Pregnancy and Exercise

For many women, exercise is an important part of their lives, and they want to continue their exercise programs during pregnancy. In most cases, they can.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that, in low-risk pregnancies, moderate or even vigorous exercise is safe for the baby. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ACOG) now recommends that most pregnant women participate in 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise on most, if not all, days of the week.

Exercise advice is different for higher-risk pregnancies. If you have pregnancy complications, or if you develop warning signs such as vaginal bleeding, dizziness, chest pain, severe shortness of breath, calf pain or swelling, regular painful contractions, fluid leakage, or reduced fetal movement, stop exercising and seek medical advice.

Benefits of Exercise in Pregnancy

Some of the benefits of exercising regularly throughout your pregnancy include:

• Resistance to fatigue
• Stronger back muscles, which can help manage back pain and strain as your belly grows
• Improved posture
• Smaller gain of body fat
• Stress relief
• Improved sleep and management of insomnia
• Preparation for the physical demands of labour
• Faster recuperation after labour
• Faster return to pre-pregnancy fitness and healthy weight
• Increased ability to cope with physical demands of motherhood.

Objectives of a Pregnancy Program

A pregnancy health and fitness program will help you to understand the:

• benefits of exercise prior to and during pregnancy
• physical changes that occur during pregnancy
• effects of exercise on you and your baby
• benefits of exercising post-pregnancy.

A good fitness advisor for pregnant women has ability to understand, listen, support and encourage those they coach, and should tailor exercises to your stage of pregnancy and any medical guidance you have received.

Avoid the Risk of Ongoing Back Pain

A significant percentage of women don’t fully recover from pregnancy-related back pain. “Some 5% of all pregnant women, or 20% of all women with back pain during pregnancy, had pain 3 years later,” researchers in Sweden found. The study pooled data on 799 expectant mothers. Of these, 231 suffered back pain during pregnancy and 41 reported residual pain 3 years later.

According to the report, “Women with combined lumbar and posterior pelvic pain were significantly more disabled [compared with women with only lumbar or only posterior pelvic pain] and had significantly lower endurance in the lumbar back and hip abduction muscles.” “The key problem may be poor muscle function in the back and pelvis,” speculate researchers.

Prevention of back pain, through exercise and posture management is the ideal path to take. Ongoing back pain after pregnancy is sometimes assessed by chiropractors or other healthcare professionals experienced in musculoskeletal conditions.