Not long after giving birth, many modern moms get busy getting their figures back through regular exercising; after all, new moms tend to have excess abdominal fat and stretched-out skin. Both of these improve or go away with regular exercising.
But what about before birth? Is there any benefit to pre-pregnancy exercising, in preparing the body for pregnancy and subsequent delivery?
Absolutely. Moderate pre-pregnancy exercising will not only bring you the mind and body benefits that come with working out regularly, but it will also help you have a healthy pregnancy and easier delivery.
Just like post-delivery exercises target specific muscle groups in the abdomen that now need toning up, pre-pregnancy exercise should also aim to strengthen and condition the middle section, as well as get the blood flowing faster.
For the smaller percentage of women who are already avid athletes and customarily do hard or intense workouts, the time when you are looking to conceive would be a time to slow things down some. You don’t want to hurt any muscles or other body structures now, wanting to instead maintain a schedule of gentler, regular physical activity.
Women who do only moderate exercise regularly should continue with their routine, adding some new exercises to strengthen and tone up the abdomen and pelvic region.
For women who don’t exercise at all, now is a great time to get into a regular physical activity routine. Once you become pregnant, you may modify and tone down your exercises or exercise program, but you can still maintain an exercise routine throughout your pregnancy.
Exercising before pregnancy will get you in better shape for the delivery, will help you lose the baby weight faster — and according to some studies, it may even boost your ability to become pregnant.
This last point stands to reason, being that at the center of exercising is the transport of oxygen-rich blood throughout our tissues (as our breathing gets harder, we are sending more oxygen to our blood). More blood and oxygen equal better distribution of body nutrients, and faster elimination of cellular waste products, both of which will help all the body’s systems be healthier and run more efficiently.
The following are excellent, low-impact forms of exercise that are perfectly suited for someone wanting to conceive: walking, swimming, floor-mat exercises where abdominal muscles can be strengthened and toned.
When doing floor exercises with your back parallel to the floor, there is an endless number of moves you can do, to work the middle section. You can look up different abdominal exercises online or in an exercise manual, or you can just get creative and come up with some of your own.
Ideas for Targeting Abdominal Muscles
A lot of abdominal exercises involve lying flat on a mat or rug, then bringing your legs toward your torso at a 45 deg. angle, then clasping your hands behind your head and lifting head and shoulders off the ground (mini-crunches). You can also raise legs while bent, so that shins are parallel to the ceiling/sky, then clasp hands behind head and raise head and shoulders off the ground.
To target a slightly different set of abdominals, follow above steps, but instead of lifting head and shoulders directly up, point elbows, and move head and shoulders (all simultaneously) toward your left side, then toward right side, left side, right side, and so on.
Lower Abdominals
You will want to target lower abdomen muscles by lying on your back with arms parallel to your body, palms flat on the ground. Then, raise one leg at a time at a 90–degree angle. Lower leg, raise the other leg, alternating between the two.
To strengthen lower abs, you can also slightly raise both straight legs simultaneously, just 2 or 3 inches off the ground, back to the ground, then back up.
You should do several “sets” of each exercise; each set should consist of 10 repetitions, if they feel comfortable, or 20 repetitions if you are able to. If you can’t do more than 10 reps in each set at the start, no problem. If you exercise daily or at least several times a week, you will find that both your strength and stamina will quickly increase. In a matter of just a few days, you’ll be able to increase the number of repetitions you were able to do when you got started.
The United States Dept. of Health and Human Services recommends that adults get 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week. That’s five 30-minute workouts a week. “Moderate” means you are still able to talk while you exercise.
Exercising After You Conceive
Generally, healthcare practitioners recommend that women not start a new exercise program within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, if you haven’t been exercising up to now. But if you have been exercising, simply get your doctor’s input on your exercise routine. You will need to modify it some, now focusing less on crunching your abdominals (which in any case may now feel very tender) and focusing more on low-impact activity, such as walking, swimming, stretching exercises, and using elliptical machines.
The Importance of Good Nutrition
While physical activity, in and of itself, improves physical and mental health, it is key to remember that the better the quality of the food you put into your body, the better your body will perform in general.
There is no better time than before you get pregnant, to make sure healthy eating habits are in place! You want to watch your sugar intake and include plenty of vegetables and fruits in your daily diet (vegetables are best consumed raw or lightly steamed, to preserve nutrients). Other important elements of a good diet are whole grains, legumes, plenty of low-fat dairy products, and lean meats. Folate, a B vitamin, is especially important at this time. A versatile nutrient that the body uses for many processes including the production of red blood cells, folate also helps strengthen bones and prevent birth defects. Some folate-rich foods include: dried herbs, green leafy vegetables, turnip greens, collard greens, broccoli, organ meats (beef liver and kidney, for instance) and some orange juices. Folate can also be found as folic acid, its synthetic form, in enriched products like cereals.
Watch your caffeine intake and stay away from artificial chemicals such as those found in processed foods and in sodas, including artificial sweeteners.
By Eirian Hallinan