Exercising while pregnant is generally fine as long as mom and baby are healthy. However, you have to follow a few guidelines to ensure that your exercise routine is as healthy as possible. There are several tips to keep in mind that will ensure that women with a healthy pregnancy exercise properly.
Eat More Calories
You have to ensure that you are getting adequate calories since exercise burns them. Consider the exercise you are doing and take a general calorie count. From there, count your calories and make sure to re-add the calories you burn during your workouts.
Dress Right
You want to make sure that the clothes you wear are comfortable and not overly restrictive. Leggings that are the appropriate size and a shirt that is loose-fitting are ideal. Make sure that your tennis shoes are appropriate for the exercise you are doing.
Stay Hydrated
You want to drink plenty of water throughout your pregnancy, but especially when you are sweating and increasing your heart rate. You should not feel thirsty and make sure that your urine is a pale yellow. If it gets darker, drink more water.
Practice Moderation
Exercise can be healthy during pregnancy, but do not overdo it. Make sure to not get overheated and avoid vigorous workouts. Walking, swimming, stretching and gentle bodyweight exercises are ideal during pregnancy.
Warm Up and Cool Down
Before you get into a workout, you want to spend 15 minutes getting your body ready. Walking or gentle laps in the pool are ideal ways of warming up and gently getting your heart rate increased. Never stretch before warming up to prevent muscle injury.
After your workout, you want to spend 15 minutes doing a cool down. This allows you to gently bring yourself out of your workout and gradually bring your heart rate down.
Be Mindful of What You Choose
You want to avoid things like contact sports since these can be dangerous for your baby. You should also avoid exercising in remote areas alone since if something happens, you cannot get help in a timely manner.
Get Up Slowly
When you are doing exercises on the floor, you want to make sure that you rise slowly. This is especially important later in your pregnancy when your center of gravity is off and you are at a greater risk for falls.
Exercise Regularly
Exercising once in a great while does not offer you the most benefit for your efforts, so you want to do it regularly. You want to create a workout schedule and stick to it. If you are new to exercise, aim for three days a week with a day of rest in between workout days.
Before you choose to exercise while pregnant, make sure that you talk to your doctor. You want to make sure that you are healthy enough. You can also get information from your doctor about the best types of exercise for you.
