Is it safe for pregnant women to exercise
Is it safe to engage in physical activity when pregnant?
Women who are at low risk of pregnancy are urged to engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week, or 20–30 minutes per day, for the duration of their pregnancy (ACOG, 2015). Female athletes and other physically active women who were physically active prior to pregnancy are advised to maintain their training habits to the greatest extent possible, while inactive women are advised to gradually incorporate exercise into their routines for their own health and the health of their unborn child. Despite this, it is estimated that only 5–15 percent of women follow these recommendations, and that more than half of pregnant women avoid physical activity.
Exercise has numerous advantages during pregnancy.
Exercise during pregnancy has a number of health benefits for both the mother and the child, including a reduction in excessive weight gain, a decreased risk of gestational diabetes, hypertension, and macrosomia—all of which are associated with an increased incidence of childhood obesity. Despite the significant benefits of physical activity for pregnant women, the majority of physicians do not advise their sedentary pregnant patients to engage in physical activity.
Exercise and pregnancy: What to Watch Out For
Despite the numerous health benefits of exercise stated above, there has long been worry regarding the potential negative consequences of maternal activity on the developing fetus during pregnancy. These concerns include placenta hypoxia and fetal bradycardia, low birth weight, preterm birth, and the possibility of miscarriage, among other things. However, there is little data to substantiate these putative dangers associated with maternal exercise. It is not recommended to engage in regular high-intensity activity, according to the findings of a study conducted with six professional athletes who experienced transitory fetal bradycardia when exercising at or above 90% of their maximum heart rate.The risk of miscarriage appears to be important only when engaging in vigorous exercise at the time of implantation.
What to Do and What Not to Do
Exercising safely while pregnant can include brisk walking, swimming, water aerobics, spinning, yoga, pilates, weight training, jogging, or running (the latter for women who have been involved in these activities on a regular basis prior to pregnancy). For example, if running becomes difficult as the pregnancy advances, it can be replaced by elliptical training or vigorous walking. Using common sense while training during pregnancy is safe, as long as one avoids overheating, energy deficiency, and dehydration. Avoiding contact sports (such as hockey, martial arts, and handball), activities with a high risk of falling (such as horseback riding, gymnastics, mountain biking, and alpine skiing), hot yoga, scuba diving, and skydiving are also wise precautions. Shortened cervix, placenta previa after pregnancy week 26, severe bleeding, and restrictive lung disease are examples of absolute contraindications to hysteroscopic surgery.
Pregnant women should engage in physical activity, according to the American Pregnancy Association. This has been modified from
A little goes a long way when it comes to beauty.
Nausea and weariness are typical complaints, especially in the early stages of pregnancy, which, surprisingly, makes it difficult to maintain motivation for long training sessions. Remember that the association between physical activity and health benefits is dose dependent, meaning that ten minutes of physical exercise is preferable to none at all. Training volume appears to decrease considerably in ordinarily active women, and even in high-performance top athletes, during the first trimester, following which it increases in the second trimester with a little reduction in the third trimester. Growing a baby is a physically taxing process, and pregnancy is a period in which it is especially vital to pay attention to your body’s signals and take breaks in good conscience when necessary. As a result of this, the positive effects of regular physical activity throughout pregnancy should not be overlooked, and exercise is a safe and effective way of lowering pregnancy symptoms, particularly back pain.
