I am 35 weeks pregnant!
Last 2 weeks were tough. I developed bad piles from the pressure of the baby and I literally could’t move or sit or simply enjoy myself. Joys of pregnancy yay!
Not being able to be active drove me absolutely crazy! It is all fine and healed now. (combination of hot sitz baths, cold compresses, ointments, suppositories, Aloe vera gel 99,9% gel worked wonders!!!)
Today first time since we came back from Slovakia I went to gym and did short arms and legs work out and stretched with few sun salutations. I felt so good to be back to exercising!
Exercise for me is not only about the physical results it is about mental health, feeling good in my own skin and brain.
When I was in the gym I could see how surprised people were watching this hugely pregnant woman lifting weights, do squats and downward dogs:) There was one lady who even asked me if that is ok for a woman to be this active at this stage of pregnancy???
So again back to the same rules
- First and foremost you need to get a green light from your health caregiver that you and your baby are all healthy and you have low risk pregnancy.
- You need to adjust your exercise to be pregnancy friendly. Lower the weights, avoid core work outs, no extreme jumping, holding breath, slow down the cardio and just simply listen to your body.
- Take into the consideration what was your activity level before you got pregnant
After that there is no reason why you should stop moving. Staying active while being pregnant has so many benefits not just for you but for your baby as well.
Benefits of staying active while you pregnant
Growing a baby is a hard job resulting in increased fatigue. Form my own experience being pregnant twice exercise kept me full of energy throughout all trimesters.
2. Lower your risk of certain pregnancy-related complications
Studies suggest that exercising during pregnancy can lower the risk of developing gestational diabetes and preeclampsia.
3. Reduce pregnancy discomfort
Pregnancy comes with all sort of joys. Ligaments cramps, swollen legs, weight gain, back pain…I experienced all of this but thanks to the regular exercise I kept it under a control.
4. Help you to relax and stay positive
For me this is one of the most significant reasons why with both of my pregnancies I was determined to stay active. With all the hormonal changes going on in your body it is so easy to fall in the vicious circle of bad mood swings. Thanks to regular exercise I stayed reasonably happy and positive:)