Exercising an average of 20 to 45 minutes three to five days a week can reduce your risk for pregnancy-related health problems. It can also reduce lower back pain by building stronger abdominal and back muscles and improving your postpartum recovery. Most importantly, regular exercise is great for improving your overall psychological well-being and mood, which is essential to pregnancy and the postpartum period. This can be a little difficult for ladies, who are generally more on the un-sporty side and like to move as little as possible. Anyhow, for the sake of a healthy pregnancy, a healthy baby and an easier birth, now might be a good time to start moving a little more. But moderately please. It’s crucial to not overdo it.
Every mom is individual. Every pregnancy is different. Every labor is different. We all have different fitness levels. You know how you usually feel so you are the one that can identify when you feel discomfort and want to go easy on you.
Being conscious and acknowledging how you feel during and after an exercise or the workout keeps you connected to yourself and allows you to get the most out of it. If you are experiencing pain, discomfort or severe fatigue post exercise/workout, you may want to recognize it and modify going forward. Doing less does not make you a failure. Remembering that is sometimes a challenge among the over achiever ladies… I know. But sometimes we just have to do less to gain more. No matter the suitability of any exercise, your body needs you to listen to what it’s telling you, take things at your own pace and give yourself some grace. Remember, during pregnancy your aim is to stay active for the benefit of you and your baby rather than exercising to exhaustion or achieving personal bests.
If you take the attention to listen to your body, your body will tell you what you need. You might need a break to catch your breath and rest sometimes. It’s OK to pass up a hike for a nap. This is not the time to feel like you should begin training for a marathon. With pregnancy, you are in the middle of – or just finishing one of the biggest marathons in your life.
Pregnancy is a wonderful time to focus on yourself and your needs. Addressing those needs through safe exercise will help promote a healthy mental and physical state of being.