| |
 |
A regular exercise
regimen helps you
feel better and decreases the risk of
varicose veins, hemorrhoids and fluid
retention. (32) |
Aerobic exercises,
like jogging or swimming,
and specially designed calisthenics can help
relieve backaches and help you prepare for
childbirth. Relaxation techniques increase your
body awareness and assist the mind in
focusing on a task, and are especially impor-
tant in pregnancies where rigorous physical
activity is prohibited.
|
| ACOG
recommendations |
The American
College of Obstetrics and Gyne-
cology (ACOG) has changed its recommendation
over the years from permitting limited
amounts of exercise during pregnancy, to the
new ACOG recommendation that pregnant
women “engage in 30 minutes or more of
moderate exercise on most, if not all, days of
the week." (20)
|
|
|
|
| Activities that ACOG
recommends pregnant women NOT to engage in are:
|
|
|
Scuba
diving, because the fetus is at risk for decompression sickness |
|
|
Recreational activities that
carry increased risks for abdominal trauma —
such as ice hockey, kickboxing, soccer, or horseback riding |
|
 |
| Exercise
benefits |
| Exercise during
pregnancy can help in many ways. Prenatal exercise can: |
|
|
Help
boost your energy |
|
|
Help you to keep
your weight gain within the target range |
|
|
Help contribute to
an overall sense of well-being
|
|
|
Help to regulate
your blood glucose levels, something that may help to reduce your chances of
developing gestational diabetes
|
|
|
Help prevent or
relieve backache, leg cramps, and constipation |
|
|
Help you to get the
sleep your body needs |
|
|
Help get your body
ready for childbirth and reduce your recovery time |
|
 |
|
