VALUABLE HEALTH BENEFITS FOR MOTHER & BABY

Every step of the pregnancy is considered to plan for a healthy baby, an efficient delivery, and a quick return to the pre-pregnancy body. Optimal fitness and health can be achieved, and maintained throughout the trimesters and beyond with a personalized pre/post natal fitness program.

Though every woman is different, many of the physiological changes to the body during pregnancy are the same. The abdominal muscles relax during pregnancy in order that the rectus abdominis can stretch and separate. The rectus abdominis may lengthen by approximately 8in and the waistline may increase by approximately 20in. The muscles begin to realign as quickly as four days after delivery but may take six weeks or longer to repair.

As your pregnancy progresses, the intensity, duration, and frequency will decrease and your workouts will be adjusted to your stage of pregnancy and your energy level. Strong emphasis on abdominals, pelvic floor, and back musculature will help make the entire birthing experience less taxing to the body.

Through the individually designed program of Personal Edge Fitness, you can regain stamina, strength, and return to your pre-pregnancy body…or better!

Exercising When You’re Expecting

Research has shown that regular exercise for expecting mothers can provide valuable health benefits to both mother and baby, and reduce the risk of complications during pregnancy. Regular exercise can help you manage your weight, lower your risk of gestational diabetes, and improve your sleep quality. It can also lower the risk of high blood pressure and pre-eclampsia, two common pregnancy complications.

Exercising while pregnant can also boost mood and alleviate stress and anxiety. It can help the mother prepare for childbirth by strengthening the pelvic floor muscles and increasing overall endurance and flexibility.

It’s important to remember that not all exercises are safe to do while pregnant. Walking, swimming, and prenatal yoga are all low-impact exercises that are generally safe for most women, but it is important to consult with a healthcare provider before beginning any new exercise program. To reduce the risk of injury, avoid high-impact exercises or contact sports.

In addition to physical health benefits, exercising during pregnancy can improve both the mother’s and the baby’s emotional well-being. According to studies, babies born to active mothers have lower birth weights, which can lead to a lower risk of childhood obesity. Overall, including regular exercise in a prenatal care routine can provide numerous health benefits for both the mother and the developing baby.

Pregnancy Considerations

Before jumping into an exercise program, it’s important to consult your doctor, as well as a fitness professional to help you establish your workout program:

• Consult your doctor and a fitness professional before beginning.
• Only exercise if you were previously exercising before getting pregnant.
• As pregnancy progresses (into the third trimester) decrease the amount of weight you lift.
• Healthy Heart Rate Zone – According to the Mayo Clinic, there is no need to monitor heart rate for women who were previously exercising before pregnancy.
• If you experience any abnormal pain while exercising, stop, and contact your doctor. This may be an indication you need to slow down a bit.

The “Can-Do’s”

• Cardiovascular Exercise – Cardiovascular exercise is good for both you and your baby! It has been proven to ease aches and pains, reduce excess weight gain and even give you an extra boost of energy (Which any expecting mother will tell you is a fantastic thing, as a baby seems to take all your energy out of you!). Our advice is to battle through the fatigue, and we promise you will feel better afterward!

• Body Weight Exercises – Exercises such as lunges, push-ups, squats, step-ups, and other creative exercises that work both your heart, as well as muscles.

• Weight Training – Circuit Training, machines, and free weights are all okay under the supervision of a fitness expert.

• Abdominal Exercises – YES, you can do abdominal exercises! Use your best discretion, as well as advice from your doctor, but as long as you were doing them before you got pregnant, you are okay to continue doing them. At some point later in your pregnancy, you will want to stop doing core exercise, and this is perfectly fine.

• Stretching – Just as with anyone who is exercising, stretching is recommended and encouraged.

The Good News!

Researchers from an international research network, called the Cochrane Collaboration, studied the best way to lose weight after giving birth. They had 900 subjects total and concluded that 20% of women who did not follow a special program managed to reach their pre-pregnancy weight again, compared to 40% of women who followed a program combining dietary changes and exercise. It goes without saying (but we’re going to say it anyway) that exercise before and during pregnancy aids in weight loss post-pregnancy. This is where Personal Edge Fitness comes into play! We can set you up for success in whatever stage of pregnancy you happen to be in.

At Personal Edge Fitness  in Mobile and on the Eastern Shore, we have worked with a wide spectrum of pre and post-partum women. We have worked with women who want to get pregnant but can’t and whose doctors recommend they start exercising to lose some weight, which has proven to aid in conception. We have also worked with women in a range of pregnancy stages, from newly pregnant women to women entering their third trimester of pregnancy and who want to feel better with some light exercise and stretching.

It goes without saying that we at Personal Edge Fitness have definitely worked with our share of women who want to lose their baby weight after that little bundle of joy enters and drastically changes your life!