Childbirth And Pregnancy Blog

When it comes to pregnancy fitness gyms like to play it safe. In fact, it’s likely if you’re in your first trimester, that they won’t even let you train for the first 12 weeks just in case something happens and it’s then down to their insurance and liability.

To be honest who can blame them? After all, unless the staff are specifically trained in pregnancy fitness, the last thing they want to do is risk any harm coming to you or your baby from unsupervised exercise within their facility.

However, when they do finally let you past the reception desk, most gym staff will encourage you to head towards the cardio equipment or the classes with an instructor who can keep an eye on what you’re doing. This is great for them as they can steer you away from the more “dangerous” forms of exercise and keep you happy in aerobic activity, but BAD NEWS for you!

Why? Well if you’re anything like the majority of pregnant women I speak to then there are just a few things you want from your pregnancy exercise plan:

1. To keep you in great shape and not end up covered in wobbly saggy fat

2. To be fit for pregnancy, i.e. avoid things like pregnancy back pain

3. To have an easy labor

4. To get your body back quickly after giving birth

5. To have a healthy happy baby

Well here’s the truth – YOU WON’T GET ANY OF THESE THINGS FROM AEROBIC CLASSES! (and yes that includes body pump – anything that requires you to complete 3000 repetitions over 60 minutes is aerobic – not weights!)

Pregnancy fitness needs resistance training. Here’s why:

1. Lean muscle burns fat. You can only build lean muscle through resistance training. If you want to stay in shape and not hold onto an extra 10kgs of ugly wobbly fat through your pregnancy then you need the muscle machinery to burn it off!

2. Your pregnancy means that you produce a lot of the hormones relaxin and progesterone which relax the ligaments in your body, reducing stability in your joints and leaving you much more prone to injuries and common complaints like pregnancy back pain. Proper pregnancy exercise should focus on strength training in these areas to keep you walking tall and feeling light on your feet!

3. You need to be strong for labor and a proper pregnancy fitness plan should take this into account with specific exercises to target strengthening the labor muscles.

4. Resistance training increases your metabolism. This means you become much more efficient at using up the fuel from your food and you are less likely to struggle with pregnancy pounds and losing your baby fat after giving birth. (It also means your baby is less likely to be fat later on in life)

5. Research shows that resistance training in pregnancy subjects the baby to controlled amounts of stress. This conditions the baby to deal with the stress of labor much better and results in a quicker and easier transition to life outside the womb. Babies born to mothers who train regularly are also much more content, happier and will self-comfort more easily.

Still not convinced? Consider this – A properly designed pregnancy fitness workout will take you half the time and get you twice the results! Now do I have your attention?

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Women who are highly active and go to the gym are aware of the fitness classes that are on offer to the public. However, many women are not as savvy as to the possibilities that at out there for pregnant women.

Pregnancy fitness classes are extremely popular for women who are looking to find a supportive environment and having fun while they exercise. The social interactions allow you to share experiences and questions with other soon-to-be mothers. Not only are these type of classes fun but they are also a safe way to exercise as women are guided through all movements and the classes are specifically designed for pregnant women.

Pregnant women can join classes such as pilates, yoga, aqua aerobics and low impact aerobic exercise classes. Low impact classes incorporate activities that utilize medicine balls and weights, to give women cardio workouts. The classes will often involve stretching, pelvic floor and abdominal stability exercises and often will finish with some relaxation. All pregnancy fitness classes should have physiotherapist approval so that all of the exercises taught to the participants are suitable for pregnancy. What is even better is if the classes are run by a physiotherapist.

Before joining any fitness class, a pregnant woman should always visit her medical practitioner for them to approve the fitness choices that is chosen. There may be some activities that are unsuitable for her to do, and health care providers are able to inform pregnant women of what they should and should not be doing as it relates to their personal needs.

An safe and excellent online resource every woman interested in fitness during pregnancy should visit is Pregnancy Fitness Classes

It is surprising how many people do not realize or appreciate the critical differences in exercise regimes for a pregnant woman must consider against her non-expecting counterpart. Dangers of an inappropriate exercise program can include miscarriage. Other dangers include injuring yourself (as well as the baby).

Over exerting yourself whilst pregnant (too high a heart rate) puts both baby and yourself at risk. A major benefit of being fit during your pregnancy is that the process of actual childbirth can be less difficult. Also, recovery following pregnancy is much quicker.

Do you know of someone who has put on excess weight during their pregnancy?

Would you like to be that person, or the one that everyone talks about how wonderfully fit you have stayed and how quickly you lost your baby tummy and got your body back?

Want to stay fit during your pregnancy and lose the pounds quickly after? Pregnancy Fitness Classes

In the old days, exercising during pregnancy is absolutely forbidden. People thought that this would hurt or even kill the baby. This belief is already scientifically disproved. In fact, experts agree that exercising has many benefits both to the woman and baby. Before starting any exercise program, it is important to ask your doctor. Exercise is not safe for some women with complicated pregnancies. Exercise should be at least 25 minutes a day, three to five days a week. Pregnancy fitness can prevent depression, increase self-esteem and strengthens the body in preparation for childbirth.

Benefits of Pregnancy Fitness to Moms

Your doctor doesn’t have to see your actual workout but you must update him or her about your workouts. Cardiovascular exercise and muscle-strengthening exercises are ideal for pregnant women. These kinds of exercise will prepare your body for the stress of labor and childbirth. Both usually help prevent complicated and difficult delivery and decrease the length of labor. Pregnancy fitness also helps minimize or even eliminate the common discomforts of pregnancy (cramping, ankle swelling, constipation, varicose veins, etc.).

Exercising also helps you sleep better. It can strengthen your back muscles and this will prevent back pain during the latter part of your pregnancy. According to recent studies, exercising also reduces the chances for developing gestational diabetes. Specialty exercise classes for pregnant women also enable you to meet and talk to women who are going through the same things that you are experiencing.

Benefits to the Baby

Pregnancy fitness is a good way to prepare the fetus for living outside the womb. It helps promote the development of the nervous system of the fetus. It also helps in the supply of nutrients and oxygen from the mother to the fetus. There are many other benefits to the fetus so it is really ideal to exercise during pregnancy. Basically, when the woman exercises, the fetus also gets the same training effect.

Fine Points to Remember

Remember to warm up before and cool down after your workout in order to decrease the chances of injury. For weight training, it is recommended to focus on high repetitions instead of heavy weight and low repetitions. Remember to breathe when lifting weights, never hold your breath.

Moderation is very important when practicing pregnancy fitness. You should not over-exercise or perform vigorous exercise like sprinting and kickboxing. During the latter part of your third trimester at around 20 weeks before due date, you should start taking it easy and decreasing the intensity of your workouts. Remember to seek the guidance of your doctor so you’ll know exactly what you should and shouldn’t be doing at different periods of your pregnancy.

Do not exercise in extremely high temperatures. This is unsafe for you and the baby. Wait for the temperature to go down or find an air-conditioned place where you can do your workout. It is advisable not to use saunas, hot tubs and steam rooms during pregnancy. You should also drink lots of water to prevent dehydration.

If you feel any of the following, stop immediately and call your doctor: difficulty in breathing, vaginal bleeding, extreme pain, intense fatigue, strong contractions, severe abdominal pain, nausea or if you feel something is wrong with the baby.

Athelstan Eades has been writing product reviews on a huge range of topics for many years now. His latest project has been to review the pregnancy market. There are so many products out there that claim to cure infertility but do they actually work. Take a look at some of Athelstan’s articles on pregnancy fitness and secondary infertility to find out more.