Exercise Benefits in Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a life altering change in any woman's life. The 9 months of pregnancy transforms a woman into a mother, changing her forever!

The 1st Trimester (1-3 Months) are of Adjustment to the fact that life is growing inside her. She will go through physical & emotional changes. Hormonal changes, morning sickness, backache, fatigue along with excitement, apprehension & mixed feelings are some of the changes she faces.
The 2nd Trimester (4-6 Months) are of Acceptance. She will have more energy, hormones are more balanced, there will be reduced mood swings, sex will be more appealing & she will feel the baby move too.

The 3rd Trimester (7-9 Months) are of Anticipation. Physical & emotional changes will include discomfort due to enlarged  body, body image issues, feelings of unattractiveness, decreased desire for sex, apprehension about birth along with excitement for the coming baby & concern about loss of freedom.

"What does Exercise have to do with Pregnancy?"

Common problems like Backache, Breathlessness, Constipation, cramps in the leg, Leaking Urine, Stretch marks, Tiredness, Varicose veins can be relieved by exercising.

Some of the advantages of exercising during pregnancy, labour & after delivery are going to be discussed.

Exercising during Pregnancy:

• Keeps you comfortable

With each passing month & the growth of your baby, your body size & shape changes. This can lead to pains like backache, reduction in muscle strength especially of the chest, stomach & back muscles.

• Improves Posture: Strengthening exercises for your upper back & stomach; Stretching exercises for your Chest, Shoulder & Low back muscles will help reduce back pain, sagging breasts & loose stomach after delivery.

Before & After Exercise

Fatigued is felt in the 1st Trimester due to morning sickness, hormonal changes & mood swings; also felt in 3rd trimester due to breathlessness.

• Improves Energy Levels: Breathing Exercises increase oxygen supply to the mother & baby, reducing fatigue, improving moods & emotional stability as encourages relaxation. Also aerobic exercises improve stamina which again improves energy levels & reduces maternal exhaustion by 75%.
• Improves Breathing

Mood swings are common in pregnancy due to hormonal & physical changes.

• Improves Emotional Stability: Exercising releases Endorphins (The Happy hormone), which improves mood.

Cramps are common in pregnancy, at all stages. The reason behind this is reduced blood flow.

• Improves Blood flow: muscles contracting & relaxing during exercise cause increase in blood flow which helps in bringing oxygen to the muscles & at the same time removes waste/ toxins from the muscle, hence reducing cramps.

Some of the discomforts during pregnancy include- Cramps, Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (Pelvic Pain), 

• Decreases Excessive weight gain
• Maintains lower resting heart rate

Exercising during Labour:

1. Increases stamina to cope with the long, hard labour
2. Decreases chances of a C-Section by 75%
3. Decreases the need of Oxytocin by 50% (Used to induce labour)
4. Decreases active labour time by 30% 

Exercising after Delivery:

1. Decreases delivery problems like muscle tears & weakened pelvic muscles
2. Increases level of endorphins (Pain relieving hormone)
3. Easier to recover energy levels, strength & pre-pregnancy size
4. Fewer incidences of Post- Partum depression

Simple exercises taking no less than 20 minutes of your time, will help tremendously in making your pregnancy extra special!

(Read more for pregnancy, labour & post delivery in How to be comfortable in Labour; How to Breathe during Labour & Flat Abs)

NOTE: Please consult your doctor before exercising.

Women and Weight Training

Being a fitness expert in a women's only gym, I came across so many women for whom working out with help of free weights or Machines is a strict No-No. There are so many myths in mind of women who decide to workout in a gym. Most of them feel that weight training is only for men who aim to have a 20 inch biceps or a 6 -pack abs.

If you want to get stronger, leaner and healthy you have to supplement your aerobic workout with the key component of fitness and thats "Weight training".

" USE IT OR LOSE IT"

As we age our muscle mass gradually decreases and hence our metabolism (i.e the energy our body spents in normal functioning of our important physiological systems). So when all these depletes your fat percentage increases.

Lets look into some Myths related to weight training :

Myth I : Weight training will make you bulky or masculine

My dear ladies the hormone to be blamed for it is testesterone which is in abundance in males but is in very minimal quantity in females. Our oestrogen abundance prevents us to have a masculine body ,unless you take steroids externally.

Myth II : Weight training will Increase chest size

Breast size can never be increased or decreased. But yes it will surely make your chest look firm.

Myth III : Weight training will make your body stiff

There are many exercises such as dead lifts, chin ups, etc which will make you use your complete muscle length and hence maintain flexibility.

Myth IV : If you stop exercising your muscles will turn to fat

This myth is just like someone saying you can turn gold into brass!! Remember, both are different types of tissues so it cannot interchange.

Myth V : Women only should do cardio workout and if they want to do weight training they should only do with lighter weights.

I agree, cardio workout is very important component but if you are doing long hours of only cardio workout it will not only burn you fat but also your muscles. Also If you are weight training with light weights then its not of much use as there wont be any muscle breakdown. You need to overload your muscle to get the desired result of toning up.

So now as most of the myths are busted, lets quickly see the Effect of Weight Training :

1) Helps you to have stronger bone by increasing bone density thus preventing osteoporosis.

2) Increases your resting metabolism and thus you will burn the more calories even when you are at rest (as your Basal Metabolic Rate will increase).

3) Decreases the risk of injuries by making your bone,muscles and ligaments stronger.

4) Helps to improve balance and coordination.

5) Improves your stamina.

6) And above all for most of the women it gives you a fabulous toned body .

Now the question comes -
"How often ,how much and how we should proceed with this weight training program?"

According to American College of Sports Medicine :

Weight training should be done 2- 3 days per week and to get the best result supplement the weight training with aerobic workout in form of circuit training.

How much weight you should take will depend on your muscles ability to lift maximum weight in one go. Usually to start with 50-60% of this maximum weight can be used.

Also to start with 2 sets of 15-20 repetitions is sufficient to get desired results.

You can use a variety of options for weight training such as machines, your own body weight, dumbbells, tubes and the latest one the Kettlebells.

Just make sure you adopt the right posture, correct breathing (Exale when you exert) and right amount of weight. Consult your fitness trainer for the same.

So dear ladies, Pick up the dumbells and lets hit the gym with right kind of workout, food and rest.

COMING SOON : Some 'MUST DO' exercises for women who find no time to visit gyms!!

STAY FIT AND STAY HEALTHY !

Cheers!