Exercise During Pregnancy

Exercise is very important in pregnant women because it helps to improve blood circulation, strengthens the muscles of the pelvic area and helps improve back posture.

Currently, there is a great tendency to recommend pregnant women to take care of their body in all aspects: balanced diet, vitamin supplements, avoiding snuff, chest and abdomen skin hydration and preparatory exercise for the birth and later, for postpartum recovery.

One issue that many women who play sports or regular physical activity ask is if they can still perform their regular exercise during pregnancy. To achieve this, they must follow certain recommendations and respect the body as well as the changes that arise as a result of pregnancy in it.

Changes During Pregnancy

During the first trimester, there is an increase of the amount of blood that the heart moves per minute, and in the second, this increase is stabilized at 40% of cardiac activity observed before the beginning of pregnancy.

Also plasma volume increases and it’s prone to anemia by decreased circulating hemoglobin. Vital capacity is maintained, but the respiratory reserve volume and residual capacity decline during the second half of pregnancy.

By contrast, respiratory minute volume increases to 50 percent. Oxygen consumption rises gradually to a peak in the second half of pregnancy. Consider also that the pregnant gains about 3.5 kilos of stored fat in the first months and increases the levels of free fatty acids, triglycerides and acetone.

Take care of your body

Another alteration is decreased glucose sensitivity to insulin, so that the pregnant is not properly fed due to metabolic changes which are characterized by a large decrease in blood glucemia and insulin due to high glucose and high amino acid that the fetus produces. However, the most obvious change is the large increase in size and weight. As the breasts grow and belly increases its volume, many women think that their body cannot recover its normal shape. Nothing is further from reality, if the woman takes care of her body, controlling weight, maintains correct posture and physical exercise appropriate to her condition, a woman can regain her normal state without problems.

Exercise of preparation before birth

Pregnancy is an effort made by the woman's body and is appropriate to start with a strong and healthy body. Assuming there are no complications, pregnant women can start, if they wish and have no medical contraindications, the same activity they had before pregnancy. These exercises are designed to improve circulation, strengthen the muscles of the pelvic area to maintain elasticity and help to improve posture, especially with in the back:

Exercise 1

Lying back on the floor, on a bed or a hard surface, bend your knees up resting your feet on the ground, tighten the muscles of the buttocks squeezing each other and simultaneously contract the abdominal muscles. Do this position for five seconds and relax.
Repeat five times slowly. This same exercise can be done by sitting in a chair. It is often convenient and can be done anywhere.

Exercise 2

While kneeling on all your extremities with knees under hips and hands under shoulders, arch your back thrusting your pelvis and contracting your buttocks. Stay five seconds and relax. Repeat ten times.

Exercise 3

Lie on your back with knees up and feet flat on the floor, extend your left knee and extend the leg on the floor, back to the starting position and do the same with the other leg. Repeat this exercise 12 times in 3 sessions a day.

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