Exercise During Pregnancy

For my friends who have a bun in the oven: keep working out! Exercise can help you have a healthy pregnancy and can also make the delivery easier, shorter, and less complicated (ACE Certified News). You should first check with you doctor before beginning. But usually, if you were physically active before your pregnancy, you can do most of the same activities within reason during pregnancy. And as your belly grows, modify your routine to what is comfortable. Keep in mind that your resting heart rate is faster during pregnancy due to the blood supply going to the uterus and you want to make sure the uterus is getting plenty of blood and oxygen as well as keeping your core temperature stable, so maintain a moderate intensity. Some women prefer not to lay on their backs and if that is the case, you can do most exercises standing or on a ball. Evaluate each form of exercise and rule out any that have risk of:

1. Injury
2. Falling
3. Abdominal Trauma

Cardio that is great during pregnancy:
Walking (jogging if it is comfortable and you are used to it)
Swimming-you feel weightless in the water and it's wonderful! It is easy on the joints too.
Elliptical

Strength Exercises that are great during pregnancy:
Ball Squats (ball up against wall and back against it)
Standing Shoulder Press
Standing Bicep Curls
Crunches on Ball: small crunches are ok to do on a ball in more of a vertical position rather than horizontal. Sit on the ball and roll forward so that your bottom is closer to the floor.
Pelvic Lifts on Ball: In that same position as crunches on the ball, lift pelvis up and down. Feels great!
Cat pose: Get on hands and knees. While inhaling, arch the back and exhale while flattening it out. Yoga pose- helps ease lower back pain.
Tail Wags: Sounds funny, but while on your hands and knees move your hips side to side. This eases hip and back pain.
Hamstring Stretch