Exercises During Pregnancy
Exercising regularly during pregnancy keeps you fit, increases your energy levels and can help you cope better with labour. It improves mood, posture, muscle tone, and has been shown to decrease rates of gestational diabetes, C-sections and high blood pressure (preeclampsia).
Here is a list of exercises that are good for you during pregnancy:
- Vajra asana: After every meal. Reduces flatulence, acidity and bloating.
- Cat camel exercise: Helps in backache. It also helps baby to move from breech position to head down.
- Squats: Or duck walk or moping the floor helps strengthening pelvic floor muscle. Reduces pubic bone pain, hip pain and helps in vaginal birth. It increases blood supply to developing baby. And helps in increasing baby’s weight.
- Kegel’s exercise: pelvic floor muscles squeezing and releasing helps in urinary incontinence. Regular exercise of vaginal muscles helps in preventing uterine prolapse in future.
- Butterfly pose: Stretching of pelvic and thigh muscle reduces aches and pains which most women complain while turning on the bed. Breathing exercise in this pose will increase lungs volume and oxygenation to the baby.
- Walk, stationary cycling, swimming: All of these are regular cardio exercises. Improves circulation, lung capacity, stamina, blood supply, and muscular strength.
Remember to warm up, stretch and cool down. Drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated, and be careful to avoid overheating.
