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It's fantastic for the body -

Exercise is fantastic for the body and mind during pregnancy. It’s great for posture, decreases backaches and fatigue, and helps ​​prevent gestational diabetes.

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Stress relief and stamina -

Exercising during pregnancy also helps women relieve stress, and build more stamina needed for labor and delivery.

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As long as it's comfortable -

With your doctor’s approval, you should be able to continue exercising as you were before as long as it’s comfortable.

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Low-impact aerobics -

The kinds of exercises that are often encouraged are those that are lower impact, like low-impact aerobics. 

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Beats per minute (heart rate) -

It’s also highly recommended that people exercising should avoid letting their heart rate exceed 140 BPM.

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Walking and swimming are ideal -

Walking and swimming are recommended forms of exercise for almost everyone who feels comfortable doing them, including women during pregnancy.

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Swimming is very low impact -

Many women will vouch for swimming during their pregnancy because it’s low impact and the water supports their increased weight.

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Walking -

The NHS advises that walking for 30 minutes a day during pregnancy is enough exercise, and if someone cannot handle that they should consider that some exercise is better than none.

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Start and end slow -

The warm-up and warm-down periods before and after exercise are important. For a walk, this can be done by starting and ending at a leisurely pace.

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Take care -

It may seem obvious, but pregnant women need to be careful when attempting to start a new strenuous activity.

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Contact sports, rough sports, and dangerous sports should be avoided -

There are, of course, certain sports and activities that need to be avoided altogether.

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One of the biggest dangers is falling -

Any activity in which there is a high risk of falling should be considered with serious caution. A fall may cause serious injury to the baby.

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When women are experiencing certain conditions, it should be avoided -

Exercise might be advised to be avoided if you have obstetric conditions such as spotting or a compromised cervix.

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The list is long, so ask a professional -

In fact, there are essentially countless conditions that may deem exercise for a woman during pregnancy to be dangerous. Because excessively strenuous exercise is to be avoided, it’s often advised that women should exercise at a lower intensity.

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Staying hydrated is doubly important -

The NHS also notes that women should try to avoid strenuous exercise in hot weather and always stay well hydrated.

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Avoid lying back for extended periods -

Women should avoid lying on their backs for long periods during pregnancy, particularly after 16 weeks because the weight of their bump presses on the main blood vessel bringing blood back to the heart, causing faintness.

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Certain movements should be avoided -

There are, of course, many abdominal exercises to be avoided during pregnancy, too. Deep knee bends, full sit-ups, double leg raises, and straight-leg toe touches are generally going to do more harm than good.

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Increased weight and back aches -

As women’s bumps get bigger in pregnancy, often the hollow in the lower back increases. Stomach strengthening exercises ease backaches by taking the pressure off the back.

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There are some strength exercises that are safe -

Thus far, there has been a lot said about what kinds of exercise that women should avoid during pregnancy, but there are as many exercises that they can focus on. Some stomach strengthening exercises are great.

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Abdomen and pelvic floor muscles -

Some great exercises to strengthen the abdomen and pelvic floor muscles are done on all fours or standing against a wall.

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Kegel exercises -

Kegel exercises work on muscles that support the bladder, uterus, and bowels, which are all under tremendous stress during pregnancy.

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Why strengthen kegel muscles? -

By strengthening them during pregnancy, it helps women to be able to control them in preparation for labor.

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How kegel muscles are conditioned -

Kegel muscles can be activated by imagining you are trying to stop the flow of urine. It’s the contraction of the pelvic floor muscles (holding in pee) that counts, not the flexing of glutes or abs. Some kegel balls are available to help. It’s important to speak with a doctor or midwife so that you know which specific one is safe for use during pregnancy.

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Never forget to breathe -

You can do kegel exercises almost anywhere by contracting these muscles and holding them for five seconds and repeating them around 10 times. It’s important not to forget to breathe.

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Exercise during pregnancy makes recovery a lot easier -

With the right professional guidance, it’s a great idea for women to exercise during and after pregnancy. Exercising doesn't only keep women in relatively good shape during the pregnancy, it also makes physically recovering a lot smoother afterward.

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It's usually helpful to have guidance -

Many of these kinds of exercises (abdominal, etc.) that benefit women during pregnancy are specific, and to do them correctly may require guidance to avoid injury.

Sources: (WebMD)(NHS)

See also: Celebrity pregnancy cravings revealed

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