Chic Mummy: Pregnancy Series: Exercise and Pregnancy

Some of us have never considered the word exercise in our lives, or at the worst the only exercise that we’ve ever considered is the inevitable cleaning of the house! When we fall pregnant we all know that our lives our about to change, but should we also consider changing our lifestyles? There is no doubt that exercise during pregnancy can be a real benefit to you and your experience, so why not consider trying it? Even a small change in your exercise regime can lead to great results for you later on!

You’re probably thinking, why would I want to do exercise? Well there is no doubt that if you consider how it can help your body you will probably be running down to the shops by the end of this article! Doing exercise during pregnancy can help in various different ways. You’ve probably read some horror stories about women in labour, but it is proven that doing some slight exercise throughout your pregnancy can benefit you when you reach this stage. Making your more flexible and doing some stretches can aid any problems with pushing during labour, and doing slight exercise will also give you more stamina. More stamina is a bonus for anyone in labour, we all know how tough it can be, so that little bit of extra effort you can put in at the birth could be really important. And for the sake of 30 minutes of exercise every other day, why not?

What exercises can I do?

With prevention of things like gestational diabetes also helped by exercise, there are many reasons why you might begin to consider that jog. What exercise could you begin to consider that would actually help though? How about something like Yoga and Pilates? These kinds of exercises can give you the extra stamina that you need, and also give you the opportunity to make your body more flexible. With the bonus of flexibility, you can be sure that the back pain you are experiencing will be cut down. For many back pain is a really frustrating part of pregnancy, and if doing some slight exercises throughout the pregnancy can help, why you would you not even consider it? If you don’t want to consider Yoga or Pilates, then why not just a gentle walk, run or jog to the local park or shop. Anything that you can think of which will add to your exercise can be a real benefit, so don’t count anything out!

OK, so where can I do it?

So why not consider trying something out? We all worry about lots of things from our first pregnancy symptoms so a little advice can be a real benefit. I’m not advising that you go to the gym and try and become a body builder, but some gentle exercise can really help you out! If you visit your local health centres, gyms or swimming pools, then there is no doubt that they will offer some classes for pregnant women. Even if you don’t want to do this, a jog to the park is free, and any little bit of exercise that you want to consider can really help. Remember, it’s only going to benefit you, it wont be a hindrance at all, and if it can cut a few minutes of your labour, then you know as well as I do, that is a massive bonus!