Exercise During Pregnancy – Knowing The Benefits

Throughout the pregnancy, women tend to have a lot of doubts regarding the exercises that they can perform and whom to consult. They hear a lot of taboos about exercising during pregnancy and get confused when it comes to the dos and don’ts. To help clear this confusion let’s start with the benefits of exercising during pregnancy. These include:

· Release endorphins in the body that helps to reduce stress and sleep

· Relieve backaches and sweeling

· Help keep your weight in check and help you to lose weight faster and get in shape after delivery.

· Strengthen your pelvic floor muscles to support delivery

· Support controlled breathing which helps you during delivery and labour.

· Support your recovery post childbirth.

Women who have already been exercising and doing certain activities like swimming, jogging walking, yoga, etc. before pregnancy can continue the same in their first trimester after a gynecological consultation. On the other hand, women who aren’t used to exercising before pregnancy should avoid starting something new. Instead, practice mild exercises like walking 30mins in the morning and evening each, stretching exercises to release muscle tension, and hip and ankle rotation exercises to release the stiffness.