Can I Exercise while I’m pregnant.?

pregnant women were treated as if they had an illness and were subjected to a state of confinement. They were advised to relax, avoid strenuous exertion, and minimise stretching and bending for fear of strangling or squashing the baby.

Maintaining a regular exercise routine throughout your pregnancy can help you stay healthy and feel your best. It can also improve your posture and decrease some common discomforts like backaches and fatigue. There is evidence that it may prevent gestational diabetes (diabetes that develops during pregnancy), relieve stress, and build more stamina needed for labor and delivery.

There’s no doubt you’ve heard about the benefits of exercise during pregnancy. Staying active can help reduce muscle aches and pain, lower blood pressure, minimize bloating and swelling, keep weight gain to a healthy range, and even help lower the odds of complications during labor. There are mental benefits, too – exercise during pregnancy will not only fight fatigue by keeping your energy up, but can also help with your mood. The benefits don’t end when your pregnancy is over. If you’ve stayed active during pregnancy, you might even find your labor and recovery are more manageable.

If you have never exercised regularly before, you can safely begin an exercise program during pregnancy after consulting with your health care provider. Do not try a new, strenuous activity. 

Exercise during pregnancy is controversial. Serena Williams, winner of 23 tennis grand slams, made global headlines during her pregnancy, simply for declaring her plans “to keep exercising for as long as possible while pregnant”.

The NHS, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the National Childbirth Trust and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence all recommend moderate exercise during pregnancy, to alleviate or reduce the risk of gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced hypertension, high gestational weight gain, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Some Excercise that should be avoided

• Planks
• Crunches
• Push Up
• Pull Ups
• Twists and Contortions