Exercise in Pregnancy: Dos and don'ts

Mohini’s friends called her a “Fitness Freak”. She was, what we call “obsessed” with healthy eating and exercising. When she discovered that she had conceived, the first thing that came to her mind was how she would continue with the exercises, walks, and runs. How will she get rid of excess fat while carrying a child? Which physical activity is conducive to the baby’s development and which is not? She became extremely anxious with the confusion and it started affecting both her mental and physical health. In her baby shower, her sister-in-law came to her rescue. She suggested a yoga teacher specialising in prenatal exercises. Soon, Mohini’s mind and body started to respond, and she regained her energy level and health streak with the right kind of exercise for adequate time. 

The sheer excitement you felt when you saw those two blue or pink lines appear should not turn into panic. Learn about exercises you can or should avoid during the nine months.

Continue to Stay Active: Tips for Prenatal Exercise

Whether you are a fitness enthusiast who is entirely aware of the exercises to be done or a newbie in the fitness world, these lists of exercises will guide you to modify movements as per the trimester you are in and keep you active without disturbing your baby’s health. 

Walking, swimming, stationary cycling and jogging: Take your pick! In all three trimesters, these cardiovascular activities top the list of exercise for pregnant women. But do consult your doctor before you start with a rigorous routine. 

Beginning of a Magical Adventure: First Trimester

Those who have already travelled this path will know that these three months are nothing less than a rollercoaster ride of multiple emotions. From ecstasy to concern, from worry to fear you feel them all at once. 

For a standard fitness plan in the early days, you can aim for 150 minutes of cardio each week and two to three days of strength training involving major muscle groups. It would help if you also focused on some exercises that will ease your labour and prepare you for childbirth.  Here are some of the best exercises for the first trimester you  can try, under your physician's guidance : 

1. For a Pelvic curl, lie down on your back with bent knees and feet flat and apart. Then breathe in. While exhaling, tuck your hips to press your spine on the floor. Continue exhaling until you roll up each vertebra until your shoulder blades are off the ground. Then, inhale again at the top and exhale while you roll back to the starting position. If you would like to stretch yourself, do it with your legs together.
2. Kneeling push-ups can strengthen your core and upper body. Lie down on your stomach. Push yourself on your hands and knees, keeping your knees behind your pelvis. Slowly lower your chest to the floor as you inhale and get back while you exhale. 
3. Squats are one such exercise that strengthens all the muscles in your lower body, including the quads, glutes, and hamstrings. Stand with your back to the couch or a wall, feet wider than your hips. Slowly squat down to a sitting position but come back up as soon as your thighs begin to touch it. Take 5 seconds to lower while exhaling and 3 seconds to stand up while inhaling. 
4. Pelvic Brace exercises can be performed throughout your pregnancy without pelvic floor problems. Visit your doctor once and start this activity only if your condition permits it. With your back on the floor and knees bent, do Kegel or bladder-control contractions along with your lower abs. Hold 3 to 5 seconds and release.  

Rock your Second Trimester With These Moves

After dealing with morning sicknesses and mood swings for the first three months, the next three months that follow are usually calming for most pregnant women. Since the uterus stretches to accommodate the growing baby, you must be more careful with your pregnancy fitness regime.  Some such exercises during pregnancy for the second trimester are :

• For Incline Pushups, you must stand facing a wall or a ledge, placing your hands shoulder-width apart. Step back to a plank position and slowly lower your chest towards the wall or the ledge by bending your arms. Then, again, push back to the original position.  
• Hip flexors and Stretching Quadriceps are important at this stage as the centre of gravity changes due to the belly falling forward, creating shortened hip flexor muscles. In a kneeling position, keep your right knee on the floor and your left foot flat on the floor and in front. Lunge forward until you feel a stretch in your right hip and thigh. 
• The side-lying leg lifts help with pelvic stabilisation and balance. Lie on your right side with knees bent and stacked, and lift your right side slightly off the floor. Then, straighten your left leg, angling it forward. Lift it for 3 seconds while you exhale and lower it back for 3 seconds while you inhale. 
• The mermaid stretch involves alternating stretching your torso to the right and left while sitting on the ground and bending your knees. 

However, to each his own. All these should be done only after a thorough consultation with your gynaecologist and healthcare provider. Care health insurance has comprehensive plans where you can choose physicians for e-consultation and nutritionists for diet and exercise plans from a country-wide network.

Keep Grooving While You Step Into The Last Trimester

It is the time when you need to take it slow as your body readies for childbirth and labour. To maintain your body mobility and abdominal strength, focus on cardiovascular activities like walking, swimming, prenatal yoga and bodyweight moves as your pregnancy workout. Some low-weight and body-weight-only strength training exercises include bodyweight squats, standing shoulder presses with light weights and modified planks with tricep kickbacks.  

Despite this list of safe exercises during pregnancy, certain pitfalls may happen, as this journey is quite unpredictable. Hence, it is equally important to know about workouts that are not to be done while pregnant.

What to Skip to Have a Happy Bump

The exercises to avoid during pregnancy are usually characterised by increased risks like: 

1. Abdominal trauma or pressures caused by lifting heavy items. 
2. Any sports activity involving bouncing movements, such as horseback riding, gymnastics, skating, etc., may cause you to fall.
3. Sports like hockey, soccer, or basketball may cause physical injury, and it is wise to avoid them.
4. Exercises that require you to lie flat on your back, especially after the first trimester, like sit-ups, can cause blood pressure to drop, reducing blood flow to your baby. So be cautious.
5. Activities that make you hit the water with great force, like diving, surfing, etc.
6. Scuba diving is hazardous to the foetus as it leads to decompression sickness forming gas bubbles in the baby’s body.
7. Unless you live in a hilly city or region, exercising at high altitudes results in less oxygen flow to your uterus.
8. Avoid activities that raise your body temperature too high. Doing Bikram Yoga or exercising outside during hot and humid months can cause hyperthermia during pregnancy, resulting in a baby with birth defects. 
9. Advanced abdominal moves, such as full sit-ups or double leg lifts, can pull on the abdomen, straining the foetus. Hence, they are best avoided.
10. Back bending or workout moves that require deep flexion of muscles or extension of joints can make you prone to risks of injury.
11. Since your ligaments are already stretched and loose strike off the excessive stretching like splits from your pregnancy exercise routine
12. Balance exercises become trickier and riskier as your trimesters progress. It is safe to have a support structure nearby. Also, pointing toe exercises can cause cramps in your calves. Hence, it's better to do just the opposite.

As you can see, it is safest and best to get your customised exercise guidelines for pregnancy from your family physician or work according to your physiotherapist's advice. 

Wrapping Up!

Undeniably the benefits of exercise during pregnancy are multifaceted. It keeps your mind healthy by helping you destress, eases common discomforts like backaches and swellings in your legs and ankles, reduces complications at childbirth, and prepares your body for labour and birth. Despite all these benefits, you might notice these signals like bleeding from the vagina, chest pain with a faster heartbeat and difficulty breathing which are some of the symptoms your body is showing to warn you of any future mishaps. Call your gynaecologist or family physician when you experience symptoms like dizziness, headaches, pain and swelling in the lower part of the legs and change your pregnancy exercise routine as advised.  Further, ensure that you protect your finances with the comprehensive protection of Care Joy, a maternity health insurance plan specially designed for young couples who are planning a family. While the focus is on maternity related hospitalisation, this product will cover you for any hospitalisation during the policy tenure. Embrace the joy of motherhood with confidence, knowing that Care Joy is your partner every step of the way.

>> Also Read: How to Manage Your Weight During Pregnancy?

Disclaimers: The above information is for reference purposes only. For more details about the health insurance plans and their benefits please refer to the sales prospectus, policy terms, and conditions.