As any mother will admit, pregnancy places tremendous strain on the body. On average, women gain around 30 pounds during pregnancy, resulting in a big postural change. It can be incredibly laborious to carry all that extra weight around, not to mention extremely exhausting for the body. Some of our leading osteopaths have offered some tips and exercises that you can do, even before going into labour, in order to assuage the physical burdens of pregnancy.
Work-out sessions: It is great to have a regular work-out routine when you are pregnant, but it is important that you adjust your routine accordingly depending on how much your body can take during pregnancy. We recommend doing three or four work-out sessions a week of approximately 30-minutes each during your first and second trimesters. When it comes to your third trimester, shorten your routine by 10 minutes so as to accommodate your heavier belly.
Types of Exercises: While cardio exercises can be beneficial, we recommend exercises that keep your heart rate controlled. It is good to break out sweat, but do not allow your heart rate to exceed 145 bpm. Exercises such as squats and lunges (without weights) are highly recommended, as well as swimming and brisk-walking. Swimming is particularly rewarding during your final trimester, as the water supports your body and relieves muscle tension. Cycling and gentle aerobics are also highly recommended. Carry out many short stretches before and after each work-out to stimulate the flood flow and improve the flexibility of your joints and muscles.
Movements/Exercises to Avoid: Avoid high-impact and contact sports, which range from football to squash. When stretching, do not hold a stretch for longer than 5-6 seconds. Because pregnant bodies are more vulnerable to stresses and strains, prolonged stretches causes a release of the ‘relaxing’ hormone that (while it is necessary for giving birth) is damaging to the areas around the joints. Also, abstain from carrying heavy objects so that you avoid overexerting yourself.
Dietary tips: An order for you and your baby to feel at your best throughout pregnancy, a well-balanced diet is a must. A pregnant woman requires approximately 2500 calories a day – so just because you are feeding both yourself and your baby does not mean that you eat twice as much as you normally would. To get the proper amounts of energy and nutrition, make sure you eat something from each food group every day: whole grains and wheat, fruits and vegetables, meat and poultry (your protein source), and dairy products.
Start Seeing an Osteopath: your body is undergoing a lot of changes over a short period of time, and it is important to start seeing an osteopath early on in the first trimester, so these changes can be closely monitored. This way, if you are experiencing pain from overexertion, these problems can be dealt with before they get worse.
It is never easy being pregnant, what with weight gain, back aches, raging hormones, and sheer exhaustion. But hopefully, with the help of an osteopath and the techniques above, your passage from pregnant woman to loving mother will not only be bearable, but enjoyable.
