{"id":34791,"date":"2022-05-27T12:10:56","date_gmt":"2022-05-27T08:10:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/?p=34791"},"modified":"2022-05-27T12:10:56","modified_gmt":"2022-05-27T08:10:56","slug":"exercising-during-pregnancy-what-to-consider","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/exercising-during-pregnancy-what-to-consider\/","title":{"rendered":"Exercising during pregnancy: what to consider"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Exercising during pregnancy is safe \u2013 and can have many benefits for both mother and baby<\/em><\/span><\/h4>\n
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\"\"<\/a>\"\"There\u2019s no need to stop exercising if you\u2019re able to.\u00a0Leszek Glasner\/ Shutterstock<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

While exercise is often said to be safe to do while pregnant, with so much information out there, it can be hard to figure out just how much exercise you should do \u2013 and if there are certain exercises to avoid.<\/span><\/p>\n

Exercise is good for the mother and her baby, but given all the changes that happen to the body during pregnancy, it is advisable to take it a bit easier when exercising.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of these changes is how our cardiovascular system functions. Because the baby needs a constant supply of oxygen to develop \u2013 and because of how quickly it grows \u2013 the mother will experience a 45-50% increase in blood volume to carry this much-needed oxygen to the baby.<\/span><\/p>\n

The mother\u2019s heart rate also increases to ensure the baby gets enough oxygen. This could put an extra strain on the woman\u2019s heart and lungs when doing any sort of activity.<\/span><\/p>\n

The respiratory system is also affected. The amount of oxygen a mother can inhale increases by around 40-50% to give the baby the oxygen it needs. This change also happens because the growing baby affects lung function by reducing the space in which the mother\u2019s lungs can inflate. These changes may see the mother experience more shortness of breath \u2013 which will make even everyday tasks more demanding.<\/span><\/p>\n

The body\u2019s joints also relax \u2013 partly due to the mother\u2019s centre of mass changing, and because the pelvis has tilted. The way the body fuels itself also changes. When we eat foods, the body stores these byproducts (typically glucose or carbohydrates) in our liver and muscles so that our body can draw upon these stores for energy when needed (such as when we exercise). When pregnant, there is less glucose available to draw on for energy. This is because the baby needs this energy to develop. As a result, the mother might feel more fatigued more quickly when they\u2019re doing any type of task \u2013 including exercise.<\/span><\/p>\n

Keep moving<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

But all these changes don\u2019t mean you shouldn\u2019t exercise during pregnancy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Studies show that doing aerobic exercise (such as walking, jogging or swimming) during pregnancy for at least 150 minutes a week can improve fitness, increase muscle tone and strength and reduce weight gain. Exercise may also lower the risk of experiencing back pain, which is a common problem for many pregnant women.<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s also some limited evidence that following an exercise plan during pregnancy can help some women experience shorter labour \u2013 and decrease the likelihood of needing a caesarean section. It\u2019s currently unclear why this link may exist.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not only is exercise safe for the mother, it\u2019s also safe for the baby. Although exercise can directly affect the baby (such as the baby\u2019s heart rate increasing when the mother exercises), researchers have shown exercise causes no symptoms or signs of stress to the baby. Exercising regularly during pregnancy may also lower the likelihood of the baby being overweight in adulthood.<\/span><\/p>\n

But though exercise is safe for both mother and baby, some activities may need to be avoided. Somewhat obviously, combat sports or those that may have an increased risk of falling (such as horse riding or mountain biking) should be avoided.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you enjoy lifting weights, it\u2019s still considered a safe and effective form of exercise to do during pregnancy. But it may be best to lift with a friend or personal trainer and avoid excessive loads, as these increase the risk of muscle and joint injuries.<\/span><\/p>\n

You should also avoid exercising in hot temperatures (especially those above 32\u25e6C) because of the extra stress this could place on you and your baby\u2019s heart. Something else to consider carefully is any form of exercise that requires the mother to lie flat on her stomach or back \u2013 such as during yoga or pilates. The reason for this is there\u2019s an increased chance of hypotension (a rapid drop in blood pressure) that may increase the risk of fainting when standing up.<\/span><\/p>\n

So while you might need to take it a bit easier if you want to exercise while pregnant (especially during the second and third trimester), this doesn\u2019t mean you need to work out less than you did before. Generally, people are recommended to get at least 150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise a week. The same is true for women who are pregnant, though you may need to lower the intensity you exercise at.<\/span><\/p>\n

And if you do decide to exercise during pregnancy, it\u2019s important to make sure you\u2019re eating and drinking enough since exercise requires more energy. The more demanding the exercise, the more calories you\u2019ll need to consume afterwards.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dan Gordon<\/span>
\n<\/strong>Associate Professor: Cardiorespiratory Exercise Physiology, <\/span>
\nAnglia Ruskin University<\/span><\/p>\n

Matthew Slater<\/span>
\n<\/strong>PhD Candidate and Vascular Healthcare Scientist, <\/span>
\nAnglia Ruskin University<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 27 May 2022<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Exercising during pregnancy is safe \u2013 and can have many benefits for both mother and baby There\u2019s no need to stop exercising if you\u2019re able to.\u00a0Leszek Glasner\/ Shutterstock While exercise is often said to be safe to do while pregnant, with so much information out there, it can be hard to figure out just […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":34793,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3899],"tags":[5989,33108,13210,33112,33109,33110,33111],"class_list":["post-34791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-exercise","tag-infant-health","tag-pregnancy","tag-pregnant-women","tag-running","tag-weight-lifting","tag-womens-health"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/preg.jpg?fit=848%2C505&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8QzSF-939","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34791"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34791\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}