Everyone knows exercise is a good way to maintain stamina. Not only that, the body can be even thinner and looks good. Apparently, for pregnant women, exercise also has benefits. A new study reveals that when an expectant mother working hard or doing physical activity, her fetus will have the effect, ie, the fetal heart is getting stronger and healthier. At least no rhythm pounding heart slowed but steady. Thus disclosed in the annual meeting of Experimental Biology 2008 in San Diego.
The study states that a mother's physical activity not only for the benefit of his own heart, but also beneficial to the fetal heart. As a result of longer studies have been done, we plan to continue research involving many pregnant women," said Linda E. May, from the Department of Anatomy at Kansas City University of Medicine and Bio sciences.
10 women participated in this study, half of physical activity and others do not. Fetal movements such as breathing, body and mouth movements are monitored and recorded for 24 weeks.
The researchers found a slowing of heart rhythm that occurs significantly during these mothers do physical activity. While the fetal heart rhythm in women who do not move it much higher.
Pregnant women should smart to choose a suitable sports. So recognize signs of exercise first. Sports suitable for pregnant women should not harm (risk of injury to the mother and fetus). For example that does not require too much physical activity, such as swimming, yoga, gymnastics, and on foot.Sign of Safety
There are several things you must consider before starting this activity.
- Consult a doctor. When in first pregnancy check, say that you want to exercise during pregnancy.
- Start small movements. You do not know how strong your pregnancy, so if you feel sick because even minor movements, immediately stopped.
- Counts stages. If you feel strong enough, the portion of the exercise should be increased. What is important, do your skills match the movement.
- Exercise 3 times a week with a duration of at least 30 minutes. Perform regular basis.
- Drink 8 glasses of water per day. This is important, because you do need adequate fluid intake.
- Morning or afternoon is best suited for you. The sun is not hot and not humid air.
- Consider the climate. If it was a lot of rain, it's worth choosing indoor sports.
- Fit Clothes Clothes too big (can hinder movement), which is too tight (could hurt the body when moving). Select materials that easily absorb sweat.
- Wear sneakers. Remember, your weight increases. If your 'home' barefoot, not the fitness obtained, you'll get stiffness in the legs and fatigue.
- Select a sport place with circulation and good air quality.
- Out door Sports. Avoid rocky road, especially a sharp and dusty, as well as decreased road or climb too sharp.
- Stop and rest when you feel a cold sweat, heart pounding, eyes glazed, or out spot of the vagina.
- Oxygen is so smooth : Blood flow smoothly launched automatically supply oxygen to the fetus. Also able to prevent varicose veins and make the muscles function properly.
- Helping to walk upright : Growing belly makes the body-centered balance in the stomach. As a result, when walking you tend to bend the body backward.This will make your hip pain. With exercise, this interference can be avoided.
- Strengthen your muscle to help labor : Strong muscles can be formed and delivered more easily and smoothly. Research shows, women who exercise during pregnancy, less likely to Cesarean section.
- Good Durability postpartum : Routine exercise will make your body fit. This will increase your stamina so you do not quickly tired of caring for your baby. Arm and back stronger will also help you carry and raise the child.
- Reduces cellulite : Exercise will reduce your risk of cellulite (fat that looks like an orange skin that usually occurs in the area around the thighs and waist).
- Healthier skin : A smooth blood circulation automatically makes your skin glowing and healthier. The skin became more flexible.
YOU certainly very excited when a new baby and watch your favorite baby. However, weight gain and muscle relaxation is also often can not be avoided during the pregnancy and afterwards. No need to worry about appearance, you can perform simple exercises and easy, can be done inside or outside the home, to restore your body shape as they have not given birth.When I first arrived at the house, probably the first thing you can do is to sleep with your little baby. Losing weight, could be the next priority. After a few months, you must have been more familiar with your routine as a mother, so you have more time to think about losing weight. Are you breastfeeding? This is a good thing. Breast-feeding will cause uterine contractions, thus, be more easily returned to its original shape compared with mothers who did not breastfeed.
Many women, perhaps including you, admit not even have time to think fitness again. Even after their babies learn to sleep. When babies sleep, the mothers usually perform routine cleaning or bathing. Many mothers admitted, if the baby has changed their routine. But it does not hurt also to change your routine, if it is beneficial to you and of course your favorite baby. Here are 5 simple exercises you can do with easy to lose weight:
- Walking. Everyone needs fresh air, not unless you and your baby. You can take him on a gurney, both when he was awake or asleep. You just need to put in a comfortable position and bring the things that may be required. This opportunity can also use to communicate and take your baby to speak.
- Lift your baby. You do not need barbells when there are babies in the house. If your baby is awake, you can lift to strengthen the muscles. You can put the baby in the stomach during a movement and a half sit-ups with only half a body lift in the head. Your baby can help strengthen the muscles of the arm when he was in your arms. But, make sure you picked it up carefully.
- Turn on the DVD. With the DVD you can exercise in accordance with your spare time. You can just press the button to start or stop it. But, be sure not to exercise too hard, start slowly. You can start with a program duration of 25 minutes if you have spare time. When babies begin to sleep longer, you must also add duration.
- Choose a gym that is equipped with day care. Maybe you're the kind of person who really enjoy being in a fitness class. Joining with others often make you feel more alive. No problem, go to the gym. But, make sure first if you choose a gym that is equipped with a safe baby care. So, you can exercise in peace without worrying about your baby all the time.
- Try water aerobics. No need to own, you can include your baby too. Baby lived for 9 months in the water and they get used to the water. You may not be sweating, but the water aerobics is one of the best stretching exercises.
The obstetrics and gynecology specialists always say that pregnant women should not leave the sport. Of course, not all sports could be pregnant. You should really choose a safe exercise for you and the fetus in the womb. Least safe exercise while pregnant, to some extent influenced by gestational age and expectant mother's body condition, which must be different in each person.
Dr Phaidon L. Toruan, MM, lifestyle fitness expert, explains exercise should be done after the first trimester. Or after 12 weeks of gestation or three months. At that time the fetus is quite strong, so safe for expectant mothers to physical activity.
Is there a certain gestational age of pregnant women who made it is not permissible exercise? Dr Phaidon, who recently published a book Fat Loss not Weight Loss, say, the conditions will be prospective mother who is very influential. He continued, if you have a strong physical, mild exercise can be done at a young age pregnancy.
"Sometimes the mothers often do not even realize she was pregnant, while still exercising. What matters primarily is the condition of his health, not just the eyes of gestation," he explained.
If you have a history of weak content, at least consult a doctor first to ensure your physical condition and the condition of the fetus in the womb.
Pregnant women sometimes like a lazy exercise for fear of something happening to her pregnancy. And sports is required during pregnancy to prevent babies born with excess weight and get healthy babies.Researchers from Norway shows that pregnant women who exercise regularly have less risk for having a baby with excess weight. This does not depend on how much exercise does the mother during pregnancy.
The woman who gave birth to babies with excess body weight in the sense that weigh more than 4 pounds or 8 pounds, regardless of how long, risk has a number of complications.
"The risks faced by these women are experiencing heavy bleeding after childbirth, and have a greater risk of obesity in the future," said Dr. Mari Katrine owe from the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, was quoted as saying by Reuters.
The study involved 36,869 women with singleton pregnancies based on data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study and the Medical Birth Registry of Norway. Among these pregnant women reported that women exercise at least 3 times a week after reaching the age of 17 weeks of pregnancy, reduce the risk of having a baby with excess body weight by 25 percent.
While women who exercise at least 3 times a week after 30 weeks of gestation, reducing the risk of having a baby with excess weight by 22 percent. The amount of exercise performed before pregnancy did not affect the baby's weight during pregnancy.
The researchers added that performed exercise during pregnancy can help prevent the fetus from growing too large, a way to help maintain the body's ability to keep blood sugar levels under control. Walking is the safest exercise for pregnant women.
If you have high blood sugar and diabetes during pregnancy is a risk factor that has most babies with excess body weight. Until now there is no definitive standard for determining what amount of exercise needed by pregnant women.
Given the adverse effects that can be incurred if the baby is born with excess weight, it should be recommended for pregnant women to exercise regularly. Thus avoiding complications during childbirth and children become obese later.
A reported research results that are too long in the Gymnasium / fitness can reduce the fertility of a woman. Researchers said that women who exercise too hard to increase the possibility of up to 3 times for impaired fertility.In the meantime, the researchers agree that physical exercise or sports do have health benefits and is also believed that the body's energy would increase the likelihood of pregnancy.
This research was conducted by the Norwegian University Department of Science and Technology in 3000 using the female subjects. Much evidence showing that female athletes have fertility problems. Besides them, the women who exercise too hard or almost reached the maximum limit has the same problem.
Through the survey, women were asked to write about the frequency, duration, and intensity of fitness activities they did between the years 1984-1986. Through follow-up 10 years later, they were asked about their pregnancy experience.
Sigridur Lara Gudmundsdottir, the chairman of this research said, "Among all women, we found that there are 2 groups at increased risk of infertility (fertility problems)."
They are susceptible to interference, is the women who practice almost every day and practice until they are completely exhausted. Both groups of women have the highest risk for experiencing infertility problems.
Although other measurement factors such as age, weight, marital status, and smoking are included in the calculation, the study showed that women who practice fitness is very hard to have a risk three times greater health problems than those with a frequency of practice was.
Young women more vulnerable to these risks. Women aged under 30 years of practicing very hard, about 25% do not have children for 1 year of their marriage, compared with an average value of normal women who only reached 7%.
Nevertheless, the negative effects of fitness training too hard is not permanent. "Most of the women who followed this study with children at the end," said Gudmundsdottir. "And those who practice hard fitness in the year 1980, including a group of children in 1990," he added.
It is not known the cause, whether because most women reduce their activity levels or because of changes in hormonal levels in them. Have not found evidence of improvement in fertility or fertility after they reduce their activity. Gudmundsdottir suggest that women who wanted children to organize their fitness activities so do not be too harsh or extreme. "We believe that physical activity is too much or otherwise too low to have a negative effect on fertility. Medium activity, including ideal for to improve fertility.

Pregnancy is a period of waiting an expectant mother and child. Many things have prepared an expectant mother in the process of pregnancy. Pregnancy gymnastics is one of them. Pregnancy exercise conducted since the first trimester of pregnancy. The basic principle of pregnancy exercise is to focus on your breathing. Pregnant women need oxygen (O2) 20% more than usual.
In addition to the mother, O2 is also needed by the baby in the womb. O2 is very important for brain development and nerve baby. So the gyms focused on breathing and is safe for the fetal position on the first trimester.
Exercise these pregnant starting the second trimester increased tread. The purpose of this trimester exercise is to strengthen the hands and feet. While the third trimester, the exercise in pregnant women used to strengthen back muscles and pelvic floor muscles. All the exercises and movements are given in pregnancy exercise is very beneficial in the birth process. When the birth process, mothers need a full strength when pushing, and everything has been prepared through this exercise.
How long will this exercise be done?
Once a gym or exercise done in 30 minutes to 60 minutes. One week only requires 3 to 5 sessions. Better not do every day to avoid injury during pregnancy. Unlike the regular exercising. Gymnastics in pregnant women should take into account some requirements, such as attention to the physical condition of mother and pregnancy.
Pregnancy should in normal circumstances without any indication of disease such as hypertension and pregnancy with placenta previa. Indication of multiple pregnancies should also permission from the treating physician. Besides gymnastics movements must also be tailored to the age of pregnancy.
PREGNANT not mean you should stop exercising. Although not a heavy sports like marathon, for example, previously your field, sports will remain useful to you during pregnancy. However, before starting the exercise, you should first consult with your obstetrician. This is very important to determine the type of sport the most appropriate. Type your exercise during pregnancy depends on your exercise level before entering the period of pregnancy.Benefits of exercise during pregnancy
You do not need to doubt this, exercise is good for you and your baby. If there are no complications that limit your exercise during pregnancy. Exercise can help you:
Feel better. When you are pregnant, especially for the first time, you may still not familiar with your body shape. In sports, a sense of self control and your energy will increase. Sports not only make you feel more comfortable with the release of endorphins, chemicals substance in the brain, but the proper exercise can also:
- Ease the pain in his back and improve posture by strengthening the muscles of the back, buttocks, and thighs
- Reduce constipation by accelerating movement in the intestines
- Preventing tear in the joints by activating the lubricating fluid in joints. Joints usually become more lax during pregnancy because of hormonal changes
- Making your sleep more soundly with ease stress and anxiety that makes you sleep soundly
Prepare you and your body welcomed the birth. The muscles strong and healthy heart is very ease the process of giving birth. The ability to control your breathing will help you overcome pain. In addition, you will be stronger if the delivery takes longer.
Easier to restore the body into shape. If you keep exercising during pregnancy, the addition of fat you would be less. But, do not have to expect the weight loss during pregnancy.
Sports are safe during pregnancy
A safe sport depends on the time and the complexity of your pregnancy. If you have exercised regularly before pregnancy, you can continue the program with appropriate modifications doctor ordered. If you have not exercised before pregnancy, do not give up. Start slowly and increase slowly as you feel more powerful.
Department of Health and Human Services, United States, as quoted kidshealth site, recommend moderate intensity aerobic exercise, at least 150 minutes (2 hours 30 minutes) per week for healthy women who exercise are not active or do not do high-intensity exercise activities before the pregnancy.
If you are healthy, the risk of this sport activity during pregnancy is very low. In addition, it will not increase the risk of infant low birth weight, premature birth or miscarriage.
Before you continue your old exercise routine or start a new exercise, consult your doctor first. You need to limit the exercise if:
- Having high blood pressure
- Initial contraction
- Vaginal bleeding
- Premature membrane cracks
Type of sport depends on what you like and what your obstetrician recommended. Many women who choose to dance, swimming, water aerobics, yoga, pilates, hiking, or street. Swimming is a sport that quite interesting. Water to produce energy support that can keep you afloat.Try a combination of cardio (aerobic), exercise the power, and flexibility exercises, but avoid hard exercise.
Road, is a type of activity that many experts recommend. You can vary the time, adding height, and add distance. If you are still in the early stages, start with brisk walking time is 1 mile distance. Do it 3 times a week. Add the time of 2 minutes each week.
No matter how you get used to the road or a beginner, start slowly at first as a 5-minute warm-up and use the last 5 minutes to do the cooling.
Whatever type of exercise you do, keep on reading primary key your body's own warning. For example, many women who experience dizziness in early pregnancy, and as the development of a baby, they changed the center of gravity. Therefore, you'll easily lose balance, especially in the last trimester.
Your energy level will vary from day to day. And as the baby's growth and pushing the lungs, you will notice a decrease in the ability to breathe more (as well as the oxygen content) during exercise. If your body says "stop" then stop.
The following symptoms signal that your body can mean that your body has had enough:
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Palpitations
- Short breath
- The pain in his back and pelvis
Sports excess is not good for the development of your fetus. Excess heat (above 39 degrees Celsius) can interfere with fetal development, especially in the first trimester. This can lead to birth defects. So, do not exercise excessive heat during the day.
When hot weather, should avoid outdoor exercise, better to exercise in air-conditioned room. Do not forget, you have difficulty swimming to measure body heat because the water will make you feel cooler.
Sports that should be avoided
Most doctors recommend that pregnant women avoid sports that require them to lay flat on their backs. In addition, there is also a good idea to avoid activities that involve:
- A lot of movement up and down
- Jump
- Changes direction abruptly
- Risk of causing stomach injury
Condition of pregnant mothers are often very concerned about.As a result, all kinds of physical activities, including sports shunned. Most pregnant women assume that if many moves it will increase the risk of miscarriage. This is not true! Instead, the physical changes due to pregnancy should be coupled with exercise. Regular physical activity makes, the muscles become supple body, breathing and body are not easily tired, so someday she will successfully push the delivery time.
Well, one of the most recommended exercise for pregnant women are swimming. Why? Besides safe to do at each trimester, exercise in water has a very small risk of injury of bone, joints and muscles.
There are many medical reasons why swimming is highly recommended for pregnant women. Such as :
Swimming can train the lungs and heart. It means you do aerobic exercise, running, or walking.
Unlike the sports ground which can make body temperature rise, or rise. When swimming, the mother's body temperature stable. So that interference with the fetus from the mother's body temperature rise will not occur.
Swimming helps strengthen the muscles of the uterus and the pelvic joints. So that expected future childbirth easier.
Swimming can keep the body healthy pregnant women during her pregnancy she was undergoing.
It is important to note
Do not even perform on your back. It would place an emphasis on the blood vessels in the back of the uterus.
Do not do the butterfly style. This style involves too much movement at the waist so that the fear it would crash on the fetus.
Perform this exercise 3 times a week and do not swim more than 30 minutes. Although the water temperature can withstand the temperature rise in the womb, swim more than 30 minutes it will increase the temperature in the womb.
Perform this exercise in the morning before 10:00 am and the afternoon after 15:00 o'clock. Besides that you are not exposed to ultraviolet light the heat is not good for your fetus.
The main requirements for pregnant women who will do this exercise is to make a move in a calm, slow, relaxed and no impact to the uterus is not shaken.
For mothers who can not swim, just do the movement 'walk' in a shallow pool or aquarobics motion (aerobics in the water)
Pregnant women are encouraged to do freestyle and breaststroke. Because the two forces is the most calm, slow and no impact.
Through pilates exercises, posture, health, and maintain your fitness. What's the secret?Like it or not pregnancy affects your body condition. In fact, pregnancy hormones make working organs affected bandwagon. Body became easily tired and lethargic, or the condition of vulnerable joints ache so easy. Try pilates exercises to overcome the annoying complaints.
Exercise Your Body and Mind
Basic Pilates movements taken from yoga and fitness. No wonder that through this exercise, the unity between mind and body can be developed. If the general body work makes all the muscles of the body become strong, elastic and flexible, so if the breath that accompanies it makes the body can receive optimal oxygen. Not only that. Like yoga, pilates though deep breath are also trained to make you always feel in control plus a relaxed condition.
For pregnant women, regular pilates exercise will make your body strong, healthy and fit. You become more confident. Plus get a series of other benefits, ie:
- Create the muscles of the neck, shoulders, back, back of the waist to the feet become strong and flexible. That way, feeling sore all over the body that often comes with increasing size of the uterus can be driven. Instead, the body feels very relaxed.
- The strength of the muscles around the abdomen and back of the body will make the uterus propped growing well and steadily.
- Help launch the process of labor.Trained abdominal muscles and breathing is "packed" for the future through the birth process.
- Abdominal muscles strong, well trained and also make your stomach return to its original so much faster. Exciting isn't it?
Well,who can come pilates exercise during pregnancy? All pregnant women who in fact is healthy and has no any complications may follow. Meanwhile, multiple pregnancies, have bleeding during pregnancy or previous miscarriage, and the cervix is weak conditions that need extra attention. Should postpone the desire to practice pilates.
That need to be a concern before do pilates:
- After 3 months
- Consultations with doctors
- The coach supervision
Exercise not just a sport to make fresh the expectant mother, but allegedly also facilitate and accelerate the labor and recovery after childbirth.It is just a physical exercise. Thus, levels of physical exercise for the advanced level or people who are used to exercising, do not be equated with a rare aka beginner exercise. For the expert, walking around the compound is not considered sufficient. As for beginners, let alone physical exercises, walking around the complex was made out of breath. So, it all depends on physical ability (fitness) as well as habits of each person. What needs to be seen?
See the condition of the body
If you want to start practice, first consider the condition of your body. Before starting any exercise program, consult with your doctor. Gynecologist will check the condition of pregnancy, as well as medical specialists and sports will tell what the movement is safe. From here, you can also note things that need attention or restrictions as long as you exercise.
Exercise during pregnancy is important, as long as the pregnancy itself was normal. This means, you are in a state of good health. Following steps to start the exercise:
- Beginner
After the body "ready", you can start exercises. Start with 1 or 2 exercises each time you exercise, about 1-2 times a week. If you've used, the exercise can be done about 30 minutes, 3 times a week. Try to exercise at least 3 times a week once you enter 2nd trimester. Remember, the amount of training should not be increased until 14 weeks in early pregnancy. So about the exercises. Do not add to last approximately 12 weeks before delivery.
- Advanced
When the exercise was to remain varied. In fact, it could be extended up to 40 minutes each time exercise. For gymnastics, you can do it 2-3 times a week with 2 forms of exercise every time. If you've started since the first trimester or the 2, you may need to reduce the exercise at the time of the 3rd trimester. Because, in the 3rd trimester, your body gets older, so inevitably the body's ability to perform certain movements also decreased.
Do not forget to warm up
Before performing any move, whether beginner or expert, you need to warm up (warming up) for 10-15 minutes so that the muscles do not hurt Here are some proper warm-up movements:
- Walk in Place
- Move the head, arms and elbows
- Stretch
Good posture and correct a positive impact on the health of your pregnancy and the fetus.One posture to keep in mind is sitting or standing, ie not over time. Indeed, disturbances that arise can be said not a serious problem. But, nonetheless can cause discomfort, inconvenience, and interfere with your performance. So it's better if we minimize the risks.
Then, what if your job requires you to be in that position, or you're in a long journey? Do not worry, Here are the tips.
Tip when sitting
- Sit with your back straight, thighs parallel to the floor, and your feet flat on the floor. If your chair is too high and can not be changed, give lump on foot (can be a small chair), in order to keep the blood circulation smoothly. Wedge behind your back with a soft pillow. Do not sit cross-legged.
- If you work in front of the computer or sitting at the table long to finish a job, take a few minutes to stretch, at least every hour. Get up and do movements such as turns the head slowly. Or, sit in a chair with your knees open, lift both arms parallel to the shoulder, then pull forward as far as possible. Then, turn the body to the right or left (like stretching).
- When you are in a long journey with your own car, stopped for a moment, so you can come down and walk around the car for about 10 minutes.
- When traveling by train or plane, you can stand around the place to sit or walk down the aisle. Make the back legs when sitting, or if the stool next to or across from you is empty, put your feet on it. More comfortable again when your shoes off.
- For those of you who have to work with the standing long enough, make it a habit to stand up straight (both legs slightly stretched), the shoulder remains weak, chest lifted and buttocks pulled while holding the stomach.
- In order not to tire quickly when standing, lift one leg and place it on the foot as high as 10-15 cm. This aims to avoid the voltage at the base of his back. Do it alternately with the other foot.
- If possible, stop your work, then attach the back of the body wall in an upright position (legs stretched). Lower body by bending legs slowly until they felt the pull of the muscles of the thigh (do not get hurt).
- Take a rest and stretch the legs and ankles. Sitting on the floor with your legs straight ahead, then move the motion of the ankle (shown in circles, pull your foot to the inside, lift your heels with your fingertips on the ground, or vice verse lift toes while the heel on the floor ).
- If you feel dizzy, such as decreased blood pressure (hypotension) due to standing too long, immediately find a comfortable place to sit or rest for a while.
Some disorders are often complained over time due to sitting or standing, namely:
- Sore and tired.
- Leg cramps.
- Lower back pain.
- Swelling in the legs and ankles.
- Varicose veins (widening of blood vessels).
- The contraction premature.
Alert when there are symptoms such as symptoms of follow-up pre-eclampsia (pregnancy poisoning), heart disease, and kidney. Immediately go to the doctor.