Get fit for two

Your nine months of carrying a baby are a perfect time to start adopting healthy behaviour. Staying fit through exercise is one of the practices that helps keep you in shape and benefits the baby as well. As you take on any exercise, here are important points to note:

Workout has a multitude of benefits to reap from.
It conditions the body to handle physical changes that may occur from pregnancy such as leg cramps. Increased heart rate, higher body temperatures, stress on muscles and ligaments, and reduced levels of oxygen and glucose. And as you get the rush of adrenaline and oxygen, you are assured of more lovely kicks from your baby. Other than that exercise can help ease labour, lessen backache, bloating, constipation and does increase energy.

Exercise reduces stress and enhances body image.
As a result it helps you feel better about yourself putting you in the best mental position to achieve a successful childbirth experience.

Any type of exercise that is not strenuous like a brisk walk for at least half an hour is gainful as long as the doctor has given the go ahead. Just remember to take water before, during and after any exercise including swimming to avoid dehydration. Eat a balanced diet to replace the calories and glucose used by your working muscles.

Some medical conditions may have the healthcare provider to ask you not to exercise or to discontinue any programme you had started. These include severe back and chest pains, a previous pre-term labour, continual bleeding or fluid leakage especially in the second and third trimester, incompetent cervix or rupture of membranes. Unless you experience any of these, you can continue to work out till your last day of pregnancy.

Yoga exercises are also helpful as they reduce minor discomforts of pregnancy and work to stretch and strengthen major muscles, better, the focussed breathing will help you learn the breathing basics during labour.

You can exercise even if you have never done that in the past. Only remember not to push your limits. Remember to include a warm-up and cool-down when putting muscles to work. Gentle stretches will prevent strains, joint injuries and muscle cramps. You are able to tell that you are beyond your limits when you breathe too hard after exercise till you can barely talk.

Wear comfortable attire that absorbs sweat and keeps you cool. Shoes for running, jogging and walking should be low and have in-soles to avoid injuries to the heel and feet. You should also wear a good bra that provides support.

Adjust your exercises so as to make them safe for yourself and the growing baby. Start by avoid exercises on your back after the first trimester or whenever you feel dizzy, lightheaded or nauseated. The weight of your uterus puts pressure on the vein responsible for returning blood from the lower body to the heart. When you stay on your back, you overexert pressure.

Choose exercises that are less likely to cause loss of balance. You know that as your pregnancy advances your sense of balance becomes more wanting. And a fall during this period could be fatal to both you and the baby.

Do not overextend the knee joints with deep-knee bends. Joints become more prone to injury due to the pregnancy hormone known as relaxin, which softens ligaments and tendons.

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