Do pregnant people need physical activities?

Pregnancy and childbirth are a tremendous physical load for the female body and requires complex preparation for bearing and childbirth. A good physical condition of a woman favors conception, reduces the risk of complications during childbirth and helps to recover faster after them.

It's best when the expectant mother thinks about improving her health well in advance and starts doing gymnastics in the process of pregnancy planning. Sometimes women fall into extremes, and, fearing for their pregnancy, all nine months are sitting at home on the couch or behind the monitor,any complications.

Others, on the contrary, believe that pregnancy is not a disease, and during the decree they start a repair, they plant a kitchen garden in time to do all the work for the birth of a child. Both are wrong, both. Doctors say that moderate exercise during pregnancy is extremely necessary to prepare the body for childbirth and to facilitate this process as much as possible, and excessive, on the contrary, are very harmful.

Why you need physical activity during pregnancy ^

Special gentle gymnastics for pregnant women strengthens muscles, improves blood circulation and nutrition of all important internal organs, especially the small pelvis, and also improves the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the future child. When excessive physical exertion during pregnancy, on the contrary, there is a threat of hypoxia ( lack of oxygen) for the fetus, which adversely affects its development and can lead to miscarriage or premature birth. Therefore, professional athletes during pregnancy need to reduce physical loads to safe for the future child's limits, because sometimes seemingly trivial stress can be potentially dangerous and lead to fatal consequences.

Physicians strongly recommend limiting extreme physical activity up to bed rest in extreme cases, such as late toxicosis, risk of miscarriage, low placenta previa, spotting, polyhydramnios and other serious pathologies. With hypertension, anemia, metabolic disorders, weight and spinal problems, thyroid diseases and other chronic diseases, physical activity is not prohibited, but only limited.

On the recommendation of the attending physician, such women are assigned a gentle mode of exercising on a special program for pregnant women - the loads are selected taking into account the state of health of the future mother and her fitness before pregnancy. Especially shown in such cases, walking, swimming and medical gymnastics under the supervision of a doctor-instructor, who watches her condition during classes.

How to perform physical exercises ^

During exercise you need to listen sensitively to your health, avoid fatigue and measure your pulse every 15 minutes. If he increased to 140 beats per minute, you need to stop training and rest until the pulse drops to 90 beats / minute. After classes you do not need to do homework at once, doctors advise to lie on your left side for 15-20 minutes.

In order for exercise to bring good results during pregnancy, they should be performed regularly, 3-4 times a week, and not occasionally. The minimal set of exercises performed on a daily basis will give a better effect than the more intense classes that are conducted occasionally. Pregnant women are not recommended to sit for a long time, as long sitting contributes to stagnation of blood in the veins, the appearance of edema, the development of varicose veins and is the cause of hemorrhoids. If at work or on a trip you have to sit for a long time, you need to get up every hour and 5-10 minutes to walk or actively move.

Doctors do not advise starting physical exercises on an empty stomach, it's better to eat something or drink not too abundant an hour before them. Do not do anything on an uneven and slippery floor, or in a stuffy, hot or humid room. Shoes should be comfortable, and clothes free for movement and comfortable, so as not to freeze and not to sweat. You can not lift weights in excess of 3-4 kilograms, and also perform jumps and other movements in which there is a concussion of the abdomen and vibration.

Do not exceed 15 minutes without interruption, without jerks and at a calm pace, always start workouts with a warm-up for warming up the muscles-for this, do any stretching movements. To determine the allowable intensity of physical activity, use the so-called "speaking test" - if you can talk while breathing exercises, then this load is optimal for you. During sports, the body strongly loses its moisture, so before training and during them, be sure to drink ordinary water to protect yourself from the danger of dehydration.

The universal complex of gymnastics for pregnant women usually includes simple but very useful exercises for the back muscles, head turns, raising the legs and hands, as well as performing Kegel exercises that promote the training of the perineal and pelvic floor muscles. About the exercise Kegel sure to tell all future mothers in classes to prepare for childbirth.

It consists in compressing and unclenching the pubic - coccygeal muscle. Feel this muscle can be during urination - in order to stop the flow of urine, you need to strain it. At first you will be able to squeeze the muscle for only a few seconds, but in time you will be able to bring the compression time to 10 seconds and do it three times a day for 25 compressions per approach, which will help a lot during labor.

Very often pregnant women complain of back pain due to the increasing stress on the joints and spine. In this case, the exercise at which the movements are made, like the cat while sipping, is very helpful. To perform the exercise you need to stand on all fours, so that the head, neck and spine are on the same level. Leaning on straight hands, bend your back up with an arch, lowering with the head and squeezing the muscles of the buttocks and abdomen. Then relax and return to the starting position.

Always complete relaxation and relaxation exercises - for example, sit on a high chair, legs apart, hands clasped in the lock and rest on elbows on the knees. Then put your head on closed hands, close your eyes and sit for 3-4 minutes. After the fourth month, exclude exercises performed in the supine position, as the growing uterus can strongly pressurize the vessels and disrupt blood circulation.

In the last month before childbirth, physical activity can be limited and replaced by leisurely walks in the fresh air. Do not protester, be careful in everything, so as not to harm your health and give birth to a healthy long-awaited baby.