Exercise and You by: Maria Barker (Guest Post) Exercise during Pregnancy

Exercise and You

Exercise. It’s a dreaded word amongst most of us and one that rarely passes a lot of lips. Or if it does then we are moaning that we don’t want to consider it, or that it’s meant for completely different people! Right now I want you to stop, and just think, your body is going through some amazing changes right now, and don’t you think it’s fair on that little person growing inside you that you at least do a little bit of hard work? Well, it doesn’t even need to be hard! Small amounts of exercise can be really helpful throughout pregnancy.

What can I do?

You might not have much of an exercise regime at the moment, but there is no doubt that ever since you first came across your pregnancy symptoms that you have been wondering what you should do to look after your baby. Taking simple steps to improve your exercise regime can be really important. Why not consider going out for a walk to get some food for the house (don’t buy anything too heavy) or a gentle jog around the local park. All of these things will help you when it comes to later on in pregnancy, and certainly when it comes to stamina for labour. Don’t forget that labour can be pretty intense, so having just that little bit extra stamina can really help in the experience, feeling tired when in labour can be one of them most annoying things!

Can exercise actually help?

What else can exercise during pregnancy actually help? Well one example is gestational diabetes. This is becoming an increasing problem across the world, and there are ways in which you can try and prevent it. Although exercising isn’t guaranteed to cut it out, there are many nutritionists and doctors who believe that some gentle exercise throughout pregnancy can help in prevention. Making sure you don’t sit around and feel sorry for yourself can be a really important part in having a successful pregnancy, and by doing some light exercise actually help you in more ways than one! I know plenty of mothers to be who have complained of back pain, and I know it was something that worried me, but it is also proven that a little bit of stretching and exercise can even lessen the effects of back problems. This can be a big issue throughout pregnancy, so why not put a little bit of effort into it?

Try it out!

Don’t forget that you only get out what you put in, but we aren’t asking for Arnie-esque workouts here! A lot of local gyms and health clubs offer different sessions for pregnant women, and they can be a really great help! Once you’ve given birth you will try plenty of things that you haven’t even considered before, so why not try out a bit of Yoga now, or even some Pilates. Any kind of exercise will help you throughout your pregnancy, and beyond, and for the sake of 30 minutes every other day, can you really afford to turn the option down? Try something out, you never know, you might like it!