Today's post is directed more at mums, and for that we need to ask you for just 30 minutes a day. Yes, 30 minutes to realise that exercise will bring many benefits throughout your pregnancy.
However, we know that every pregnancy is a pregnancy and, for this, new needs and characteristics are identified that must be fulfilled for a complete and safe pregnancy.
We know that rest is essential throughout the months of pregnancy, but doing a little moderate physical activity will be beneficial throughout the pregnancy journey, just like a short walk.
So today we went to find out what kind of benefits moderate exercise can bring to mums-to-be. According to our research, at least 30 minutes a day and around 5 times a week is ideal. The benefits are as follows:
- It can help with a shorter labour;
- It can help improve your health;
- It can improve the mother's mood;
- It helps control some weight gain in pregnancy;
- It helps develop stronger muscles and better cardiovascular fitness, which provides some help for labour.
If you were already physically active, the type of exercise you practised may be associated with the exercise you did during pregnancy. However, we should always check with our health professional to make sure that the exercise is correct and that we can continue to practise it.
If you're a bit more sedentary, many experts encourage starting to lead a more active life. It's best to start with light activity and gradually increase the intensity. However, it's always important to share your plan with your health professional to make sure everything is going well.
In case we had to avoid or adapt our plan, a few tips came up in our research. The first was to avoid doing activities that could lead to a fall or injury - e.g. horse riding, football, basketball or cycling. However, activities such as swimming, walking or aerobics can be practised, even with some necessary adaptations.
We realise that exercises that involve lying on your back in the second and third trimesters should be avoided. This is advisable because there is greater pressure, due to the weight of the baby, on the blood vessels that take the blood back to the heart, which can cause some fainting. It is therefore necessary to adapt the exercises. As time progresses, it's natural to adjust your plan, but you don't have to stop completely.
Choosing classes such as yoga or pilates for pregnant women, as well as being adapted practices, will be a great way to meet new mums and make this process more motivating.
The combination of an active lifestyle and a healthy, balanced diet will help us keep our weight under control and provide the absorption of important nutrients for a baby's rich and healthy growth and development.
It's natural to feel very warm and that's why it's essential to have a bottle of water with you at all times.
This post alone has made us feel more active. But jokes aside, it's important and essential for mums to keep as active as possible, always taking their condition into account. We know that sometimes it can be hard, but we also know that it will be very good for our health and the health of our little one on the way.
What about you? How has your pregnancy journey been? Active, with some limitations? We want to know your experience. We want to know your opinion.
