight tension, then bring your legs together. Relax your pelvis and perineum when opening the hips, and tense them when returning to the original position. This improves blood flow to the pelvic organs.
Exercise 7.
To strengthen your back, stand on all fours with your legs apart and arms wide. This position is called a “cat.” Arch your back and exhale as much as possible, lowering your head toward the floor. Repeat 10-15 times in several sets if desired.
Exercise 8.
Foot exercises are crucial in the second trimester as legs become more tired from walking. Sit on a fitball. Raise your legs to the width
The third trimester is considered to be the most difficult, and this opinion has arisen for a reason. Usually up to 30 weeks a woman feels cheerful, but after this period everything changes in the opposite direction. There is sluggishness, heaviness in the legs, back pain, heartburn, constipation, and Leg Vein Swelling or even varicose veins. But if you pay attention to your health, then gymnastics for pregnant women can do wonders. Simple movements and elementary slopes stimulate blood flow, restore peristalsis of the intestine, relieve swelling and kidney problems. Exercises will help to control the weight of a woman, which is also an important factor.
Exercise 1.
Using your hands on the fit-ball (it is possible and on the back of the chair), squat slowly . Take care that you have a straight back, and do not tear off the heels from the floor. Some squat and just like that, spreading their legs wide. Sit on the ball so that your legs are spread out across the width of the pelvis. In this exercise, you will need to circle the pelvis. Hands can be crossed on the chest, keep in front of them or rest against them in the ball, if you can not keep the balance.
Exercise 2.
Sitting on the fit-ball, gently swing alternately in the right side and in the left, but refrain from full slopes. To strengthen the pectoral muscles, rhythmically compress the ball with your hands. This exercise can be performed sitting on the floor or standing.
Exercise 3.
Sit on the fit-ball and alternately bend your arms, holding them in a non-heavy dumbbell. You can lie on the ball, legs apart on the width of the shoulders. Rolling so in different directions, you can strengthen the muscles of the legs. Also on fit-ball recommend making turns.
Sit on the ball and turn to the right, winding your left leg behind your right leg. Similarly – and in the other direction. Thus, you stretch and train your back muscles (you can do without the ball).
Exercise 5.
Stand on your feet, spread them to the width of your shoulders, bend so that you can roll your fitball with your hands, without straining your shoulder joints. For the prevention of varicose veins, the exercises are recommended, lying on the back (remember about the insecurity of this posture in the third trimester). If you have symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency, you may look for a Varicose Vein Treatment Specialist such as Venus Vein Clinic to schedule a free vascular analysis.
Exercise 6.
You will need to put each leg on the ball, and then roll it back and forth or do circular motions.
Exercise 7.
Another interesting and useful exercise that contributes to the prevention of flat feet: sitting on the fitball and spreading your legs to the width of your shoulders, hold it behind you, and then guide the lower leg with your left foot. Repeat the same and vice versa.
Important: The exercises with the ball will help you keep the gluteal muscles, as well as the muscles of the arms, legs, back and chest (all exercises are recommended to do 10-15 times).
Top-4 Benefits You will Get if Do Exercises Regularly
Proceeding from the above, all pregnant women should do exercises, irrespective of their way of life. Regular exercising affects many points:
Improves blood circulation in internal organs. Pregnancy affects the metabolism and life processes. Gymnastics allows you to quickly adapt to the changes that have occurred.
Adequate uterine-placental blood flow creates good conditions for the development of the child.
Preparation of a woman for the childbirth. During the exercises, the muscles of the pelvis, abdomen and back are trained, which improves the process of delivery and is the prevention of various complications (weakness of labor, placenta attachment, bleeding after childbirth). A breathing exercises for pregnant women will teach a woman the right behavior and breathing during the birth of a child.
Reduces the likelihood of health problems during pregnancy. Back pain is less common, varicose veins are not common, and constipation and heartburn go into the background. Especially good is gymnastics for pregnant women on the ball, as it allows to develop coordination and a sense of balance.
Laurel Naversen Geraghty, is a board-certified, Stanford-masterminded dermatologist and writer. Her motto: “Excellence doesn’t require penance; it requires consideration and a sensitive methodology."
