Staying fit and healthy during pregnancy is beneficial to both mother and child. Even if you suffer morning sickness or other early pregnancy symptoms, getting up and moving can help. But you should relax when you need to rest.
Regular exercise can also help you maintain a healthy weight and prepare you for pregnancy. It has a calming effect on the mind and body.
You're probably not detecting any significant physical changes at this point, except for the fact that you're tired and need to get some more shut-eye.
The most crucial first-trimester exercise principles are to respect your new energy limits and avoid falls. Make sure your doctor understands everything you're doing and anything new you start.
What exercises are safe during pregnancy?
You may now question what exercises are beneficial for both you and your kid. Since you are just starting, let us look at some of the best first-trimester pregnancy workouts.
Pregnancy Workouts: First Trimester
Congratulations on starting your pregnant journey and committing to a healthy you and your baby. You may be wondering, “How do I exercise when pregnant?” you may easily follow simple and safe workouts during your pregnancy.
Pregnancy exercise benefits.
The following are some of the benefits of exercising when pregnant-
- When you're pregnant, you may experience a wide range of discomforts from swollen ankles to backaches and pains to pregnancy insomnia. Exercising increases energy and improves posture, reducing aches, swelling, and exhaustion.
- Exercise can also help prevent significant pregnancy-related illnesses like gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and problems that require cesarean deliveries.
- Exercising boosts your daily calorie burn, which helps you resist some of your cravings and avoid gaining weight.
- Exercising may also aid in the speeding up of labor and the speeding up of postpartum recovery. After all, you'll be glad you got those workout minutes in when the contractions start and the baby arrives.
- Endorphins, the joyful hormones that help you relax, are released when you exercise, so it's a win-win situation.
How Often Should Pregnant Women Exercise?
The UK Department of Health advises pregnant and postpartum women to exercise for 150 minutes per week.
"This should involve strength activities (like weight training or Pilates) and something that raises breath and heart rate. Mini-exercise sessions of 10 minutes or longer can be used to accumulate the required 150 minutes of activity.
Exercise Guidelines For Pregnant Women
When it comes to exercising during and after pregnancy, the Department of health provides detailed information for expectant mothers, including recommendations on what to consider.
The National Health Service (NHS) recommends-
- Don't overdo it. If you're out of breath and can't talk while exercising, you're probably doing it wrong.
- If in doubt, contact your maternity team.
- If you were not previously physically active, avoid engaging in rigorous exercise while pregnant.
- Before and after your workout, make sure to warm up and cool down properly.
- Avoid heavy activities in the heat.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Attend pre and post-natal exercise sessions led by trained instructors.
- Avoid risky hobbies including skiing, horseback riding, and cycling.
Prenatal Exercises for the First Trimester
- Yogic Pregnancy
Prenatal yoga is a full-body workout that combines strength, cardio, flexibility, and the ability to lessen pain after childbirth. In order to teach prenatal yoga, a yoga instructor must be a certified pregnancy exercise specialist, not a typical yoga instructor.
It is recommended that you perform this task once a week for around 10 minutes.
- Pilates
While Pilates is not as intense as yoga, it is known to help boost blood flow and is safe for women at any stage of pregnancy when taught by a qualified instructor.
This workout should be done once a week.
- Jogging
To increase stamina and blood flow while maintaining flexibility and mobility, jogging at an easy speed is one of the safest ways to work out. In the second trimester, you can reduce your jogging to a brisk stroll. Keep in mind that you shouldn't overwork yourself, and that means maintaining a speed that you're used to.
Three times a week is the recommended amount of time for a seasoned runner.
- Squats
Squats are an excellent technique to improve your calves, hamstrings, and quads. Don't lock your knees when squatting.
You should do between 10-15 repetitions three times a week, depending on your fitness level.
- Swimming
Toning your body by swimming is a wonderful cardiac activity that may also help you tone most of your body, making it an excellent choice for pregnant women as well. Some cultures even encourage floating in water during pregnancy to reduce stress on the body. The best aspect is that it is a low-impact, non-impact exercise that is incredibly effective.
Swimming sessions are scheduled approximately four times per week, with each session lasting no more than 30 minutes.
- Spinning
One of the greatest ways to enhance your metabolism is to take a spinning class. It is an intensive yet low-impact workout that raises your heart rate in a healthy and controlled way.
A total of one hour a week, or around once a month.
- Weights
Lifting weights is an effective approach to increasing your strength while also toning your muscles throughout your body. That additional pregnancy weight can be carried later in the pregnancy if done correctly. Remember to keep the form of the workout and not lock your joints.
Five First Trimester Exercise Tips
- Warm-Up Smoothly
During pregnancy, you may have skipped a few. Warming up and stretching safely is vital to avoid injury and muscle cramps. It also helps raise your heart rate gradually. Exercising too rapidly might cause high blood pressure, dizziness, and light-headedness, so take it slow and get that body moving!
A 5-minute stroll, arm circles, and dynamic stretches can help loosen joints and get your heart pounding before the big event.
- Work within Your Current Fitness Capacity
This is where your pre-pregnancy workout plan should begin! Regular exercise is safe during pregnancy, as long as you listen to your body and don't overdo it.
If you just exercised sometimes or not at all, now is not the time to start. In order to avoid overworking your body and causing unnecessary stress, be honest with yourself. Begin with a daily 20-minute walk, on the treadmill, at the park, or on your way to work.
Prenatal exercise is important about keeping up with regular activity, strength, and stamina. It's okay to push yourself, but the goal isn't to set a personal record, but to achieve long-term success.
- Do not be scared of weights!
Weight exercise is the best technique to build and maintain muscular tone — and you can do it safely even while pregnant! Building muscle now and maintaining it during pregnancy can help with labour and postpartum recovery. Plus, muscle burns fat even when at rest! Weights aren't scary at all! They're essential to any exercise plan that includes both cardio and strength training. If you're expecting, you can use them without worrying about gaining weight.
Start with lower weights (1-3kg or 3-5lbs) and higher repetitions. Then you can increase the weight and decrease the repetitions until you find the sweet spot.
- Keep Hydrated Yourself
Staying hydrated is important when pregnant, and it's much more important when exercising. Aquatic workouts are the focus of this piece of advice! Swimming is a great low-impact activity that also acts as a natural lymphatic massage, removing toxins and reducing swelling.
In the first trimester, even if you only swim a few laps in the pool, the weightless atmosphere will help alleviate lower back and hip pain. You'll see the change in no time, and you'll be glad you started early with water workouts.
- When it comes to exercising, confidence is key.
There's no need to stop doing your regular fitness courses throughout the first trimester of pregnancy unless you've been instructed otherwise by your doctor.
Your first-trimester workout sessions are safe as long as you listen to your body and go at a speed that feels acceptable. Just let your instructor know and pay attention to your body during class.
As a result, now is a great opportunity to enroll in a new class that will help you throughout your pregnancy. Pilates and yoga are excellent choices to help you improve muscle and balance while also relaxing and focusing on your breathing.
Following are some examples of low-intensity pregnant workouts for the first trimester-
1. Wall Slide
How To Practice
- It is, as the name implies, a wall slide. One of the simplest first-trimester pregnant exercises.
- It's done by leaning against the wall with your hands in a high five position and elbows bent at right angles.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades while keeping your elbows, wrists, and hands tight on the wall.
2. Wide Squats
How To Practice
- Place your feet in an outward-pointing position with your toes pointing slightly outward.
- Lie on your back with your knees bent until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
- Make sure your heels aren't lifted off the floor. Return carefully to standing after a pause at the bottom.
- Perform three sets of 15-20 repetitions.
3. Cat Cows
How To Practice
- Begin on all fours, but maintain all four limbs tucked under your shoulders. Your spine should be rounded like an angry cat's.
- Take a deep breath and exhale while tucking your chin and curling your tailbone as much as possible.
- Keeping your chin up, stretch your back muscles, and lowering yourself into a cow stance Inhale deeply while raising your chin and buttocks as high as possible.
- The exhalation and the inhalation of each pose should be done in the same breath.
- Repeat this combination for three sets of at least 20 repetitions every set. It's a great approach to improving your breathing, which will be extremely vital during the delivery process!
4. Bird Dogs
How To Practice
- Assume the position of a four-legged squat. In the same breath, reach your right hand in front of you, then kick your left leg in the opposite direction.
- Flex your shoulder, arm, butt, and leg muscles once you've reached the highest position (one arm and one leg extended).
- Your core should remain in the most stable position possible during the whole exercise.
- Slowly lower yourself to your knees, and then do the other side of the exercise.
- Perform three sets of 10 reps on each side, alternating for a total of 20 rounds.
5. Single-Leg Reach
How To Practice
- Set yourself in a standing position with one foot slightly lifted off the floor.
- Tilt your hips forward while keeping your spine and head in a neutral position with your hands out in front of you.
- Continue tilting your hands until your fingertips are parallel to your knees.
- It's possible that you won't be able to get all the way down without bending one knee if you have tight hamstrings.
- If this is the case, then rounding the back is preferable to bending the knee of the standing leg.
- As soon as you feel a stretch in your standing leg, carefully and controlled raise up from the floor Next, switch sides and do it again.
- 3 sets of 10 reps on each side, alternating for a total of 20 reps, should be completed.
6. Side Lunges
How To Practice
- Stretching and toning the inner and outer thighs are two benefits of this exercise!
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Right knee bent, take a strong step to the right and bring your right thigh to a parallel position with the ground.
- Your right heel should never rise above the ground. Sticking out your butt is the only way to move your weight back.
- Take advantage of the stretch by keeping your left leg absolutely straight.
- Return to a standing position with a strong push from your right leg, then switch sides.
- Perform three sets of eight rounds on each side, rotating for a total of sixteen rounds per set.
What exercises should I avoid?
Pregnancy exercises are not all equal. While the exercises above are beneficial to both you and your kid, some may be harmful.
The following exercises should be avoided while pregnant-
- Injury risk for you and your baby in contact sports (soccer, basketball, boxing)
- A high risk of harm for you and your baby if you participate in activities such as horseback riding, ice skating, skiing, surfing or gymnastics.
- Overheating is a problem when doing hot yoga or pilates.
- Scuba Diving can be cause dangerous fluctuation in pressure can occur while driving.
- Skydiving involves a potentially dangerous change in pressure.
Can pregnancy-induced exercise cause miscarriage?
Exercise and other physical activity might cause miscarriage or other issues including early labor or bone deformities in pregnant women. These fears have not been validated by the medical community.
Exercise during pregnancy is one of the healthiest activities a pregnant woman may perform for her prenatal and postnatal health if there are no difficulties or contraindications.
Always check your doctor before beginning any workout programme.
Conclusion
Exercising while pregnant has immediate and long-term benefits for both mother and baby. So, enjoy your prenatal workouts and admire your body's abilities! Exercise is an excellent opportunity to incorporate a low-impact workout that you'll be able to do as your pregnancy grows. In the case of running for exercise three times a week today, substituting one session of water exercise for one weekly run during your first trimester will save you time and money. That way, if you stop running, you'll be ready for water workouts or other workouts, mentioned above.
If you have any questions, consult your gynaecologist first. Also, remember to always listen to your body and avoid doing anything that doesn't feel good.
It is highly recommended that you check your doctor before starting a workout and choose a personal trainer who has experience with pregnancy-specific workouts. In the first trimester, you may want to increase the intensity of your workouts significantly, but it's best to make changes and avoid overworking yourself.