EXERCISES DURING PREGNANCY

Each of the following exercises is designed to develop the muscles around your trunk and pelvis, as well as the muscles of your arms and legs.

Exercise helps strengthen the muscles needed for labor and delivery. It also helps reduce backaches, swelling, and constipation.

Strengthening your arm muscles will help you lift and hold your baby.

These exercises may be done throughout your entire pregnancy, but they should be avoided if you begin to have any pain.

Report any unusual or unexpected symptoms to your healthcare provider.  

QUADRUPED ARM AND LEG RAISE

Get down on your hands and knees. Tighten your abdominal muscles to stiffen your spine. While keeping your abdominals tight, raise one arm and the opposite leg away from you.

Hold this position for 5 seconds. Lower your arm and leg slowly and alternate sides. Do this 10 times on each side.  

MODIFIED PUSH-UP  

Get onto your hands and knees, with your hands directly below your shoulders. Slowly bend your arms and lower yourself toward the floor, being careful to keep your spine straight.

When you can do 2 sets of 15 easily, do this with your feet off the floor. Gradually progress to doing regular push-ups with your legs out straight.  

LUNGE 

Stand and take a large step forward with your right leg. Dip your left knee down toward the floor and bend your right leg. Return to the starting position.

Repeat the exercise stepping forward with the left leg and dipping your right leg down toward the floor. Do 3 sets of 10 on each side.  

WALL SQUAT  

Stand with your back, shoulders, and head against a wall and look straight ahead. Keep your shoulders relaxed and your feet 1 foot away from the wall and a shoulder's width apart.

Keeping your head against the wall, slide down the wall. Lower your buttocks toward the floor until your thighs are almost parallel to the floor.

Hold this position for 10 seconds. Make sure to tighten your thigh muscles as you slowly slide back up to the starting position.

Do 3 sets of 10. Increasing the amount of time you are in the lowered position helps strengthen your quadriceps muscles.  

HEEL RAISE 

Balance yourself while standing behind a chair or counter. Using the chair to help you, raise your body up onto your toes and hold for 5 seconds. Then slowly lower yourself down without holding onto the chair. (Keep holding onto the chair or counter if you need to.)

Repeat 10 times. Do 3 sets of 10. Rest 30 seconds between sets.  

ROWING EXERCISE

Close middle of elastic tubing in a door or wrap tubing around an immovable object. Hold 1 end in each hand.

Sit in a chair, bend your arms 90 degrees, and hold one end of the tubing in each hand. Keep your forearms vertical and your elbows at shoulder level and bent to 90 degrees. Pull backward on the band and squeeze your shoulder blades together.

Do 3 sets of 10.  

THORACIC EXTENSION  

While sitting in a chair, clasp both arms behind your head. Gently arch backward and look up toward the ceiling.

Repeat 10 times. Do this several times each day.  

ARM SLIDE ON WALL 

Sit or stand with your back against a wall and your elbows and wrists against the wall. Slowly slide your arms upward as high as you can while keeping your elbows and wrists against the wall.

Do 3 sets of 10.  

SHOULDER ABDUCTION 

Stand with your arms at your sides. Rest your palms against your sides. Hold a 2 to 4-pound weight in each hand. Keeping your arms straight, lift your arms out to the side and toward the ceiling.

Hold this position for 5 seconds and then slowly bring your arms down. Repeat 10 times.  

BICEPS CURL 

Stand and hold a 5- to 8-pound weight in your hand. If you do not have a weight use a soup can or hammer. Bend your elbow and bring your hand (palm up) toward your shoulder.

Hold 5 seconds. Slowly straighten your arm and return to your starting position. Repeat on the other side. Do 3 sets of 10.

Ø  Another important exercise during pregnancy is the Kegels exercise. It strengthens your pelvic muscles. You can do Kegels anywhere--while you sit at a desk, wait for a bus, wash dishes, drive a car, wait in line, or watch TV. No one will know you are doing them. Here's how you do them:  

§  You can feel the muscles that need to be exercised by squeezing the muscles in your genital area. It might help to pretend you are stopping a flow of urine or trying to stop from passing gas.  

§  Tighten these muscles and hold for 3 to 5 seconds. Then relax the muscles completely. Tighten and relax these muscles at least 10 to 20 times a day. Do these sets of exercises 10 times a day.

One of the best things you can do for yourself and your unborn child during pregnancy is exercise. There are numerous studies that show that women who exercise during pregnancy are more likely to have easy labor and deliveries and faster recoveries.

Before you start any exercise program during pregnancy it is essential that you consult with your healthcare provider. For some women it may be more dangerous than beneficial to exercise during pregnancy.

Once you get the go ahead from your doctor, you can embark on an exercise program that is suitable to your stage in pregnancy.

BENEFITS:

§  Exercise helps combat fatigue

§  Exercise helps minimize back pain because it helps strengthen back muscles

§  Exercise can help promote a smaller amount of fat gain during pregnancy

§  Exercise provides an exceptional form of stress relief

§  Women who exercising during pregnancy are less likely to experience difficult labors

§  Women who exercise during pregnancy are more likely to return to their pre-pregnancy weight faster and recover more quickly after delivery

BEST EXERCISES

1)     Walking

2)     Swimming

3)     Stretching

4)     Yoga

5)     Pilates

6)     Dancing

7)     Stationary Cycling

8)     Low Impact Prenatal Aerobics 

STRENGTH-TRAINING EXERCISE DURING PREGNANCY

Perform all exercises at least three times a week, on alternate days, on a firm (but not too hard) surface, such as an exercise mat. Perform them in the following order.

Be sure to breathe normally during all exercises; don't hold your breath. During abdominal exercises, it may be easier to exhale on exertion, that is, inhale when you are down and exhale briskly as you perform the lift.

The following exercises work all major muscle groups. Don't skip any!

HAMSTRING LIFT

Start with 5 repetitions and increase to 20.

   1.      Rest on your hands and knees, with your back flat and abdominal muscles squeezed tightly (do not let your abdominal muscles hang loose).

2.      With your foot flexed, extend your left leg straight behind you.

3.      Keeping your back flat, lift your left leg up until it is level with your back. At the same time, shift your weight to your left arm.

4.      Lower your leg. Repeat several times.

5.      Change sides and repeat, shifting your weight to your right arm.

INNER THIGH LIFT

Start with 5 repetitions; increase to 20.

1.      Lie on your left side, propping yourself on your left elbow and forearm. Cross the right leg over the left, placing the right foot on the floor next to your left knee. (Alternatively, rest your bent leg behind the bottom leg.)

2.      With your foot flexed, lift your left leg slowly two to three inches (as far as is comfortable).

3.      Slowly lower your leg to the floor-do not just drop it!

4.      As you repeat the lifts, be sure to keep your body aligned. Do not roll back onto your buttock.

5.      Change sides and repeat.

OUTER THIGH LIFT

Start with 5 repetitions; increase to 20.

1.      Lie on your left side, your head resting on your hand, your body aligned. For balance, bend your bottom leg.

2.      Slowly lift your top leg straight up and slightly back. Hold for a slow count of 5, then lower slowly.

3.      After you've completed your repetitions, change sides.

CHEST MUSCLE EXERCISE

Start with 5 to 10 repetitions; increase to 20.

1.      Clasp your hands in front of you at chest level.

2.      Press palms together for a slow count of 5.

3.      Lock your fingers and pull against your fingers for a slow count of 5. Do not hold your breath. (This stage of the exercise strengthens muscles in the upper back.)

PELVIC ROCK ON ALL FOURS

Start with 5 repetitions; increase to 20.

1.      Rest on your hands and knees, your back straight and your knees comfortably apart.

2.      Slowly arch your lower back, lift your abdomen, and tuck your pelvis under (as if a string attached to your spine is pulling you upward). Hold for a slow count of 4.

3.      Slowly return to the starting position-do not allow your back to sag. Repeat the tuck, holding the tucked position for a full count of 10. Squeeze your pelvic floor at the same time for an added benefit.

DIAGONAL KNEE AND ARM REACH

Do 5 to 10 repetitions. Caution: Do not perform this exercise after the first trimester of pregnancy.

1.      Lie flat on your back, your knees bent and feet flat. Place your hands either behind your head or across your chest.

2.      Flatten your lower back to the floor, then raise your head (straight up toward the ceiling, not with your chin down on your chest), shoulders, right arm, and left knee all together slowly. Do not pull on your neck!

3.      Slowly return to the starting position.

4.      Repeat, raising your left arm and right knee.

PLIES

Start with 5 repetitions, gradually increasing to 20.

1.      Stand with your feet about two feet apart and toes turned comfortably out.

2.      Slowly bend your knees, keeping your back flat. Never lower your buttocks past your knees. Keep your knees over your toes-don't let them roll in.

3.      Rise slowly, concentrating on the leg muscles as you push upward. Keep your heels flat during the entire movement.

To advance the exercise, stay down for 15 to 30 seconds, then rise slowly.

SIT-BACK

Start with 5 repetitions; increase to 20.

1.      Sit with the soles of your feet together and comfortably away from your body, your arms held in front of you parallel to the floor.

2.      Tuck your chin to your chest and curl back slowly until you are halfway down, keeping the sides of your feet on the floor and your back rounded. (Do not attempt this with a straight back!)

3.      Return to the sitting position. Exhale as you curl back. (If you find this exercise easy to perform, do the exercise with your arms crossed over your chest. ) Do not try to curl back to the floor and up again.

CURL-UP

Perform 5 to 20 repetitions. Caution: Do not perform this exercise after the first trimester of pregnancy.

1.      Lie on your back, with your knees bent and your feet close to your buttocks. Press your lower back to the floor. Inhale slowly and deeply.

2.      As you slowly exhale, lift your head and shoulders. Do not lift your lower back off of the floor! Perform this exercise slowly (no jerky movements), and do not throw your head forward! Relax the jaw and neck muscles. The lift comes from the shoulders and should be straight up, your face toward the ceiling.

3.      Slowly return to the starting position; inhale as you do so.

PELVIC FLOOR SQUEEZE (KEGEL EXERCISE)

Do 3 or 4 sets at one time, 5 times per day.

1.      Sit or stand comfortably (you can perform this exercise in most positions). To make this exercise more challenging, place your legs farther apart.

2.      Tighten the pelvic floor as if to lift the internal organs or to stop urination in midstream. Hold as tightly as possible for a slow count of 5 (be sure to breathe).

3.      Relax completely.

Note:

Because these muscles fatigue easily, repeat in sets of 3 or 4 squeezes throughout the day anytime, anywhere. Concentrate on the sensations of tension and lifting, relaxing, and lowering within the pelvis.

TRUNK ROLL

Do 5 to 10 repetitions. Caution: Do not perform this exercise after the first month of pregnancy.

1.      Lie on your back, your knees bent and arms on the floor straight out at your side. Lift your feet off the floor, or keep them flat on the floor.

2.      Keeping your shoulders down and your knees together, roll your legs to the left, touching your left leg on the floor.

3.      Roll your legs back to the starting point, then to the right. Make sure your knees are not bent too close to the chest. Keep the movement smooth and don't rush.

PUSH-AWAY

Start with 5 repetitions; increase to 20.

1.      Stand facing a wall, with your palms on the wall slightly farther apart than shoulder width. Place your feet about two to three feet from the wall. Hold your arms and body straight.

2.      Lean toward the wall, allowing your arms to bend. Touch one cheek to the wall.

3.      Straighten your arms, pushing your body (still aligned) away from the wall. Do not arch your back. Keep your palms on the wall at all times.

If these exercises look great but you still aren't motivated, maybe you need to attend an exercise class.