Women’s Fitness in Pregnancy

Though it might seem hard to do when your body is going through the major changes involved in pregnancy, women’s fitness doesn’t end if you’re going to have a baby. Instead, women’s fitness routines should be continued throughout pregnancy, even if the exercises might have to change a little. A proper exercise routine is just as important as following good eating and other social habits while you’re pregnant. Pregnancy, from conception to after the birth, can be quite a toll on a woman’s body.  Women’s fitness experts agree, though, that proper exercise during pregnancy can ease the discomfort during pregnancy and during birth. Although some precautions must be taken and any woman wishing to continue exercising through pregnancy should consult with her doctor, low-impact exercises such as walking, yoga, and swimming are all good for keeping fit even as your stomach’s swelling.  Even simple things like taking the stairs instead of the elevator at work can help a woman to stay fit during the process of pregnancy. 

There are some precautions that women’s fitness experts recommend for pregnant women. No high-impact exercise should be done, which includes heavy amounts of weight training or anything that involves a lot of bouncing up and down. This is because changes in the body that allow birth to be easier on a woman also make it easier to injure joints and such during exercise. Of course, as with all exercise and particularly in pregnancy, if you feel dizziness or pain during exercise, it’s important to stop right then.

After the Baby

Once you’ve had the baby, women’s fitness experts suggest a wait of a month or more after birth, though some exercises, such as Kegel exercises to strengthen the pelvis after birth, may be okay. Again, the best bet is to consult with your doctor before returning to an exercise regimen. If you’re worried about how long it will take to return to your weight as it was before your pregnancy, the best bet is to exercise during your pregnancy.  But even if you did that, don’t feel frustrated if your shape isn’t regained right away.  Even with a lot of exercise, it will take several months before you’re looking as you did before your pregnancy. 

The key is to keep working out and remembering that women’s fitness doesn’t stop just because of a baby.  With just a little work before and after your pregnancy, both mommy and baby will be happy and healthy.