Top 10 Tips To Stay Fit During Pregnancy
As with all stages in life, staying fit is very important. Obviously, while a woman is pregnant, her body requires different things and it can feel hard to know the best ways to stay fit. Here are the top 10 tips for staying fit during pregnancy.
- Drink lots of water – Surprise, surprise, water is incredibly important. Ideally, a pregnant woman should drink 8 to 10 glasses of water per day. And it is important to stay hydrated while working out. Although this is important for everyone, it is especially important during pregnancy.
- Walking – As one can imagine, you want to stay away from certain activities such as contact sports or high intensity workouts. One way to stay active without going overboard is to just walk. It’s a very simple way to help stay fit during pregnancy (almost too simple).
- Take it down a notch – Even though your body may be use to strenuous exercise, it is best to modify the intensity to compliment the changes going on in your body. Low impact aerobics are preferred. The best way to stay fit is exercise regularly at a lower intensity and in moderation.
- Balanced diet – This one also seems obvious, but still relevant. During pregnancy, a woman should avoid sugary and overly fatty foods. Junk carbs are a not ideal either. Good foods to eat include fats and protein. This includes mono and saturated fats. These are foods like olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, and quality butter. These will help you absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K. Together, fats and protein will help stabilize your blood glucose levels. It is also important to avoid caffeine and foods that may contain mercury. This includes raw fish.
- Recovery and sleep – Again, this seems obvious, but it is so important! During pregnancy, the body is so busy preparing and changing. Your body adapts, improves, and recovers during sleep and when your body is growing a baby, more sleep is needed.
- Posture – Not to sound overly parental, but posture is important. When pregnant, your center of gravity changes and that can cause some issues and discomfort. Good posture can help reduce lower back and hip pain while allowing for more room for the baby to grow. Added bonus: it makes you look thinner!
- Maintain Muscle – This task can be tricky. However, by maintaining muscle can help you stay in shape and increase your metabolism. Just be sure not to go overboard by keeping the intensity at a moderate level.
- Eat small meals at frequent intervals – This may be easier than eating larger meals and it can help boost your metabolism.
- Weigh Yourself – Be careful with this one. The goal is to help keep you on the right track. During pregnancy, a woman can gain anywhere from 25 to 35 pounds. And losing weight is a no-no. However, if watching the scale is stressing you out too much, ditch it.
- Give yourself time and don’t be too hard on yourself – Lastly, pregnancy puts the body through a lot of changes. You may have to develop new habits to help stay fit.
Staying in shape is important in all stages in life. A combination of lifestyle changes, diet, and proper exercise are crucial. Although staying fit during pregnancy contains a lot of the same advice for other life stages, it is still important. Also, keep in mind every pregnancy is different and you will have different results than others. Be sure to consult our physicians or midwives if you have any questions or concerns.
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