A Practical guide to Exercise during Pregnancy

Engaging in exercise during pregnancy can help improve your overall health and also boost your body defence mechanisms, which will makes you and your unborn child feels great. Exercising during pregnancy provides both fitness and overall health benefits during prenatal and post-natal stage for the mother and the child. Because of lack of adequate and proper information available to some pregnant women, there is always this fear that if they engage if physical activities(planned and screened Exercise) they may have miscarriage or something would happen to their unborn child, but to those who have the right information on this they are fully aware of the great benefits. I could still remember a testimony that my HOD when I was in the University use to share with us to motivate our ladies whenever we are in court for practical:

”During my pregnancy as a sport woman, I used to exercise my body together with my unborn twins, almost every day, because engaging in exercise kept me physical and mentally fit throughout my pregnancy stage, I never get bored, always active, I was healthy at the stage of pregnancy because I knew the secret. When I was to give birth to my first set of twins I thought I wanted to poo, because I did not felt too much labour pain, so I went to toilet, not unit I touched my private part and I felt it was a head of a child I was touching, I quickly ran to the hospital with my husband. Immediately, we got in 5 minutes I delivered the twins without much pains and after delivery I felt stronger to do whatever I wanted to do. Engaging in exercise during your pregnancy is associated with a lot of greater health benefit as it will also keep you in shape after safe delivery”

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Is Exercise safe for all pregnant women?

That is a good question. Most exercise are good for pregnant women as long as you do it with Caution. Not beyond your body capacity. Later on this post I will be discussing on some exercise that are harmful to pregnant The acute physiological responses to well-planned and structured exercise for pregnant women are generally increased during the pregnancy stage compared with pregnancy levels. Healthy, pregnant women
without exercise contraindications are encouraged to exercise throughout the pregnancy. Pregnant women with one or two relative or absolute contraindications i.e;

1. Heart Disease
2. Poorly controlled Seizure disorder
3. Addicted Smoker
4. Extreme Underweight
5. Poorly controlled hypertension
6. Orthopaedic limitations
7. Cerclage
8. Preeclampsia
9. Placenta Previa after 26 weeks of gestation
10. Ruptured Membranes
11. Persistent Second/ third trimester bleeding
12. Extreme Sedentary lifestyle
13. Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
14. Severe Anaemia
15. Extreme Morbid Obesity
16. Chronic Bronchitis

Special Consideration

In case you have any of the medical conditions listed above, please kindly visit your physician and Exercise physiologist before you start engaging your body in any form of exercise, your physicians (healthcare provider) will design and prescribe adjusted exercise programs according to your medical history, and that can also help improve your medical conditions, symptoms and capacity. However, in some medical cases it is not good to exercise during pregnancy, if the medical condition is severe and will not permit you to engage in exercise to avoid further harm to the mother and the baby, that is why you will need to consult healthcare provider before starting or changing any exercise program.
The following are some basic tips and guideline to follow for pregnant women;
As a pregnant woman that want to start exercise routine, you should avoid contact sports and activities that may lead to loss of balance, trauma to you as a mother carrying a baby inside of you and as well to your foetus/baby. Typical Examples of contact sports and activities that should be avoided are as follows:

• Hockey
• Ice Hockey
• Handball
• Basketball
• Soccer
• Riding
• Volleyball
• Gymnastic
• Horseback riding and any,
• Rigorous-intensity racquet sports and activities.

1. As a pregnant woman, it is good for your health that you perform exercise routine in a thermoneutral environmental condition (heat-neutral temperature). Before and during exercise drink water to remain hydrated in order to avoid heat stress and other heat related illness as a result of dehydration.

2. Pregnant women may participate in a strength-training exercise program that includes all major muscle groups with a resistance that allows multiple repetitions (12–15 repetitions max.) to be performed to a point of moderate fatigue. Avoid Isometric muscle actions and the Valsalva manoeuvre, as should the supine position after the first trimester.

3. Prolong heavy physical activities should be avoided, and also period of rest should be more than the period of exercising.

4. Avoid exercises that may leads to abdominal trauma, such as sudden change of direction.

5. As a pregnant woman, I am letting you know that performing exercise in supine position after your first trimester of pregnancy can lead to venous obstruction, so it should be avoided. Do not exercise in the supine position, it is wrong for pregnant women.

6. Generally, performing exercise routine during the postpartum period may begin in four (4) to six (6) weeks after save delivery. Deconditioning commonly happens at the early postpartum period, so women should gradually and progressively increase the level of their exercise until the prepregnancy physical fitness levels has been achieved.

The Composition of Pregnant Women Exercise:

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Frequency:

At least 3 and most preferably all the days of the week.

Intensity:

Moderate intensity from 40% to 60% V·O2 reserve [V· O2R]). Because of the heart rate (HR) variability during pregnancy, you should put into consideration using the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) (12–14 on a scale of 6–20) or the “talk test” (ability to be able to uphold a conversation during exercise like jogging) for you to be able to monitor your exercise intensity level. Heart Rate(HR) ranges that correspond to moderate-intensity exercise has also been developed for pregnant women according to their age.

AGE (YEARS) HEART RATE RANGE (Beats/min )

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Less than 20yrs 140–155

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20–29yrs 135–150

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30–39yrs 130–145

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Greater than 40yrs 125–140

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Get Enough Calories

Engaging in physical activities (Exercise) burn more calories. Pregnant women that will be engaging physical activities should increase their caloric intake for their system to meet up to the caloric costs of pregnancy and physical fitness (exercise) that is required. The amount of calories needed is also based on your pre-pregnant weight. A body mass Index between 18.5 to 24.9 will only need about 340 calories a day in the second trimester of pregnancy compare to when you are not carrying a baby in your belly, and about 450 calories at the third trimester, depending on your daily exercise routine.
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Put on the right Clothing

Before engaging in any form of exercise, ensure you are in the right exercise clothing suitable for the kind of exercise you want to perform. It move allow free range of motion and must not be too tight. Put on loose fitting clothing that are easily removable anytime. Also your maternity bra must support the nature of exercise. Foot wear is also important, put on appropriate footwear fit for athletic that support shock absorption.

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Warm Up

Before starting any exercise, you must get your muscle ready for the activities that is about to start. Warm up inform and get your muscles ready for exercise and also increases your heart rate slowly. If you skip this process, there is every tendencies that could get injured in the process of exercising because your muscles are not ready. A proper warm up will start with a low intensity and slowly during the five 5 minutes for the warm up. Example of warm up activities are walking, slow jogging that will increase in pace within the period of 5 minutes.

Hydrate your system

As I have earlier stated, drink water before, during, and after exercising to avoid dehydration that can lead to heat related illness. Dehydration can also rigger contractions. There is no research that states the volume of water to take during exercise, you can drink as your body required.

Exercise Proper

During physical fitness, after the first trimester of the pregnancy, you should avoid lying flat on your back, because the weight of your uterus will exert more pressure on the vena cava, which could lead to reduction in blood flow to your brain and vital organs in your body. Lying on your back could cause short of breath, nausea and dizziness.

Do not perform more than your capacity

Do not continue physical fitness activities until you are fully exhausted, that is why exercise is a well-planned program. 150 minutes per week is ok (20 -25 /day) is enough. When you feel you cannot continue conversation comfortably, then you have to stop whatever activities you are doing because you already getting exhausted.

Exercise in a Thermoneutral Environment

Do not perform exercise in hot weather condition, to avoid overheating than normal. When you noticed that you are sweating heavily, then it is time to cool down your body.then stop the exercise and change your location to a cool and well ventilated area to quickly cool down your body system.

Cool Down

At the end of 10 minutes of 15 minutes exercise, you need to cool down your system as you have warmed up before you start. Cooling down involves moderate stretching to improve flexibility and also to restore your heart rate back to normal.

Exercise for Pregnant Women

• Swimming
• Yoga
• Brisk walking, jogging or any comfortable low impact aerobic exercises
• Cycling using exercise bike
• Sex can also help you burn some calories
• Join Prenatal Exercise classes
• Doing Household chores that are not beyond your capacity

Note Before you engage in any exercise consult your healthcare provider for proper exercise prescription.

Advantages of Exercising during pregnancy

1. It improve your mood and also prevent prenatal and postnatal depression
2. Prevents the issues of back pains
3. It helps relief constipation
4. It improve circulations of blood
5. It prepare you for save labour and decrease the time of period
6. It prevents you from having gestational diabetes mellitus
7. Strengthen your pelvic muscles
8. It improve the health of your foetus
9. It get you back to shape after delivery(postnatal)
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