Is it safe to Exercise during Pregnancy?

Is it safe to exercise during your pregnancy?  The simplest answer is YES. Lets explore this in more detail [...]

For the vast majority people exercise is safe during pregnancy and it is a wonderful thing that you should be doing. Unfortunately, a recent study has shown that only 1 in 4 women are getting enough exercise during their pregnancy.

There are many factors that contribute to women not exercising during their pregnancy.  Sometimes, it’s fear of the unknown. Sometimes, with their bodies going through so many changes during the pregnancy women are unsure of what they should be doing or what they should be feeling. Oftentimes, women can get discouraged because their body is changing so much that they just figure the will get big during the pregnancy, and deal with it afterwards.

MOVEMENT IS MEDICINE
It is important to know that comfortable exercise during your pregnancy and focusing on food nutrition can actually give you more energy and can lower the rates of gestational diabetes, hypertension and depression. We want to find comfortable ways that you can move and exercise to have a healthier pregnancy for you and your baby.

Some of the main benefits of exercise during pregnancy include:  

• Reduction in the amount of cortisol, the stress hormone.
• Improvement in muscle strength
• Improvement in cardiovascular health
• Mood improvement
• Better energy levels

What are some of the best exercises that you can be doing during your pregnancy?
What type of exercise you do during your pregnancy depends on many things. A main factor to consider is how physically active you were prior to your pregnancy.  Many women may use their pregnancy as a time to start to be more healthy and active. And that is a great thing to do. However, if you have never been very active, this is not the time to start training for a marathon.

Especially if you are just starting out, try engaging in more lower impact activities such as swimming or walking, biking. All of these things have a little bit less impact to the body. During the pregnancy, our ligaments loosen up some because of the hormonal changes and this make us a little bit more susceptible to injuries.

Another good rule of thumb is don’t force through pain. If some things not comfortable while you’re exercising, then STOP. This is not a time for no pain, no gain. Muscle burn from working hard is okay, but that soreness should only last for a day or two. If you’re experiencing more intense pain while you’re doing something or shortly there afterwards, please stop and consult your healthcare provider about it.

If you would like assistance trying to figure out what exercises are going to be best for you during your pregnancy, please contact us to talk with one of our skilled therapists. We are happy to help you be active!