Prenatal Workouts

Women who exercise during pregnancy report that they have:

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  greater endurance during pregnancy and labor,


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  greater ease in carrying the extra weight of their growing babies and


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  good posture as a result of strong, flexible muscles.

In addition to these benefits, regular exercise also relieves stress, strengthens the heart, lowers blood pressure and promotes healthy eating habits. Still, more than half of all Americans do not even come close to meeting the USDA’s recommendation of one hour of exercise a day. Most find squeezing exercise into their already busy schedules nearly impossible, especially those who balance a demanding career and a bustling household.

If this sounds familiar, don’t fret: a full hour of exercise may be out of the question, but 10 minutes is certainly doable and worthwhile. After all, a little bit of exercise now can go a long way toward building more established workout routines and a healthy future for you and your baby.      

Help with Common Complaints
Some of the more common complaints women have both during and after pregnancy include back and hip pain, wrist pain, strained ligaments and intestinal problems, such as constipation, prolapsed organs and incontinence. All of these conditions result from stress on the musculoskeletal system, which strengthening and stretching can help prevent or alleviate.

Prenatal exercise should include both a strengthening and a stretching component because pregnancy unbalances muscles by stretching them. The goal of exercise during pregnancy is to give muscles an equal amount of strength and flexibility.

Strengthening Muscles
There are two major sets of muscles you should think about strengthening when you’re pregnant: