Can you do physical exercise in a healthy and safe way during pregnancy and right after childbirth?
The answer is affirmative, but with one condition: that a training program especially focused on these stages of a woman’s life is followed, designed by qualified specialists and that meets all the necessary requirements in terms of health and safety, they point out from the Basic-Fit gym chain (www.basic-fit.com), the largest in Europe.
Sport during pregnancy is beneficial for physical and mental health, which is why the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that women perform at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity per week during pregnancy, explains this fountain.
But not all women feel equally comfortable and safe exercising during that period of their life, they explain from this fitness chain, which offers a solution for this female reluctance: a specific training program for pregnant women and another for women who have just finished giving birth (www.basic-fit.com/es-es/programa-para-embarazadas).
The Pregnancy Program has been developed together with experts, including physiotherapist Meghan Dodds, to ensure that the training meets all health and safety requirements for women, they explain.
“Before starting the exercises, we always recommend that women read the liability clause of this specific program,” explains Marrit Hahn-Nicolai, Basic-Fit exercise development expert, to EFE.
When are they recommended and discouraged?
It points out that “although the exercises have been created and reviewed by specialists in the field of pregnancy, it is always advisable to consult your doctor and/or midwife before starting to practice them, to ensure that this training is the correct choice for your specific needs and unique to each woman.”
“These exercises are suitable for women with a low-risk pregnancy and who do not have health problems, but they are not recommended for women with high-risk pregnancies,” he notes.
Specifically, women who have been diagnosed with hypertension, preeclampsia, or placenta previa after 26 weeks, are not recommended to expect twins or triplets, have severe anemia, an incompetent cervix, signs of premature labor, hemorrhages in the second or third trimester or suffer from a pre-existing chronic disease, he explains.
“It is important for women to clarify their doubts and listen to their body: whether a pregnant woman is not sure if it is safe to exercise or if she does not feel well when training (dizziness, nausea, bleeding, headache, chest pain or calves, among others), you should consult your doctor or midwife,” says Hahn-Nicolai.
“The workouts work on the mobility, agility, strength and physical condition of pregnant women, and include balance exercises, since stability is tested throughout pregnancy,” points out this expert, who encourages women to continue exercising during pregnancy, because “it makes this period of your life and recovery easier.”
“Women still have a lot of questions about what exercises are good for their bodies and their babies, and there is a lot of confusing information around this issue,” says Hedwig Neels, a postdoctoral researcher and pelvic floor physiotherapist at the University of Antwerp in Belgium. .
«Pregnancy demands a lot from the female body. Therefore, it is an ideal opportunity for women to adopt and maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. Exercising during this stage of life has numerous benefits for both mother and baby, even in the long term,” she emphasizes.
Healthy and safe exercises.
Of course, so that exercise during pregnancy is carried out with maximum safety and produces its greatest benefits, Marrit Hahn-Nicolai points out that the following recommendations must be taken into account when practicing it:
1-. Take a drink break during each workout to maintain fluid balance in your faster-dehydrating body when you’re pregnant.
2-. Have a healthy snack before exercising. Your body needs more carbohydrates during pregnancy, because some of it goes to that little miracle inside you.
3-. Your body temperature is higher than usual during pregnancy, so avoid overheating your body by exercising too intensely in poorly ventilated areas.
4-. “Listen carefully to your body: if you stay too long in a position that doesn’t feel right, you can get dizzy or disoriented,” says Hahn-Nicolai,
5-. “Focus on practicing low-impact cardiovascular and bodyweight exercises, so that your joints are strained as little as possible,” this expert recommends.
The Pregnancy Program consists of nine four-week programs, 36 weeks in total. Includes video exercises, bodyweight exercises, exercises with household tools, and meditation. Seven of the nine programs are for doing during pregnancy, and the last two programs are for after giving birth, in video format, Basic-Fit reports.
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