Fit, Strong & Pregnant (ePub)

Are you planning to have a baby or are you already pregnant...?

This book can help you minimize pain and discomfort during your pregnancy and enhance your recovery after wards. Specific exercises will improve posture, pelvic floor muscle strength and minimize low back pain.

Benefits of exercise during pregnancy....
Increased cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength and flexibility

Women who exercise during pregnancy experience fewer prenatal discomforts, such as constipation, swollen limbs and leg cramps

Exercise can help to prevent or control gestational diabetes and help prevent things such as incontinence and hypertension

Improves posture and body mechanics, facilitates circulation, reduces pelvic and rectal pressure whilst increasing energy levels

During pregnancy it is extremely important to correct muscular imbalances through stretching and strengthening exercise therapy

Increased fatigue threshold and reduced emotional shifts

Increased fitness

Lower incidence of excessive weight gain, enhanced psychological well being, increasing confidence in changing body image

Labor and delivery

Women who exercise experience less problematic deliveries with a higher rate of uncomplicated, spontaneous deliveries and active labor.

Recovery
Women that exercise retain less weight and score higher on measures of maternal adaptation, experience fewer incidences of post-natal depression returning faster to "normal" living due to greater energy reserves.

Back care in pregnancy
The back and pelvis are vulnerable during pregnancy; they need special consideration when sitting, standing, lifting, bending and moving.