Exercise During Pregnancy
For those of you new to the site, a little inside information. My wife has been a regular fitness enthusiast since I met her 8 years ago. She is currently pregnant with our first child. 25 weeks into her pregnancy, she is still working out 4-5 days per week, trying to maintain a healthy body even when carrying our little one in her womb. Her attitude has been excellent and she has felt great from the beginning of the pregnancy through today. Call this a good pregnancy if you wish but I feel her great attitude and healthy feelings have much to do with maintaining her workout routine.
Obviously, when pregnant women can not do the same things they used to do. My wife used to do 1 hour of cardio and a weight training workout 5 days a week. She also used to take a weekly cardio kickboxing class. She has dropped the class and the heavy weight training. Today her workouts look more like this:
- 30-40 minutes of (lighter than usual) cardio
- Light weights only to maintain strength
- Yoga
Abdominals are out of the question when pregnant, but using your core for stability when training will help maintain your muscle in the mid region.
The important thing you need to get out of this is that although pregnant, there is no reason why you are not able to engage in a moderate workout routine. If your doctor tells you otherwise you should go with their suggestions. Every pregnancy is different and the last thing you want to do is hurt your future child.
Some women look at pregnancy as a 9 month break from being healthy, eating correctly and exercise. I think this is the wrong attitude. Maintain your health through pregnancy will offer you more enjoyment through out the nine months and you will be back on your feet with more energy after the little one enters the world.
Other workout suggestions while pregnant:
- Swimming
- Water exercise
- Resistance band training
- Stretching
- Walking with family, friends or pets
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