Pregnancy Exercises to Help You Keep Fit

Pregnancy doesn’t mean you have to be stuck to the bed or the couch. Regular exercise brings a myriad of benefits for your body, including keeping your body healthy and reducing complications such as lower back pain. You may be concerned about your baby’s safety; however, there are pregnancy exercises you can do safely while keeping fit.

Cardiovascular Exercises

Cardiovascular exercises or aerobic exercises improves your heart function, and reduces the risk of heart diseases. During pregnancy, the idea is to keep it low impact in order to avoid injury. One of the most basic forms of cardiovascular exercise is walking. As opposed to running, it is low impact; all you need is a good pair of shoes, and maybe your partner for company. If you find it difficult, you can try marching on the spot. Jogging is a good way to build endurance; however, do start at a slow pace with shorter routes if you’re new, and reduce running sessions in your third trimester. If you’re looking for low impact, easy exercises, swimming is a great option. Swimming exercises large muscle groups, is beneficial for your cardiovascular health, and doesn’t impact your body as much as running.

Flexibility Exercises

As part of your pregnancy exercises, you can always include flexibility training. Yoga doesn’t harm the joints, but keeps you flexible. Stretching after exercise will help keep your body limber and prevent muscle strains and injuries.

When to Avoid Exercise

There are times you shouldn’t exercise, however. If you have heart conditions such as pulmonary hypertension, severe asthma or preterm labour, it can be harmful to exercise. You should consult your healthcare professional for advice if you have a condition which may make exercise harmful to you and your child. Also, remember that you are exercising to keep fit, not lose weight during pregnancy. Avoid stressing your body out with strenuous exercises or contact sports.

Sometimes, pushing your body too much or having high impact pregnancy exercises may lead to certain dangerous complications. Some signs you should stop and contact your healthcare professional include feeling faint or dizzy, vaginal bleeding, chest pain, contractions or preterm labour. Of course, this list isn’t inclusive, so if you feel extremely uncomfortable in any way, or suspect a complication, or injury, you should contact your healthcare professional.

This shouldn’t stop you from working out; light exercise can still benefit you in many ways. Take it easy, find low impact exercises. Also remember to support your body with the right nutrition. Folic acid, calcium, and probiotics; these are some nutrients that are good to have during pregnancy. Nestlé MOM contains all of these nutrients and more! Ensure you have nutritious meals with Nestlé MOM ; redeem a free sample here.