| Exercise is important
for a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. Labor is the hardest
work you will ever do and you need to get prepared for it. |
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Guidelines
for
Healthy
Exercise in Pregnancy
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| Exercise
in Pregnancy |
Exercise
is important for a healthy life. There is no reason you cannot continue
your normal regimen, with modifications, during pregnancy. You should
exercise minimum of 30 minutes, three times a week. The exercise should
be aerobic (raise your heart rate), which includes brisk walking, running,
low-impact aerobics, biking, or swimming. Of course, other exercise may
be done. As you near the time you are trying to get pregnant, you should
practice keeping your heart rate under 140 beats per minute. You can take
your pulse by placing your fingers on the side of your neck and counting
the number of pulses for 15 seconds, then multiply by 4. This gives your
pulse rate per minute. If you do not exercise now, please check with your
doctor about the best way to begin. If you do exercise, great. Exercise
in pregnancy is important and now is the time to start. |
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| The
Four Different Types of Exercise |
The
four types of exercise needed to have a balanced routine include: Endurance,
Strength, Aerobic, and Flexibility. During pregnancy there are precautions
that must be followed, but you can exercise. Olympic athletes and
marathoners have run during pregnancy - but using the precautions recommended
by their are giver. |
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  With
some modification, your regular exercise program can be continued during
pregnancy. Your heart rate should not exceed 140 beats per minute.
You should exercise for thirty minutes, three times a week. Because
your oxygen consumption increases during pregnancy, the intensity of the
exercise should be modified. You must make sure that you are adequately
hydrated at all times. You should stop exercising when you become
tired. DO NOT PUSH YOURSELF TO YOUR PRE-PREGNANCY
LIMITS. You should always precede and end each work-out with
a warm-up and cool-down period of at least five minutes each. |
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  Deep
flexion and extension should be avoided. Due to hormone changes,
the joints become lax during pregnancy and you may hurt yourself.
You may continue weight training, however decrease your weights and limit
the strain on your joints. Avoid exercises that involve deep knee
bends and 'bearing down'. Jumping, jarring and bouncy movements should
be avoided.
Do not do exercises on you
back after the fourth month. Full, strenuous activity should not
continue for more than fifteen minutes at a time. As you progress
through the months of pregnancy, your doctor should help you to modify
your exercise regimen. |
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| General
Guidelines |
Due to body changes and
joint laxness during pregnancy, modifications are needed to your routine.
During early pregnancy, avoid excessive exercise to the point of becoming
overheated. This can cause dehydration and, during the first eight
weeks, also be a contributing factor in the development of birth defects.
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Begin and end each session with
a warm-up and cool-down stretching routine.
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Keep your target heart rate
under 140 beats per minute
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Avoid strenuous exercise in
hot, humid weather
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Avoid exercise when ill or when
you have a fever
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Always drink plenty of water
during your routine
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Start slowly, if you have not
exercised before, with five minutes and increase 5 minutes per session
per week.
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Wear a good exercise bra or
maternity bra
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Make sure your diet has increased
by 300 calories per day for a healthy pregnancy
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Decrease weights by half, if
doing weight training
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Avoid exercising on your back
after the 20th week of pregnancy
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| Sports
to Be Avoided During Pregnancy |
Competitive sports, such
as singles tennis may need to be curtailed. Avoid any exercise or
sport that involves jarring, jumping from heights, climbing, or sudden
changes in direction. Examples of these are: tennis, horseback riding,
rock climbing, downhill skiing, and running on uneven surfaces. You
may find that running on grass, dirt, or macadam may decrease chances of
stress fractures and shin splints also. Other activities, such as
walking, running, swimming, etc. can be done until the end of pregnancy.
I have had three marathon runners continue running until labor ! |
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| Warning
Signs to Stop Exercising |
During exercise, if any
of the following occur, STOP IMMEDIATELY AND CALL YOUR CARE GIVER
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Abdominal pain
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Joint pain
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Vaginal bleeding
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Dizziness
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Fainting
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Increased shortness of breath
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Difficulty walking
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Contractions
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Fluid leaking from vagina
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© 1996-99: MJ
Bovo. All rights reserved under US Copyright Law.
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| Excerpts from:
The
Family Pregnancy © 1995: MJ Bovo, The Family Pregnancy, Second
Edition,
© 2000, currently in production, and Do You
Have Any Questions? © 1996: MJ Bovo, are contained within
this page. Reprints are not permitted under any circumstances. Please
see Terms of
Use for full explanation. Violations of the Copyright Code are
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