Search Results for: pregnancy

July 22, 2016 By Geetika Patni 1 Comment

Excercises: Pre-Pregnancy: A good start is half done!

Planning to start a family is a crucial decision, in fact a life changing one and preparing yourself well for the most important time of your life, will ensure a healthier you and a healthier baby.If you have made up your mind for the next big move, this blog will give you an insight on exercise part of this beginning.

A workout routine developed before getting pregnant will help you stay in the healthier BMI range, will help you beat stress through release of the feel good hormone-endorphins and will help you sleep better through the night, thus will create an optimal environment for natural conception. Additionally, will help you sustain a healthy pregnancy and develop your stamina for the rigors of childbirth and recovery, and finally it will assist you in getting back in shape and to your pre pregnancy fitness levels!

A good deal eh? So lets learn how you can plan your exercise regime:

A) If you are a beginner: take it easy and gradually. 20 -30 minutes minimum three times a week will be good to go.

1) Start with a low impact aerobic exercise-walking, dancing, cycling. Will race up your heart and exercise your lungs.

2) Another good one is –Swimming- will make you feel lighter and workout whole body without straining your joints.

3) Relaxing workouts include within which right postures will help in toning your reproductive organs too.

4) Pilates workout under guidance will help strengthen your core and pelvic muscles.

5) Weight training under supervision will work up your muscles to prepare them for infant care. Use lighter weights and learn correct training technique but remember weight training is to be avoided during pregnancy.

6) Practice exercises for pregnancy and active labor- will include squatting, lunges, pelvic floor exercises and breathing exercises. Starting to do them now will make it easier to continue after the big news.

B) If you are a pro: you are doing one of the best job for yourself and your fertility. But like with every other good thing, too much of it can still be doing harm than good, when you are trying to conceive. This is so because exercises are considered as stress to system and body shuts its reproductive functions in stressful events. Moreover workouts are linked to changes in a lady’s hormonal system that may interfere with implantation of a fertilized egg. Then is it fine for a man to exercise intensely during pre conception phase? No actually not. Male partner must also re evaluate his workouts and dial down the intensity of his routine so as to avoid risk of decreasing his sperm counts (which happens due to excessive heat generation during exercises).

Now the question is when do you draw the line?

Well it will depend on your BMI

#If you fall in overweight BMI range (>27), there is no reason to tone down your exercises, since obesity impairs fertility more than excessive exercising.

#If you fall in normal weight BMI range, bring down your workout intensity from vigorous to moderate. Like-If you are running start jogging and avoid vigorous gymnastics, aerobics, cycling and even swimming. Make them more leisurely so that you are not devoting more than 5 hours a week to these workouts.

#If you fall in underweight BMI range (<18), check your workout intensity and make it to a lighter tone yet again, so that along with good nutrition, you can soon move up to healthy weight range for early conception.

Now A word of caution for Female Athletes – if your form of exercise (including power yoga) is above moderate and leaves you extremely weak, winded and gasping for breath or alters your menstrual cycles, then it’s time to tone down the frequency, pace and duration of your workouts. This surely doesn’t mean you can’t run/cycle or must leave your weight lifting career, for making a baby, but then, of course this won’t be the ideal time to prepare for a marathon/triathlon or for buffing up for an upcoming championship.

Furthermore certain contact Sports like Judo, Karate, Football etc which may cause sudden jolts/falls and abdominal punching may become unsuitable when you eventually fall pregnant. So trying now to hone your skills in them or for that matter in activities like downhill skiing, horseback riding, scuba diving, mountain biking etc may not be useful. Save them for your post pregnancy to do list!

Lastly a well-rounded preparation consists of other factors too. So a Wholesome DIET, Folate SUPPLEMENTS, Sound SLEEP, No to ALCOHOL/SMOKING, Avoiding CAFFEINE and Reducing STRESS will form crucial foundation of your pre natal preparation along with,as I mentioned above, EXERCISING regularly.

Hope you find this article useful and answering all your questions regarding exercises before your Big Fat Positive. Take care and I’ll see you in the next chapter of Pregnancy!

March 2, 2016 By Apurwa Agrawal 3 Comments

Antenatal Exercises for a good pregnancy

One of the most beautiful experiences that a woman can have is that of being pregnant. But, first-time pregnancy brings with it lots of uncertainty and hesitancy. To ease this pressure I decided to let me write a blog where I can share my experience of pregnancy and how I overcame the uncertainties and other issues.

Ideally, a woman should enjoy her pregnancy. She should indulge herself and not be obsessed with the weighing scale. I agree on the fact that body undergoes several changes which create stress on a woman mentally and physically. There are also hormonal changes in the body.One of the major hormone called RELAXIN during this period makes the joint hypermobile, increase the ligament laxity which causes pain and inflammation.

How do we balance this situation with “recommendations for pregnancy?

Just two words – Prenatal Exercises

Yes, you heard it right!

A sensible workout plan and will power during pregnancy has been the key for me, being open to maintaining self-control and moderation with indulging truly made all the difference.

It is recommended that women who have normal healthy pregnancy should get 30minutes of exercise most days of the week.(minimum 5)

Let’s have a look how these exercises help during pregnancy:

Reduces aches during pregnancy.
Improves stamina gives you more energy to cope with growing demands of pregnancy.
Improves posture and sleeping pattern
More controlled weight gain
Increases the chance of normal delivery
Enhanced psychological well-being
Increases circulation hence reduces swelling and edema.
Reduces the risk of gestational diabetes and pregnancy-induced hypertension.

Keep few tips in mind while exercising:

Always warm up before exercising, and cool down afterwards
Avoid any strenuous exercise in hot weather
Drink plenty of water and other fluids
If you go to exercise classes, make sure your teacher is properly qualified and knows that you’re pregnant as well as how many weeks pregnant you are
You can also opt for swimming as it is a good cardio exercise and the water will support your increased weight. But it should be done under the supervision of the professional trainer.

If you’ve never worked out start super slow, listen to your body and go accordingly. There is no point in doing things in a hurry and injuring yourself. Also, there are certain situations in which you should terminate the exercise right there. Listed below are the situations in which you should stop exercising-

Excessive shortness of breath
Chest pain or palpitations
Pre-syncope or dizziness
Painful uterine contractions or preterm labour
Leakage of amniotic fluid
Vaginal bleeding
Excessive fatigue
Abdominal pain, particularly in back or pubic area
Reduced fetal movement.

I hope this blog will compel you to increase your fitness level during pregnancy.I will be adding my workout routine in my next blog for you to use as a reference or adopt if you feel so inclined, so till then stay tuned and feel free to comment if you have any queries.

February 9, 2015 By Amrozia Sayyed 4 Comments

Preparing the body for pregnancy

Every couple desires to have a baby someday and all of them wish that from pregnancy to child-birth all goes well. Planning well is the key. Like as the saying goes-“The most important step of all is the first step” And therefore why not start the very first that is conception be on a healthy note!

Why do we only focus on women when she is pregnant why not when she is preparing to get pregnant. So that her pregnancy is smooth.

Here are the five importants things that should be looked upon to start with a healthy pregnancy and getting ready for a beautiful change in your life….

1 2 3…I wanna be fat free:

Before pregnancy, it is important to have a body weight close to your ideal body weight. During pregnancy on an average women gain 10-12 kg of weight which is required. While you are pregnant no doctor or health care professional will ask you to diet or follow a fat loss programme or low carb diet, etc. So better to start the best moments of your life with the best body.

Low body weight of women at reproductive age is mainly because of under supply of nutrients such as Vitamin A, E, C, Zinc seleniun, iron and folic acid, essential fatty acid etc which play an important role in fertility.

In overweight and obese women there is high fat storage which leads to hormonal imbalance one of the common reasons for infertility. Fat cell release estrogen (hormone) which delays ovulation and disturbs menstrual cycle and act as a natural birth control. Other condition associated with obese women and pregnancy is gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia.

But, ladies all these can be managed with simplest remedy that is exercise and eating right…

So wanna be mummy get into those sports gear and start with your exercise…Your baby would love to see a healthy mom at his/her first glance.

Tip: Better to start with pregnancy with a healthy weight to give birth to a healthy baby and minimize the health risk too. Try to exercise at-least 3 days in a week.

Most wanted- Folic acid and iron:

Folic acid supplements before pregnancy is must. The neural tube formation that is crucial for brain development happens in the first four weeks of pregnancy. This is the stage where in most mothers are unaware that they are pregnant especially when it is an unplanned pregnancy. Hence, it is very much important for all women of reproductive age to replinish their folic acid daily.

To lower down the risk of neural tube defects one must take folic acid for at least three months before pregnancy and continue during pregnancy. Also along with supplements include food that are high in folate every day such as dark green leafy vegetable, beans, lentils, oranges etc.

Likewise iron is very much important to support the healthy development of the foetus. Due to increase blood volume during pregnancy it also increases the demand for iron in our body due to growing foetus. The better iron stores before pregnancy the better absorption of iron during pregnancy. Iron rich food includes whole grains, beans, red meat (but has saturated fats too), eggs and poultry etc.

Small tip: Better to have iron rich food with a Vitamin C source such as lemon water or amla which will aid in iron absorption. Also avoid caffeinated beverages.

Healthy omegas:

We live in a world where we are constantly surrounded by options in food which are fat rich junk and sugar filled caloric meals. Both ultimately contributes to fat storage in our body. Food such as meat, dairy products and many other processed food available in the market are high in saturated fat. It’s our choice or selection to get the good fat in our diet. Fatty acids rich in oily fish, nuts and oilseed are rich in essential fat that is omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. These essential fats are required for proper functioning of hormones in the body. And a slight disturbance in hormones has a great impact which in turn will affect the menstrual cycle causing infertility. It is always good to opt for lean fat which is present in white meat rather than red meat which is again high in saturated fat. The processed meat is even worse because it comes with combination of high sodium contents along with preservative.

Tip: Make a mixture of sunflower seeds, flax seeds, almonds, pumpkin seed and sesame seeds and use it a our garnish for sprinkling over the salads. It has good amount of essential fat.

Get that dose of Antioxidants daily:

Antioxidant act like a defense system in our body to de-activate the free radical species and hence preventbody from damaging. These antioxidant protects the reproductive organs (ovum, eggs, etc) of a woman from damage by these radicals and ensure their normal functioning. The DNA is also protected from antioxidant which forms as a base to the child’s development.

Make sure the mother preparing for pregnancy makes a special note to count antioxidant rich food in their diet such as fresh colourful fruits and vegetables, nuts, etc

Keep away from stress :

It is the most important aspect which is mostly overlooked . High stress level can affect fertility too. Women who have delayed ovulation have high cortisol level which is a reason for infertility. Brain sends signals via hypothalamus to release hormones which will trigger ovulation. In women with high stress levels these signals are altered and thereby disturbed menstrual cycle and fertility.

Tip: At-least devote 5 min of your day to meditation, indulge in your hobbies, best to de-stress. Also first thing in the morning is to thinks how will you tackle your day, get a plan and then get in to action.

June 21, 2022 By GOQii 71 Comments

Dos and Don’ts of Yoga: Rules to Practicing Yoga Safely

When we asked some of our new players what their interpretation of Yoga is, their response was on the lines of ‘People twisting and turning their bodies like pretzels while chanting and sitting like a statue’. Is that what it really is? We took this question as an opportunity to explain what yoga is and what are its basic dos and don’ts.

What is Yoga?

It is a system- a holistic system of refining the body, the mind and the spirit in unison. Ultimately, it is well-being, peace and bliss. Yogic postures help strengthen the endocrine system and also bring the emotions under control through concentration and relaxation.

The ability to remain in relaxed equilibrium has an important psychological effect. For the basics on yoga and what it is, you can check out this article: Yoga for the beginners: some myths and benefits

Yogis, through their physical training, gradually learn to keep their psychological equilibrium unaltered to preserve a perfect psychological calmness in whatever environment they happen to find themselves in.

Yoga is the only way by which the highest objective in life can be attained. To decipher the great science and the benefits which it claims, it is essential to understand few basic dos and don’ts which we often tend to neglect.

What You Should Do

“Early to bed and early to rise makes man healthy, wealthy and wise,” is an universal adage. Yoga practitioners should go to bed early, sleep well and get up early in the morning. Next, attend to their morning routine of freshening up and begin yoga in fasting mode. It can also be practiced 1 hour after a liquid diet, 3 hours after refreshments or 5 hours after full meals.
One could practice it before bath but after practice one should wait for some time and then take a bath.
It should be practiced on a leveled floor in a room where doors and windows are kept open for air and light.
It is helpful in many ways to practice yoga in a place where you can receive the rays of the early morning sun.
One should not practice it directly on the ground, on cement or mortar floor. Instead, spread a carpet, a blanket or a clean cloth, sit on it and practice by facing east or north in the morning, west or south in the evening.
One should practice yoga calmly without any haste or exhaustion. If one is tired he or she should rest for a while in a comfortable posture.
One should try to practice it everyday, preferably at the same time.
While practicing yoga, one should concentrate on the practice alone and try to keep away from other thoughts.
During the practice of asanas, the dirt in the internal organs of the body is directed towards the urinary bladder. Soon after completion, one should pass out urine.
If you feel like attending nature’s call while practicing, go ahead and do it immediately. One should not hold it back forcefully for a long time. One should also not try to suppress sneezing, coughing, etc. If one feels thirsty one can drink a little water as well.
If one sweats during practice, he or she should slowly wipe it out either by a cloth or with the palms. It is better if it dries up automatically.
Pranayama should follow the asanas and meditation should follow Pranayama.
Always lay on your back after finishing postures. 2 to 5 minutes with relaxed breathing.
Movements should be slow in every case. Sudden movements should be avoided.

What You Should Avoid

Women should refrain from regular practice during their menses or pregnancy. However, for them there are specific set of asanas that can be performed.
Don’t have a full tummy while doing yoga, wait until 2 to 3 hours after large meals.
Don’t touch (shower) or drink water for 30 minutes after practice.
During illness, after operations, when there is a bandage either for sprains or fractures, one should refrain from practice. They can resume after consulting experts.
Don’t perform strenuous exercises after yoga.
One should avoid practice in unclean/smoky places and in areas with foul smell
Yoga should not be practiced in stormy winds either

Just knowing the asanas in its correct form along with the basic knowledge of Dos and Don’ts would add much more value to your yoga practice! To read more about yoga, check out Healthy Reads.

To practice yoga the right way and get proper guidance from a certified expert, join a live GOQii PRO class within the GOQii App.

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