DO:
Stay hydrated
Water is essential, transporting nutrients to body cells and carrying waste products away.
“During exercise, much water is lost as sweat, so it’s important to drink at least 8-12 cups of fluids (water, milk, fruit juice, or other non-caffeinated beverages) daily,” says Molly Kimball, a registered dietician at the Ochsner Clinic Foundation.
Drinking plenty of fluids can also help alleviate the constipation that plagues many pregnant women.
Maintain correct maternal core temperature
Increasing the expectant mother’s core temperature also increases the temperature of the baby.
A woman should monitor her temperature during and after exercise to ensure that it does not rise above 102 degrees according to Kimball, who also says that raising the pregnant body temperature too high may increase the risk of central nervous system abnormalities to the fetus, including spina bifida and hydroencephalopathy.
Take care in selecting your exercises
The hormone relaxin makes you especially susceptible to strains and injuries, so take care in choosing your exercises.
Kelli Calabrese, fitness expert and lead trainer of ediets.com online fitness center, recommends activities like walking, jogging, swimming, stationary cycling, stair climbing, elliptical training and rowing.
She also adds that most sports are safe during the first two trimesters as long as there is no risk of impact or trauma.
Monitor your heart rate
During pregnancy, your heart rate should not exceed 140 beats per minute or 60 percent of your maximum heart rate. And since your heart beats faster during pregnancy, you won’t have to exercise as vigorously to reach your target heart rate.
THINGS TO AVOID
Heavy Weight Lifting
It is very important to avoid heavy weights. Dr. Joanne Gorton, a physical therapist, naturopathic doctor, and faculty member of the National College of Naturopathic medicine in Portland, Oregon, suggests that women avoid any type of exercise where they are straining themselves.
Do not lift weights or stand motionless for long periods of time because this can decrease blood flow to the uterus. Stay in motion and change positions often.
The Valsalva Maneuver
The valsalva maneuver is breathing against a forced glottis. In other words, air is not being expelled through your mouth or nose.
The valsava maneuver, says Calabrese, may elevate both heart rate and blood pressure, which can be dangerous to the baby. A pregnant woman should not try to force her breathing, but should breathe naturally and never hold her breath.
The Supine Position:
Exercise (and just lying) in the supine (back side down) or right side down position should be avoided after the sixteenth week of pregnancy.
According to Dr. Michael Hisey, an orthopaedic spine surgeon at the Texas Back Institute, this is because the weight of the pregnant uterus puts additional pressure on the inferior vena cava in these positions and decreases the amount of blood returning to the heart. This results also results in decreased blood flow to the uterus as well as to the mother, putting additional stress on both.
Contact sports
Avoiding contact sports, or sports that would throw you off balance or chronic impact activities such as horse back riding. Any exercise such as skiing or contact sports that involve risks of sudden jolting, particularly impacts to the abdomen, should be avoided.
WARNING SIGNS
STOP exercising and call your doctor if you experience:
- Vaginal Bleeding
- Dyspnea
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Chest Pain
- Muscle Weakness
- Preterm Labor
- Decreased fetal movement
- Amniotic Fluid Leakage
See related Article: Exercise and Pregnancy
