Pregnancy Is Not An Illness
With all of the research that has been released to-date, it is still advised that if you are pregnant, you must be “cautious”, not overexert yourself and “be careful” when it comes to exercise.
Don’t mistake the fact that during pregnancy you do need to modify, adjust and maybe (on some days) be careful, but this is not a blanket statement that should be used across the board.
Just as, if you weren’t pregnant, you would use caution if you didn’t feel right, lacked energy or were just “off” that day. Same rules apply during pregnancy. Listen to your body.
However, people tend to put you in a box the second you become pregnant. There’s an overwhelming list of “don’ts” that we tend to follow and we lose sight of all of the “dos” needed to maintain a healthy pregnancy.
The latest research supports that the safest thing you can do once you become pregnant is to continue doing what your body is already used to doing. In other words, if you are a runner, run. If you are a weight lifter, lift.
The worst thing you can do is to stop what you are doing all together for the sake of the pregnancy. By doing this you end up increasing your chances of developing pregnancy related issues such as gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, toxemia, varicose veins and back pain.
It is now considered a risk factor to not exercise during pregnancy.
As long as you are having a healthy, uncomplicated pregnancy, the benefits of exercise far outweigh the risks.
Benefits of exercise:
• Reduces pregnancy related conditions.
• Helps achieve optimal weight gain.
• Creates strength to carry extra weight load.
• Increases energy.
• Improves blood flow.
• Prepares body for the pushing stages of birth.
• Decreases stress on the baby during labour and delivery.
• Lower meconium levels.
• Faster return to pre-pregnancy weight.
• A reduced risk of postpartum depression.
Now this is not the time to start bungee jumping, rock climbing or jumping out of an airplane but you just might be surprised at what you can do to reap the benefits listed above.
Regardless of what your goals are, the best motivation for exercising during pregnancy is that you are growing a person inside you.
Creating the healthiest environment during these nine months can only do good for both you and baby. So what are you waiting for?
Samantha Montpetit-Huynh is the mother of beautiful girls and the owner and operator of Core Expectations – Toronto’s only full service wellness team that delivers personal training, abdominal rehabilitation, nutrition, massage, chiropractic and doula services to the homes and offices of pregnant women and new moms in the GTA. www.coreexpectations.com
