Posts Tagged ‘pregnancy’

What Exercises Should You Avoid during Pregnancy?

What Exercises Should You Avoid during Pregnancy?

When you become pregnant a lot of changes occur in your body. For the first few months you may feel like something has taken over your body. To compensate for that, exercise is a great way to relieve symptoms and keep the body strong for delivery. But, are there exercises that you should not do when pregnant?

There are many schools of thought on this matter. If you think back to frontier days, women helped with all of the work on the farm even when pregnant. It didn’t harm them then and it is no less safe to exercise now. The rule of thumb is to be careful and use common sense. If hit hurts, don’t do it.

Once you find out that you are pregnant, all contact sports must stop. Falling on the ground or being fallen on could contribute to a miscarriage early on or complications later in pregnancy.

Other than contact sports, most exercises are safe early on in pregnancy. Some people engage in aerobics classes, hiking, bicycling, weight lifting or whatever their favorite activity is. If you were active before pregnancy, you can continue on with your exercise program.

For women who were not active before pregnancy, it is never too late to start. Any activity during pregnancy will keep your weight constant and aid in an easier and shorter labor. Accounting for the growth of the baby, gaining as little as 20 pounds is all that is necessary for pregnancy.

All throughout your pregnancy avoid exercising in extreme temperatures or under conditions that increase your heart rate above 140 beats per minute. High temperatures can bring about dehydration and dizziness which are not good for your baby.

As the pregnancy progresses, you will have to adjust your workouts to compensate for the extra weight. Baby likes to move and kick, making your workouts challenging. Throughout the entire pregnancy, performing Kegel exercises prevents weakness in the pelvic floor. Baby will press on your organs and make it harder to hold your bladder.

Any activity that causes jarring should be avoided after the baby gets too large. Exercises like step aerobics, hiking, horseback riding and skiing have a high incidence of falling and injury normally. That incidence increases with a large baby in tow. A baby’s constant movement can throw you off balance and cause an accident that will hurt you and the baby. Jumping weakens the muscles of the pelvic floor.

If you must avoid so many exercises later on in pregnancy, what is left? Besides weight lifting and Kegel exercises, take a turn in the water. Water aerobics is easier on the joints and lets baby move without knocking you off balance. You can even weight lift in the water. It’s not as easy as you might think.

Exercise is a good way to stay fit during your pregnancy. As your baby grows, vary your activities to keep you and baby safe.

Top Ten Tips for Getting Back into Shape after Pregnancy

Top Ten Tips for Getting Back into Shape after Pregnancy

After baby is born you could be left with a bundle of extra weight. Here are ten tips for shedding those pounds and returning to a healthy weight.

1. First of all, give yourself some time. The most important thing to be concerned about is the baby. Your body also needs some rest after nine months of sharing a body. Give it two or three months at the least before you think seriously about starting your weight-loss regimen.

2. Start slowly. The only way to stick with an exercise plan is to ease into it. Women who dive head first into exercise may get discouraged by aches and pains.

3. Don’t have unrealistic expectations. It takes time to get up enough energy to do a full workout and to lose the weight. Avoid discouragement by having small goals.

4. Do something that you love to do. You may have to work back up to it but that’s okay. If you love jogging, start out walking until you are ready to jog. Exercise for the sake of exercise will not keep you going.

5. Exercise at least three days a week to begin with. Twenty to thirty minutes three days a week will help you lose weight and keep your heart and lungs in shape. Leave a day of rest in between each workout so your body can recover.

6. Eat a healthy diet. Part of the weight-loss equation is eating the right foods. Avoid processed foods, even healthy sounding ones in the frozen food aisle. If you are breastfeeding it is important to choose carefully. fresh fruits, whole grains, plenty of vegetables and lean meats are good for a start. Keep it wholesome for you and your baby.

7. Don’t neglect working out at home. You don’t need a fancy gym to get the exercise that you need. Pop in a video or walk around the neighborhood. The important thing is to keep moving and burn those calories.

8. Integrate your baby into the exercise. You have a built-in workout partner. Place him in a stroller and get moving. Strap on a baby harness and hit the mall.

9. Make it a family affair. Get the whole family moving for their health. Do you have older children? Take a hiking day trip on the weekend.

10. Integrate weight training. When you are ready, lifting weights will burn more calories than just aerobic activity alone. Buy a pair of dumbbells and perform a workout at home. FIRM has great DVD workouts that combine aerobics with weights for faster results.

Losing weight is never easy, especially after pregnancy. You have given your body as a comfortable home for your baby until his birth. Now, it’s time to get that house back in order.