6 Simple Exercises To Ease Pain During Pregnancy

Pregnancy truly is a wonderful journey. The range of emotions that you go through before, during and after are ones that only a mother can experience. But the pregnancy can also bring with it some level of discomfort and uneasiness. Women experience nausea, fatigue, sleeplessness, uncontrollable bladder and, of course, body pain. 

Though the other things can be fixed with some medication, diet changes and plenty of rest through the day, body pain is not easy to get rid of. The medications may help to an extent but if you are not moving about, stretching those muscles, the pain will only get worse.

So, here are a few exercises that aim to reduce back pain and joint pain during pregnancy.

1. March On-Spot

Keeping your hips level, march on the spot while swinging your arms back and forth. With every march step, raise your knee up high, but not above your hip level. Do this for 60 seconds.

2. Hamstring Stretch

Keeping your abdominal and pelvic muscles gently tightened, stretch the back of your left thigh. Hold the position for about 15-20 seconds. Switch legs and repeat 5 times.

3. Squats

These exercises aim at strengthening and stretching the muscles in the lower half of the body. As long as you don’t have any pain in the pelvic region, you can do this exercise. Begin by standing with your feet wide apart (more than shoulder width). Now, bend down with your weight on your feet, mainly heels and your knee in-line with your toes. Your position should be similar to your sitting pose, with the back of your thighs parallel to the ground. Inhale while getting back to starting position – standing up straight.

4. Modified Child’s Pose

This exercise is especially helpful in reducing back pain during pregnancy. Begin by sitting with your knees wide apart and your arms stretched out. Your knees would have to be apart in order to accommodate your baby belly. Avoid straining your lower back, however, by trying to sit your hips back while in this pose.

5. Side Plank

Lie down on your left side, with your left arm stretched out and your left hip touching the ground. Slowly lift your hips and knees off the ground, by propping yourself up with your left arm. If you feel this pose is difficult, rest your knees on the ground and only raise your hips. Hold the position for 5-10 seconds and then relax. Repeat this 10 times on both sides.

6. Calf Stretch

For this exercise, you may take the support of a wall. Begin with your hands on the wall and feet shoulder-width apart. Stretch your left calf out to the back, keeping your left knee straight and heel on the ground. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat with the other leg.