Long gone are the days when it was believed that a pregnant woman should lie in bed in order to protect herself and the baby from undesirable consequences. Today, this is rarely done, mainly a woman remains active throughout her pregnancy both physically and socially. In this article I want to talk about how useful fitness for pregnant women is.
The main thing and other rules
Before a pregnant woman starts to do something, she must consult with her doctor, take permission from him for such an activity. After all, there are often situations when a lady feels like normal, but there are various threats to her baby. Therefore, if a woman in position wants to do some kind of sport, she must necessarily ask permission from her local gynecologist. As for classes, then fitness for pregnant women can be varied. So, women in the position are primarily recommended for water exercises, they are most suitable for this category of people, because there is no increase in body temperature (in contrast to classes in gyms), edema also decreases perfectly, especially in the last months of pregnancy, there is no big load on the muscles and the spine. Also, when starting classes, you need to know that in the first months of pregnancy you should consume more fluids during training than usual, and in the last months - less. As for nutrition, it should be more high-calorie. In the third trimester, exercises that are performed in the supine position are prohibited.
About the benefits of exercise
What is useful for fitness for pregnant women? So, there is a whole range of positive aspects. First of all, a woman trains her muscles, which is always useful. In parallel, the muscles of the pelvis are strengthened, which will help during labor. Also, sports activities significantly reduce toxicosis, up to its disappearance in the very early stages. Various exercises help the pregnant woman avoid such a problem as constipation, which affects most women in position. Well and, most importantly, fitness for pregnant women is communicating with other people, a good mood, as well as a lot of positive and laughter, which is always useful not only for the expectant mother, but also for her baby.
Bans
In addition to the fact that fitness for pregnant women may be contraindicated for women due to special medical indicators, it is also important to know what is best avoided during training. These are strength exercises. They are contraindicated in women in the situation, otherwise there is a huge risk of losing a child. Of the exercises, various swinging, jumping, and abrupt movements are undesirable. It is also important to remember that a woman in a position should not be overworked, classes should not bring muscle pain. As for yoga, one cannot practice various “inverted” poses.
Pilates
Pilates - great fitness activities for pregnant women. What are the advantages in this sport for a woman in position?
- The development of the muscles of the pelvic floor, which are actively working in the process of labor.
- Maintaining posture, which gives the baby in the womb enough space for life, and the woman the opportunity to avoid problems with the spine.
- Training in proper breathing, various breathing techniques, and this will be very necessary during childbirth, especially during contractions.
- Classes are useful for muscles: they are gently trained and taught to properly relax.
- It is important that Pilates in most cases helps to avoid seizures, varicose veins and edema - possible companions for pregnant women.
Gymnastics
Choosing gymnastics, a woman should give preference to dynamic rather than static exercises. It is important that such exercises should teach the lady to breathe correctly, properly strain and relax the necessary muscle groups (this is very useful during labor). Also, stretching, which is given by gymnastic exercises, will be very useful for a woman.
Water aerobics
This sport is useful for pregnant women for the simple reason that water exercises do not give sudden movements, a woman does not strain her body, does not sweat. These classes are often recommended for those ladies who are gaining excess weight during pregnancy, water helps to cope with this problem. Good exercises in the water and for those who suffer from edema, which with regular exercises cease to bother.
Yoga
Women in position also love to practice yoga. These classes are useful in that they help the expectant mother to relax, feel relieved, even with proper exercise, even cope with some problems. However, it is important to remember that not all poses can be used by ladies in position, it is better to talk about it with specialists.
Special classes
If a woman does not know what kind of sport to give preference to, a fitness club for pregnant women is suitable for her, today there are a huge number of them, not only in big cities. So, in these classes, only ladies in position gather (otherwise, a woman can engage with ordinary people, choosing safe exercises for herself), working under the strict supervision of a specialist who carefully monitors that pregnant women do not overwork and do everything right, do not overloading your body. It is also important to say that the classes of women in the first and third trimester are different, this is also taken into account by the trainer in the classroom, and the groups of trainees are mainly divided by gestational age.
First trimester
Every woman knows that the first trimester is the most dangerous period. After all, there is a huge risk of losing a child. Therefore, at this time, the lady should be extremely careful. It is also important to choose the set of exercises that will be extremely safe for a woman in position. So, what blocks should fitness for pregnant women consist of (1 trimester)? First of all, this is a warm-up, breathing techniques, as well as useful safe exercises.
What to do in the first trimester?
First comes a warm-up. Since a woman in this period is highly discouraged to exert herself, warm-up will be quite simple. First you need to stretch the neck muscles: for this you need to stand up straight and make several tilts of the head in one direction or the other. As much as possible, you should try to stretch the muscle without overstressing it. The next exercise: in a standing position, you need to spread your arms to the sides and, as it were, stretch either with one or the other hand from the body. So do it a few times. It is important to remember that when performing these exercises, you need to keep your back straight. It is also important at this time to exercise your breathing. To do this, you need to become as even as possible, as if stretching up. You need to breathe as in a Pilates class: imagine that a ball is sandwiched between the ribs, which must be deflated, then filled with air. It is necessary to do so for about 10 breaths. And only now you can start the exercises.
It is important to remember that fitness for pregnant women should be safe. Exercise should not be power. The first one is swimming. To do this, the woman stands on all fours, arms shoulder-width apart, legs also a little apart. Now you can begin to swim, extending alternately one arm and the opposite leg. The exercise is repeated 6-8 times. This is followed by a short respite. The next movement is "cat." For this, the woman again becomes in the previous pose of the “table”, she needs to bend her back as much as possible, without raising her head. Then comes relaxation, the woman stretches her chest down. However, it is important to remember that you should not try to bend down in this exercise, this creates an extra load on the spine. Number of repetitions: approximately 5. Again, a little rest. Another exercise that can be practiced in the first trimester: “saw”. To do this, the lady sits on the floor, spreads her legs, pulling her socks on herself, also spreads her arms parallel to the floor. When you inhale, you need to spin in one direction, and as you exhale, spin in the other. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that the buttocks do not come off the floor, and the knees do not bend.
Independence
You can also practice fitness for pregnant women at home. It is better to coordinate the exercises with a specialist in advance, because only he can tell what women should choose if she has certain problems. Pursuing yourself, you must follow the recommendations of the coach and do not forget about caution.