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Pregnancy and Exercise

Exercise during pregnancy is fine as long as it is approached with care and consideration.

Exercising during pregnancy was once considered taboo and women were advised to adopt a sedentary lifestyle. Nothing could be further from the truth. Pregnancy is not an excuse to become a couch potato.

During your pregnancy you should be aiming to maintain your baseline fitness which will aid pregnancy and will allow you to transition back into training more easily after the birth.

Benefits of Exercise During Pregnancy

• Improved circulation
• reduced swelling
• reduced leg cramps
• eased muscular discormforts
• easier, shorter labours
• eased recovery
• eased gastrointestinal discomforts
• reduced maternal weight gain
• reduction in labour pain
• better self-image

Pregnant Client Exercise Recommendations

There are many safety considerations involved in designing and implementing training programs for women in their pregnancy. The effects of "relaxin", for instance, which is a hormone released during the second trimester; will make ligaments, cartilage and the cervix all soften (this helps the tissues to spread more easily during delivery).

Also pregnant women are to avoid exercises involving lying down in a supine position (face up) after the first trimester. This is because the weight of the enlarged womb compresses the inferioir vena cava resulting in dizziness, numbness in the extremeties and foetal hypoxia.

Pregnant women need to focus on the importance of breathing out during exertion. This will help reduce the build up of intra-abdominal pressure. Breathing out also allows the diaphragm to relax and move upwards, giving more room for the foetus to shift upwards during the exercise movement.

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