Excercises during pregnancy Archives

March 3, 2016 By Apurwa Agrawal 158 Comments

8 Important Exercises and Yoga Poses To Be Done During Pregnancy

In my first part of the blog, we got to know how beneficial it is to follow yoga during pregnancy. In this second part, I shall tell you which prenatal yoga poses should be done to get fit during pregnancy and a good post-delivery recovery.

Start with breathing always, close your eyes and breath in through the nose and breath out through the mouth continue for 3-5 minutes.

Diaphragmatic breathing

Sit comfortably, with your knees bent and your shoulders, head and neck relaxed.

Place one hand on your upper chest and the other just below your rib cage. This will allow you to feel your diaphragm move as you breathe.

As you breathe in and out feel your hand over the diaphragm move out and in.

Cat and Camel

Begin on your hands and knees, knees under hips, hands under shoulders.
Round your back up towards the ceiling, drop your head slightly, tuck in your buttocks.
Come back to neutral position.
Let your belly lower towards the floor creating an arch in your back.
Keep your head up slightly, with your eyes looking straight ahead.
Alternate between poses.

Make it easier: For painful knees, fold a towel or blanket under the knees. For painful wrists, place fists instead of palms on the floor.

Butterfly Pose

Keep the spinal chord and the neck straight.
Breathe natural and easy.
Bend both the knees.
Bring the soles of the feet together and place them up to the crotch area.
Grasp firmly both the paws with your hands.
Do not allow the heel to be raised.
Keep the torso above waist including the neck straight.
Place the elbows on the thighs.
Inhale deep and press both the thighs downward with the elbows effortlessly.
Remove your hands from thighs and try to raise the knees without any support; exhale breath.

Kegel’s Exercises

It is done to tone up pelvic floor muscle. It can be done in any position sitting standing and lying however you are comfortable. Contract your pelvic floor muscles as you would to stop urine flow for 5 seconds and then relax the muscles for 3 seconds. This muscle fatigues quickly so only do five to ten repetitions at a time. Do not hold breath anytime, breathe normally while doing this. Repeat the set of 10 at least twice a day.

Goddess pose

Step your right foot a stride length towards the back of your mat. Turn your toes out and your heels in, so your feet land on a 45-degree angle.
Bend your knees deeply out the sides and sink your hips down to the height of your knees.
Bring your arms out to shoulder height and bend your elbows so that your fingertips point skyward. Spread your fingertips wide apart from one another and activate the muscles across your back to hold your arms here.
Engage your core muscles and draw your tailbone in the direction of the floor. Do not hunch forward with your shoulders; keep your spine long and your muscles engaged.
Stay here for 30 seconds to one minute

Warrior Pose

Stand with both your feet roughly three feet apart. Place the right foot in front of the left foot. Hold your arms out to the side with your palms down and arms extended and straight. Turn your left foot out to the side and your right foot in. Lunge forward gently, bending your left knee as you keep your right leg straight. Hold the pose as your legs stretch. Return to the original position then switches legs.

Seated Bend Pose

Fold toward the center and keep both feet flexed. Open your right shoulder and extend your arm up as you exhale. Fingertips should reach towards your opposite toes. Inhale, lengthen your spine and press deeper to exhale. Inhale and once again come to a seated position as you exhale.

Note: each exercise should be repeated 10times (1 set) per day.

Walking

Walking is a great way to become physically fit. If you have not been a fit person, then start with slow walks that are less strenuous to the body.

Expecting women can start with slow walks for a cardiovascular workout. Walking for a few minutes every day is safe and easy.

30 minutes of walking three days a week is a good routine, for best results club it with 30 minutes of your favorite exercise.

So try this prenatal yoga and share your experience with your friends and family. Be the force

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.