Sports for pregnant women; what are the benefits? Find out what sports girls can play in position and how it affects fetal development. Today, women often go in for sports to maintain their figure. Gradually, regular exercise becomes a way of life. However, when a woman is preparing to become a mother, the question arises – is it possible for pregnant women to play sports?
Moreover, it does not only apply to those women who had an active lifestyle before pregnancy. Every woman wants to return to her previous shape as soon as possible after giving birth. However, it is essential not to harm the child’s health.
The benefits of sports for pregnant women
If you have no contraindications, then sports during pregnancy can be helpful not only for you but also for the baby. Regular exercise positively affects the functioning of all systems and increases the physical stability of the body. Sport improves the functioning of the respiratory and vascular systems, positively affects metabolic processes and improves the emotional state.
Regular exercise can reduce the risk of complications after childbirth and facilitate the process itself. It is also essential that moderate exercise improves the health of not only the expectant mother but also the baby. If a woman is inactive during pregnancy, then stagnation of processes in the body can develop.
In such a situation, sports activities may even be considered necessary as they help to improve the quality of oxygen supply to the cells. It is essential because, during development, the fetus must receive the required nutrients and oxygen in sufficient quantities. Very often in the morning, many women do not feel very well. Exercise will help you avoid this.
Which sports are prohibited during pregnancy?
When answering whether pregnant women can go in for sports, it should say about the sports that expectant mothers should not do. First, this applies to those sports where the risk of injury is high, for example, lateral, skydiving, and equestrian sports.
You need to take good care of your health during pregnancy because now we are talking about two lives. Any negative processes in the female body will undoubtedly affect the fetus. Also, do not perform sharp swinging movements; stretch the abdominal muscles, etc.
Which are suitable sports for pregnant women?
Regarding whether pregnant women can do sports, I want to say that walking will benefit this case. They can be performed several times during the day, but they should not be too long. Perhaps walking is the most accessible and beneficial form of exercise. Even if a woman has not played sports before, it is available for her to walk. The only exception to this rule is the risk of miscarriage. In this situation, women have to rely on rest, and exercise is out of the question.
Walking up the stairs can also be helpful. Most doctors advise going up the stairs like that if you live on the lower floors. Of course, this must be done at a measured pace and not in a hurry. Try to breathe deeply and evenly through your nose.
Suppose a woman does some sports before pregnancy. In that case, continuing training with the same intensity in the position will no longer be possible. It would help if you gradually reduced the load so as not to exhaust the body. You should not be picky now if you have not lived an active lifestyle. It would help if you started with simple movements and gradually increased the load. Among the valuable sports, yoga, swimming, and special physical exercises intended for pregnant women should be mentioned.
Swimming is an excellent form of exercise at this time. Any activity performed in water helps relieve stress from the spine and also helps strengthen the muscles in the back, arms and chest. In addition, swimming positively affects blood circulation, which contributes to the normal development of the fetus. Swimming allows women not to worry about the potential risk of falls, dehydration, and joints.
Yoga at any time positively affects the whole body, and pregnancy is no exception. There are many types of yoga, and in fact, you can choose any one yourself. However, it is worth paying attention to yoga for pregnant women.
It is based on exercises not done while lying on your back. It is essential to pay attention to proper breathing during yoga exercises. However, this statement applies to all kinds of sports and not only during pregnancy. It would help if you also learned to relax during lessons, which will positively affect your child.
Proper breathing contributes to the consumption of oxygen, which will also flow to the fetus. In addition, you will be able to prepare for childbirth because, during contractions, you also need to breathe properly to reduce pain. Do not strain your abdominal muscles or stretch your ligaments during the exercise. Gymnastics for pregnant women was developed specifically for women in position, taking into account all the physiological characteristics of the body at any given time. All exercises strengthen the blood vessels, respiratory system, and heart muscles.
With the help of gymnastics for pregnant women, you can also strengthen the muscles that actively participate in childbirth. With their help, you can correct your posture and work out the pelvic and abdominal muscles. It will significantly facilitate the birth process and subsequent birth.
Almost all exercise complexes explicitly created for pregnant women include a Kegel exercise. Thanks to this, you will strengthen all the muscles necessary for normal birth since the stress on them during the baby’s birth is enormous.
Note that the training set for pregnant women includes work on fit balls. Thanks to them, you will have the opportunity to increase strength and flexibility, reduce pressure, eliminate or at least reduce pain, and increase the efficiency of the heart muscles and vascular system. With regular implementation of these complexes, your well-being will improve significantly.
Pilates can also be very beneficial during pregnancy. As you can see, the answer to the question of whether pregnant women can do sports turned out to be positive, and a good selection of exercises will benefit you most during this period.
With Pilates, you can strengthen your pelvic floor muscles to work actively during labor. The blood circulation will also improve, which will positively affect the quality of the baby’s oxygen supply. Among other things, you can play tennis. However, if you have not been fond of this sport before, then do not overdo it during pregnancy. You must move smoothly around the field. Doctors allow playing tennis during the first five months of pregnancy.
After that, you should turn your attention to other forms of exercise and return to tennis after giving birth. If you have been an active runner before, you can continue to do so for half of your pregnancy. After that, it’s worth going hiking. If running has not been your thing before, walking is better.
You can also go cycling, but only on a flat track, and do not start to master this sport during pregnancy. Among other things, we advise you to be careful when riding, as the risk of falling is relatively high.
Tips are sports for pregnant women.
We have already practically answered your question, is it possible for pregnant women to do sports? Here are some guidelines to help you get the most out of your practice and minimize the risks. It is essential to train in comfortable and convenient clothing. It shouldn’t restrict your movements in the same way that shoes do.
The best time to exercise during pregnancy is the second trimester. In the first trimester, the formation of the fetus is just beginning, and it is not yet firmly attached to the uterus. All this speaks of a relatively high risk of miscarriage. At this point, try to overload the body.
It would help if you stopped playing sports at the end of the eighth month of pregnancy. At the same time, if the health condition worsens earlier than this period, it is also necessary to stop exercising and consult a doctor.
Moderate exercise is good for everyone. But during pregnancy, the health needs of the expectant mother are high, and there are some contraindications for training.
First of all, we are talking about several diseases: poisoning, appendicitis (chronic), inflammatory processes, uterine bleeding, placenta, diseases of the liver, kidneys, heart muscle, as well as polyhydramnios. If you have at least one of the above diseases, you should not do sports during pregnancy.
It would help if you remembered that sports should always be your joy and pleasure. And this applies not only to the physical and moral conditions. If you feel good after exercise and your sleep patterns are not disturbed, practice will be good for your body.
