Exercise during
pregnancy can provide a host of benefits. One of the benefits that I
think you will find very interesting, was a recent study done by
researchers at the University of Montreal. Their overall data showed
that newborns with active mothers possessed a greater mental maturity
than those with inactive moms. The researchers plan to retest the
children once they reach the age of 1 to see if there are any long
term effects. Their research was presented at the Neuroscience 2013
annual meeting in San Diego.
My advice on exercise
during pregnancy and how I approach it with my pregnant clients is to
be consistent with your exercise routine. Inconsistency isn't good
for you or the baby. I recommend exercising most, if not all, days
of the week.
Feel comfortable
continuing your past fitness routine if there are no
contraindications and you have clearance from your physician.
However, with extreme workouts that incorporate high intensity
interval training or Cross Fit type exercises, use caution and always
follow your doctors recommendations.
I train my pregnant
clients with exercises that target the changes that take place in the
body during pregnancy. We focus on core, glute, leg and back
exercises. Your back will become weak and your chest and hip flexor
muscles will shorten, so modify your routine to counter balance these
changes. I like to focus quite a bit on squats and other lower body
exercises to prepare for labor. Each of my moms have told me that
their labor was easier than their previous labors due to their
current fitness routine.
Flexibility during
pregnancy is also important, but be careful not to over stretch.
There is a hormone that is produced during pregnancy called Relaxin.
Relaxin helps your whole body become physically looser to prepare for
the changes in the whole body, it even relaxes your arteries to aid
in the increase in blood flow. The tendency to over stretch can
occur because now you feel like you can go farther with a stretch
than you could prior to your pregnancy, but over stretching can cause
injury to the joints so use caution when stretching. I recommend
having your trainer show you appropriate stretches for each stage of
your pregnancy.
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| Best to start an exercise program prior to becoming pregnant. |
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