Exercising During Pregnancy
Exercising during pregnancy is not only safe, it’s often recommended under the eye of a licensed physician. A great exercise to try if you are pregnant is low-impact weight training, which can help build stamina, tone muscles and strengthens your body.
Before beginning any exercise regimen it’s important to speak with your doctor. To avoid injury, forego free weights (which you can lose your grip on) and instead focus on using resistance machines.
Focus on repetitions while weight training - not weight. You don’t want to overdo it while you are pregnant! Once you hit your second and third trimester, sit down while weight training. Standing up can increase the blood flow to your legs and feet (because of your higher blood volume brought on by pregnancy), causing you to feel dizzy and lightheaded.
There are some great exercises you can do at home while you are pregnant. Women’s Health Care Topics has several great weight training exercises you can try if you are serious about exercising during pregnancy.
While there are a number of exercises you can do while pregnant, weight training has been shown to be very effective at increasing stamina and muscle tone - all very important when it’s time to deliver the baby!
Whatever exercise program you choose, please talk to your doctor before beginning or changing any exercise routine.
