Top 10 Reasons Women Should Exercise During Pregnancy
Exercise during pregnancy is incredible for both the expecting mama and the growing baby. Today, we're going to cover why EVERY mama that is medically able should make exercise part of her pregnancy journey. This post will focus on the benefits for the woman and next post we'll cover benefits for the baby.
Let's jump right in.
Top 10 Reasons Women Should Exercise During Pregnancy
1. Helps maintain healthy pregnancy weight gain and avoids excess fat accumulation.
Too much weight gain puts a mama-to-be at risk for a host of problems. Excessive weight gain will: make pregnancy feel more difficult and uncomfortable, put her at risk for developing gestational diabetes, increase risk of complications during delivery and put the baby at greater risk for obesity and diabetes down the road. If you are currently believing the myth that you are "eating for two" head over and read dietician Alison Tierney's blog post about Pregnancy Nutrition.
2. Maintains or improves cardiovascular fitness, flexiblity, muscular strength and endurance.
Contrary to popular belief, women do not have to just let pregnancy happen to them. It is FAR worse and more dangerous for an expectant mama to sit on the couch for 9 months. Working out during pregnancy helps women maintain or even improve their fitness.
3. Decreases musculoskeletal complaints (ex. low back pain, carpal tunnel) and other minor pregnancy discomforts.
Pregnancy is an incredibly demanding event and training for it will help an expecting mama stay as comfortable as possible. Sounds like reason enough for us!
4. Exercise reduces stress and enhances self image.
Minimizing stress and feeling better?! Yes, please. This is why exercises is good for EVERYONE, but these things are even more important when an expecting mama is growing a little person and her body is changing on a weekly basis. Keeping mama happy and healthy mentally and physically creates a positive environment for the baby to grow in.
5. Exercise boosts mood.
Exercise has amazing mood boosting powers known as the feel better phenomenon. This can especially help for those experiencing baby blues during pregnancy (normal and more common than people realize). Get moving to feel better!
6. Exercising mamas are more in control and better able to cope with the pain of labor and post-delivery discomforts.
Exercise not only prepares mamas-to-be physically, but has proven benefits to a mama's pain threshold and coping ability! Exercisers are found to feel more "in control" and have a better conditioned response to discomforts. This will come in very handy for every mama.
7. Mamas that exercised during pregnancy have more energy.
Pregnant exercisers experience less fatigue than their non-exercising counterparts! Perfect for mamas that are hit hard by pregnancy fatigue.
8. Shortened second stage of labor by 30%!
Shortening the big event sounds great to us! The second stage is from the time the delivering mama is fully dilated until the baby is OUT! This is likely linked to mamas have stronger abdominals, which help them push.
9. Faster recovery time post-delivery.
After baby, mamas that exercises during pregnancy are found to recover faster than their non-exercising counterpart. This is VERY helpful as women head straight into demanding motherhood. They also return to their pre-pregnancy weight sooner.
10. Exercise during pregnancy has been found to decrease need for induction, Cesarean deliveries, episiotomies, and preeclampsia.
Nothing is promised, but the marked decrease in need for medical interventions is convincing enough for us.
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Some pretty convincing reasons indeed! If you are pregnant and do not know where to start, we'd love to help! You can purchase the Expecting and Empowered guides here.
Excited to bring you more blog posts soon!
Amy Kiefer and Krystle Howald