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Top 5 Reasons Moms Should Exercise During Pregnancy

Michelle Brown October 2, 2015 Blog, Fitness, Mommy Feelings, Mompreneur, Moms, Motherhood, Pregnancy No Comment

 

The Happy Mom Book CoverEnjoy this excerpt from THE HAPPY MOM BOOK!

5 top reasons Moms-to-be should exercise consistently during their pregnancies:

For Baby:

  • You are contributing to the neurological, mental, and physical development of your child in utero.
  • Studies have shown that if you exercise during your entire pregnancy, consistently your child’s APGAR scores are higher at both the 1 min. mark, which shows how the baby did during the birthing process and at the 5 min. mark, which shows how baby is coping outside of the womb.
  • Your child is more alert, calmer and leaner, at birth.
  • Minimizes your child’s chances of having a weight problem later in life.
  • May reduce the chances of birth defects.

th-14For Mom:

  • Improves your strength, endurance, fitness level and muscle control for a faster, easier, and less painful labor.
  • Less excess weight gain.
  • Allows faster recovery from pregnancy and labor.
  • Helps you get back into shape easier, faster, and more safely.
  • Relieves tension, stress and possible depression.

 

 

11123547_10153315952951979_1008784618_nWhat are the exercises that Moms-to-be should be doing?

Remember variety is the spice of life. If your doctor has cleared you to exercise, you may do the following

  • Aerobic exercises like walking, running, and swimming are recommended for a duration of twenty to forty-five minutes a day, three to six days a week.
  • Toning exercises like lifting weights, using bands, and tubing for resistance is recommended twenty to sixty minutes a day, two to three days a week.
  • Warming-up and Cooling down are important components of your daily workout routine.
  • Kegels, Kegels, Kegels! Work your Pelvic Floor muscles daily. Think breakfast, lunch and dinner and do 5 sets of 10 Pelvic floor holds, and 5 sets of 10 Pelvic floor pulses each time.
  • Ten to thirty minutes after every workout, and in between exercises when you are lifting weights.

Moji Doyle
Prenatal & Beyond FIT
www.prenatalandbeyondfit.com
561-376-4305

Sources utilized by Moji Doyle:
“Exercising Through Your Pregnancy” by James F. Clapp III, M.D. And “Expecting Fitness”, by Birgitta Gallo for the higher Apgar score.

 

 

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