- Who can not do weight training in pregnancy
- Recommended exercises for sedentary pregnant women
- Benefits of physical activity in pregnancy
- Exercises not recommended for pregnant women
Women who have never practiced weight training and decide to start these exercises during pregnancy can harm the baby because in these cases there is a risk of:
- Strong injuries and impacts on the mother's belly, Decreased amount of oxygen for the baby, Decreased fetal growth, Low birth weight and Premature birth.
The best way to find out if the exercises are safe during pregnancy is to talk to the doctor and the gym teacher before starting the exercises and if the woman did not practice any exercises before pregnancy, she should choose lighter exercises with less impact..
However, even the pregnant woman who was used to weight training before becoming pregnant needs to be careful, not performing very intense training, or training more than 3 times a week. Each workout should be from 30 minutes to 1 hour, with sets of 8 to 10 repetitions per exercise. Another important precaution is to opt for low impact exercises, without forcing the pelvic area, abdomen and back, which must be guided by a physical education professional.
Who can not do weight training in pregnancy
Women who did not exercise should rest during the first trimester and start the activity only in the second trimester, when the risk of miscarriage decreases.
In addition to being contraindicated for women who did not practice weight training before becoming pregnant, this type of activity is especially contraindicated for pregnant women who have:
- Heart disease; Increased risk of thrombosis; Recent pulmonary embolism; Acute infectious disease; Risk of premature birth; Uterine bleeding; Severe isoimmunization; Morbid obesity; Anemia; Diabetes; Hypertension; Suspected fetal stress; Patient without prenatal care.
The ideal is always to go to the doctor before starting any physical exercise, to assess the health of the pregnancy and ask for authorization to exercise, in addition to being accompanied by a physical educator to do everything safely. See when to stop physical activity during pregnancy.
Recommended exercises for sedentary pregnant women
For women who did not practice weight training before pregnancy, the ideal is that they do low impact physical activity for the spine and joint, such as Pilates, swimming, water aerobics, Yoga, aerobics, walking and cycling on the exercise bike.
In addition, doing small exercises throughout the day also bring benefits to the body since together they complete at least 30 minutes of physical activity. Thus, the woman can do 3 times a day 10 minutes of walking, for example, which will already have positive results for the pregnancy.
Benefits of physical activity in pregnancy
Light or moderate physical activity in pregnancy has the following benefits:
- Lower mother's weight gain; Prevent gestational diabetes; Lower risk of preterm birth; Shorter duration of labor; Lower risk of complications in childbirth for the mother and baby; Decrease the risk of having a cesarean; Increase physical capacity and disposition of pregnant women; Prevent varicose veins; Decrease back pain; Help control blood pressure; Increase flexibility; Facilitate recovery after childbirth.
In addition to the benefits for the body and the baby, exercise also helps to increase a woman's self-esteem and reduce stress, anxiety and the risk of postpartum depression.
Exercises not recommended for pregnant women
Among the exercises that are not recommended are the abdominals, push-ups, jumps and exercises that need balance, as they impact the belly or increase the risk of falls, which can harm the baby.
Thus, exercise or sports such as volleyball, basketball, equestrian, high-impact gymnastics and diving should be avoided entirely during pregnancy, even by women who already practiced these activities before becoming pregnant.
In addition to weight training, see other exercises that facilitate normal delivery.
