Pregnancy is a demanding task that requires a lot of focus on your physical health. Exercise is a great means to fully adhere to physical health needs. Before selecting any particular exercise for your pregnancy, you need to understand your body requirements and your capacity. We have shortlisted some exercises that can meet the requirements of different women for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Benefits of exercise during pregnancy

Many women are interested in performing exercise during pregnancy. But either it is the lack of awareness about the benefits of exercise or the hardship associated with exercise that makes it hard to move forward with the decision to do routine exercises for pregnant women.

Exercises are most of the time associated with just improving physical health. It is true from this perspective, but it also reduces the discomfort and physical issues that are faced by pregnant mothers.

We have discussed some key areas that are likely to improve with the help of exercise. Understanding these areas is important to keep you motivated to build a regular exercise routine.

Digestive issues

Constipation and heartburn are common in pregnancy as your movement gets restricted. This situation is largely the result of hormones that make your stomach empty at a slower pace. Exercise will help to improve the working of your intestine with an adequate amount of movement required for digestion.

Swelling

In a pregnant woman, swelling occurs as fluid retention increases. Exercise will increase blood circulation and improve oxygen in the blood. This will reduce swelling in the hands and feet.

Best At-Home Exercises for Pregnant Women

Diaphragmatic Breath with Pelvic Floor Activation

For this exercise, you need to stand with your feet wide and your knees soft. Close your eyes and put your belly on. Take deep breaths from the belly so that it can contract and expand.

Once you exhale, create a thought in your mind of stopping the flow of urine, contracting vaginally and rectally, and feeling how your tailbones flex naturally without adding any moment there.

As you carry out your exhale and contract exercise of the pelvic floor, you can also make the addition of pulling the abdominals in and up. All these contractions and exhales equal fully performed Kegel exercises for pregnant women.

General Exercise

Walking

Overburdened by pregnancy, many women find it difficult to create a exercise routine for pregnancy. In this case, walking is the best option to opt for. It is easy to start and maintain a daily routine of walking.

Walking is one such activity that not only improves physical health but also improves mental health. Start with short distances, and then add a few more meters as per your stamina. Walking will help divert your attention from pregnancy and house chores.

During walking, your main focus should be to increase your heart rate, so opt for a brisk walk. This will significantly build your stamina.

Cycling

For cycling during pregnancy, you should only use stationary bikes; moving bicycles are not an option, whatever the case.

Cycling on stationary bikes is easy to carry, and it does not strain your body or joints. Cycling is considered to be one of the best aerobic exercises for pregnant women. Due to the ease of use of the stationary bikes, it is easier to convince mothers to work out through them.

Swimming

Swimming is a good cardiovascular exercise that can also help pregnant mothers. During swimming, most of the weight is supported by water. This reduces the burden on the stretched muscles. It is one simple exercise that can provide a complete whole-body workout.

Yoga

Yoga is a great way to tone and stretch your muscles. Make sure you are aware of the yoga pattern and moves that are suitable for pregnancy; don’t apply your common yoga moves during pregnancy.

Yoga will help to increase your flexibility and will lead to more focused breathing. The best way to learn pregnancy yoga is to join a yoga class for pregnant women.

It would be more effective if you also learned meditation and relaxation techniques. This will help to reduce stress and gain more control over the body.

AB Exercise

Four-point kneeling

Four-point kneeling is a simple exercise that has a strong impact on your abs. Kneel on all fours with your hips in line over your knees and your shoulders in line over your hands.

Keep your back straight. Take a deep breath as you slowly exhale and draw in your abdominal muscles in such a manner that you are pulling your belly button into your spine. Come back to your starting position and repeat for three to five minutes.

Since during pregnancy most of the body muscle stretches, four-point kneeling is a great way to reduce the burden on the belly and aid stretching.

Side plank

Side planks are the easiest form of pregnancy exercise. It will aid pregnant mothers in gaining abdominal strength. Lie down on one side; for instance, you can lie on the left side. Bend your knees and raise yourself, raising the same forearm.

Make sure you put your shoulder directly under your arm. Maintain your position for a few seconds, and slowly put your body on the floor. You can repeat three to five times and then switch to the other side.

Wall push-up. Push-ups are a go-to exercise for building core strength, but they’re not so easy when you have a big belly bump! During pregnancy, use a wall to support yourself when doing this traditional core exercise.

Wall push-ups

Wall push-ups help to maintain balance and improve ABS workouts. You can rest your hands on the walls and keep your arms straight. Perform actions like pushing up on the walls.

You can focus on your abs by bending your elbows so you can lean on the wall to lower your chest on the wall and stop once your chin almost touches the wall. Hold for one or two seconds and return to your starting position.

Back Press

Keeping your posture straight is a big challenge during pregnancy. The back press can help you maintain your correct posture. Back with your back facing the wall. Maintain a one-foot distance between feet; this will help to maintain balance and also help to exert pressure. Your heels should be one or two inches away from the walls. Push your back against the wall, and make sure there is no gap between the back, and the wall.

Kegel Exercise

Kegel exercises are very important as they help to focus on those muscles that have a higher level of involvement during pregnancy.

Kegel exercise will help to strengthen your muscles in the vagina region, so you will be able to develop better control of the bladder. The most interesting thing about these exercises is that they do not require any preparation and can be carried out anywhere.

To carry out the Kegel exercise, you need to focus on those vaginal muscles that you use to stop peeing. Hold for ten seconds, and then release. You can perform them in a set of 10 and increase the frequency as per your needs. These exercises will help you better control of your lower abdominal region.

Conclusion

Exercise is a great way to maintain physical health. They not only keep you active, but they also improve your physical and mental health. Our suggested exercise will help you develop a regular exercise routine with minimum effort for the betterment of yourself.