1. Exercise helps build strength and stamina. When you undergo labor preceding the birth of your child you will realize just how much strength and stamina you will need! So do yourself a favor and build up both.
2. Exercise helps improve emotional help. There are several stresses and mood alterations that you may experience during pregnancy; exercise helps to keep those in control as well.
3. Exercise helps with weight management. Proper exercise during your pregnancy will help to keep your weight gain to the prescribed amount during pregnancy, so that it will be that much easier for you to lose the extra weight after the baby arrives.
4. Exercise is even good for the health of the unborn baby.
5. Several pregnancy symptoms may be eased by exercise. Headache, fatigue, constipation, water retention and swelling could all be helped by regular exercise during pregnancy.
6. Exercise can help to reduce the risk of a premature birth by as much as 50% according to research.

Just remember to clear all that you do with your doctor, remember to drink plenty of water and healthy nutritious food and don’t overdo it; and if something doesn’t feel right, stop.

However, now, as medical science and mothers themselves understand more about the tremendous capability of the female body, we understand better the dos and don’ts of pregnancy.

We look at some of the commonly asked questions about running during pregnancy:

Is it safe? Obviously this is the first question that occurs to a pregnant woman. After all, this is a strenuous, high impact exercise that puts pressure on the body.

Rule of thumb here is that if you are a regular runner, you can continue even after you get pregnant, so long as your doctor clears it.

Pregnancy is not, however the time to start a running routine. It is also important to steer clear to becoming overheated.

During the first trimester, as the baby’s organs are forming, overheating could cause problems so at this time, a shorter run or alternative exercises could be a better idea.

Are there any benefits to running during pregnancy? If a woman is used to running on a regular basis, she likely gets a boost from her regular runs. Running is of course an excellent work out and a way to keep fit and prevent excess pregnancy weight gain. Also you can do it anytime.

What should I guard against? So long as it is cleared by your health care provider, running during pregnancy may be a good idea. Just don’t overdo it and watch out for any dizziness, vaginal bleeding or fluid leakage, breathing difficulties, chest pain, decrease in fetal movement, or exhaustion and report these immediately.

Running during the first trimester: Keep yourself properly hydrated. Drink plenty of water, before and after your run; even during your run is a good idea.

Good shoes and a good supporting bra are advisable. Good quality running shoes will offer good grip and cushion the impact of running; good support bras will offer support for burgeoning breasts.

Running during the second trimester: Understand that as the belly grows, and body weight increases, the balance of the body alters. It is easier to fall. So be careful as you run; a flat, even surface is best. If you find yourself falling try not to fall on your stomach.

Running during the third trimester: Be careful, and if you feel you are not up to running; skip it. It may be a good idea to replace the run with a brisk walk; many runners find that they slow down to gentle job anyway.

According to this report, exercise can improve pregnancy related symptoms as well as strengthen overall musculoskeletal and physiologic health.

Exercises such as aerobics, impact and nonimpact activities, resistance training and swimming eases back and other musculoskeletal pain, lowers maternal blood pressure, reduces swelling and improves post-partum mood, including sadness.

According to study author Capt. Marlene DeMaio, M.D., M.C ., U.S.N., Research Director, Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, Virginia, data shows that the pregnant woman’s body can compensate for the changes with no harm to the fetus during low to moderate intensity exercise.

Walking is an excellent exercise during pregnancy. Not only does walking help build your strength and endurance, but it also relieve stress.

Walking is low impact, and can be done anywhere and in any kind of weather.

It is safe for all except those on strict activity limitation, and can be enjoyed with others.

There is little risk of falling, especially important and the mom-to-be’s balance and gait is affected during the later months.

The other essential exercise you must perform during pregnancy is called kegel’s. These are rhythmic contractions of the pubococcygeus or PC muscle. This muscle is shaped much like a hammock which attaches to your pubic bone in front and your coccyx, or tailbone, in the back. It supports all of your pelvic organs.

Having a strong PC muscle will help support your developing uterus, help your baby be positioned properly, and help you deliver more effectively. Exercising your PC muscle after delivery will help you regain your previous muscle tone more quickly.

There are other pregnancy exercises which can be beneficial, but these two are among the very most important.

A good guide is that if you can carry on a conversation while exercising and still feel comfortable your baby will be the better for it.

Studying twenty six women, between twenty and thirty five years of age the research team from Kansas City University discovered that the baby’s nervous system and breathing movement was more developed if expectant mothers had been taking exercise.

The technique used was perfectly safe and involved measuring magnetic fields created by the activity of electricity of both fetal and maternal heart rates.

The exercising women were involved in a moderate level including running and vigorous walking, these and the less sedate subjects were checked between the 36th and 38th week of gestation.

The reason for the study was to determine if there would be any cardiovascular advantages for women in terms of exercise. The device used could pick up various movements of the fetus including sucking, hiccupping and breathing.

The head of the study, Dr Linda May was very positive about the results believing it to be a significant advancement in determining the reasons for cot deaths and other conditions that affect babies. It is early days but with more research a lot could be learned about the developing nervous system of the baby.

A spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists agreed that it had been a very worthwhile study despite its size. Although they wanted to express caution that too much exercise could be potentially dangerous for the baby.

In fact, weight training exercises are one of the best ways to stay fit during pregnancy.

You can use weights during your routine workouts to build good muscle strength. However, it is essential for you to follow certain precautions when doing so.

1. Talk to your doctor: This is the first and foremost thing you have to consider when lifting weights, if you are pregnant. Take necessary suggestions and ask questions like is it safe, how much weight is OK?
2. Pick lighter weights and practice more reps: This is one of the best ways to ensure safety while lifting weights or practicing workouts with them. So, try to pick lighter weights and practice more reps during your workout.
3. Concentrate on your upper body: Lift weights to improve your upper body and also to strengthen the muscles of your abdominal. This will help your body and assist you during childbirth.
4. Don’t lift weights that are too heavy: This is extremely important when you are practicing weight training exercises during pregnancy [Pregnancy Exercise]. Lifting weights that are too heavy causes forceful exhalation, particularly when releasing the weight, and constricts airflow to uterus.

Don’t forget to hydrate your body thoroughly when you are practicing weight lifting workouts. Drink plenty of water and healthy fluids when you are pregnant.

Research has shown that, as well as being safe, the gentle exercise has the benefit of making it easier to give birth.

Rosa Pereira led a team of researchers from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Sao Paulo, Brazil who investigated the effects of the aquarobics class on a group of 71 expectant mothers.

About half of the women were randomly allocated to attend three 50-minute sessions a week over the course of their pregnancy, the others did not take part in the water aerobics.

According to Pereira, “We found no statistically significant differences in the duration of labor or the type of delivery between the two groups. However, only 27% of women in the aquarobics group requested analgesia, compared to 65% in the control group. This represents a 58% reduction in requests.”

Exercise during pregnancy has been the subject of much debate, the main concern being that it may interfere with fetal/placental demands, increasing the risk of abnormalities or compromising fetal development or growth.

The researchers found that there was no harmful effect on the cardiovascular health of the women who practiced water aerobics.

Pereira said, “We’ve shown that the regular practice of moderate water aerobics during pregnancy is not detrimental to the health of the mother or the child. In fact, the reduction in analgesia requests suggests that it can get women into better psycho-physical condition.”

Neonatal results from the study confirm the wellbeing of the newborn infants born to mothers who took part in the aquarobics.

Source: ScienceDaily

The British scientists said the quitting rate was about the same as for people who use nicotine replacement.

“Our findings suggest that a good physical activity intervention is feasible and acceptable as an aid to smoking cessation during pregnancy,” Michael Ussher and colleagues from St. George’s University of London, wrote in the journal BMC Health.

Nicotine — one of the most addictive substances known — can lead to lower birth weight, higher infant mortality and is linked to learning difficulties and health problems in childhood.

An estimated 17 percent of British women and 20 percent of women in the United States say they smoke during pregnancy, the researchers said.

Nicotine patches are one way to help smokers give up, but there are worries they may harm the fetus, leaving exercise as a healthy alternative for pregnant women, the researchers said [pregnancy exercises].

The two pilot studies included women over 18 who smoked at least one cigarette a day and were 12 to 20 weeks into their pregnancy.

Read more at Yahoo News

1. Kegel exercises

These exercises are the small internal contractions of the pelvic floor muscles that help to support your uterus, bladder, rectum and urethra.

Strengthening of the pelvic floor muscles help to improve the circulation to the vaginal and rectal area thus assisting to control the hemorrhoids and helping to heal after a tear or episiotomy within short period of time.

You can do kegel exercises anywhere such as when you are at the computer, while watching TV, and even when you are in a queue at the supermarket. Here is how to do the exercise:

• Squeeze the muscles around the vaginal area like interrupting the urine flow when you are going to the washroom.
• Hold the position for two seconds and then release. Do 10 repetitions. Practice 3-4 sets for three times a day.

2. Squats

For most of the pregnant women, squats are not the most graceful exercise.

But, doing squats is a traditional method of getting ready for giving birth. Squats help in strengthening the thighs and in opening the pelvis.

Here is how to do the exercise:

• Position yourself opposite to the back of the chair. Keep your feet a little more than hip-width distant and keep the toes facing outwards. For better support, you can hold the chair.
• Then contract the abdominal muscles and at the same time raise your chest and rest your shoulders.
  Next, bend your tailbone near the floor. Get proper balance and the majority of your weight must be towards the heels.
• Obtain a deep breath and then breathe out while moving your legs forward to rise in the direction of standing position.

3. Pelvic tilt

Pelvic tilt can be done on all fours. This exercise strengthens the abdominal muscles and relieves from back pain during pregnancy period and in labor.

Here is how to do the exercise:

• Lie down on your back in bending knee position. Keep your arms straight and at shoulder width apart and lower legs at hip-width apart.
• Squeeze the abdominal muscles while you breathe in and push the buttocks beneath and around your back.
• Completely relax the back while you exhale.
• Repeat the exercise for 3-4 times while following the rhythm of your breath.

4. Cobbler pose

This pose helps in opening your pelvis and loosening the hip joints to prepare for the birthing process.

Improving the posture and lessening the lower back tension can also be possible with this pose.

Here is how to do the exercise:

• Sit by placing your back against a wall for proper support. Keep the soles of your feet in such a way that they touch each other.
• Then slowly push your lap down and away from each other. Remember that don’t force the knees to get the position done.
• Hold the position until you feel comfortable within it.

Slow start and working at your own levels is very important while working with these exercises.

If your pregnancy is a low risk pregnancy and your doctor suggests you to continue exercising, you can get various benefits even from mild to moderate fitness routines.

Helpful guidelines for exercising during pregnancy:

Staying consistent:

Regular exercising is the best way, but not occasionally. It is better to exercise three days a week. Maintain your fitness routine in the mild-moderate range.

Choose easy steps to practice:

Don’t do the activities that need jumping motions or sudden changes in the direction as they can strain your joints and injure you.

Observe your back carefully:

Avoid exercising on your back after the first trimester of your pregnancy. Avoid motionless standing for longer periods. Both these activities can diminish the amount of blood flow to the uterus.

Don’t do too much:

You must be aware that you have very less oxygen available for exercising. Stop doing the exercises if you become fatigued and don’t attempt to exercise to that extent of exhaustion.

Maintain your balance:

Don’t try to do the activities that cause a rapid loss of balance or mild shock to your abdomen.

Consume a healthy diet:

Ensure that the diet you consume causes you to gain 25-35 pounds during the nine months period. Most of you need 300 calories additionally per each day.

If you exercise regularly, then probably you need to consume more. Consume the diet that is rich in carbohydrates, because a pregnant woman uses up this fuel source more quickly during exercise than a normal woman.

Drink more and more water:

Drinking plenty of water is very essential to keep yourself hydrated and to prevent from overheating.

Wear comfortable clothing:

Make sure that while exercising, you are comfortable in your clothes and the clothes should be easy to remove. Wear a supportive bra that fits properly to support the breasts.

Try to keep cool as possible as you can:

Don’t become overheated, particularly in your first trimester of pregnancy. Overheating during the first trimester causes to develop birth defects. Take lots of fluids before and during the workout session.

Avoid risky activities:

Pregnant women should avoid the activities like climbing, snowboarding, horseback riding, waterskiing, and scuba diving. During diving activities, your oxygen intake will be compromised and puts pressure on yours and your baby’s organs.

Limitations and warning signs of exercise during pregnancy:

Though pregnancy exercise is safe, it is not suitable for all the pregnant women.

Pregnant women with any of the following conditions should avoid exercise during pregnancy. They include:

• Premature rupture of membranes
• Pregnancy induced hypertension
• High blood pressure
• Vaginal bleeding
• Early contractions
• Heart disease

If you suddenly notice any of the below mentioned conditions, stop immediately doing the exercises and consult your doctor:

• Heavy discharge or vaginal bleeding
• Rapid heartbeat – The heartbeat of a pregnant woman should not exceed 140 beats per minute
• Fainting or dizziness
• Beginning of pain anywhere in your body
• Increased and pronounced shortness of breath

Walking is the best exercise during pregnancy. Those who are at a risk of above mentioned conditions can do walking for at least 30 minutes in a day.