So you are pregnant. Congratulations! And ever since you have got those 2 pink (or blue) lines, we know how excited and anxious you must be. We have come up with Best Pregnancy Workout Programs.
Your google search history has now officially transitioned from “Is Tom Holland single” to “Is it okay to vomit 96 times a day and not die” and from “2022 Street Styles” to “Best Healthy quick, easy food recipes”. Yupp! That’s your pregnant brain, and shit is getting real.
Pregnancy is a great time to love and accept your body for the way it is. It is doing all the hard work of making a tiny human being from scratch, and it is a great time when you can pamper your body with healthy food, meditation and energizing pregnancy workout plan.
Starting a proper pregnancy workout plan early in your pregnancy can reap super beneficial awards to you later in your journey. Even if you haven’t worked out once in your life and are a fitness novice, you can benefit from a little moving up while a life grows inside you.
We are fitness experts, but we aren’t your doctors. Your doctor knows what’s best for your body and your pregnancy. Please check with your doctor before following this or any workout plan on the internet.
IN THIS ARTICLE
Benefits of Best Pregnancy Workout Programs
Improves your stamina
Pregnancy hormones go haywire during this time, and you might be feeling tired and sleepy all the time. Though it might sound paradoxical, a little workout can actually hype up your stamina, and you will need a lot of it when you are in your labour.
Reduces back pain
A Best Pregnancy Workout Programs that focuses on abdominal muscles, pelvic floor and back muscles can help prevent pregnancy back pain. If performed slowly and in a controlled manner, these exercises will gradually ease your back pain (that you might experience in pregnancy as a more giant belly puts a strain on your back) by increasing your core strength.
Eases Constipation
Pregnancy hormones, specifically Progesterone, are known to slow down the movement of stool and cause constipation. An increase in the size of the uterus can also cause discomfort in bowel movements. Low-impact exercises like walking, swimming, dancing help prevent constipation.
Elevates your energy level
A little pregnancy workout routine can work wonders in fighting that infamous pregnancy fatigue. Pumped up daytime can result in a better sleep schedule and a better sleep schedule has more farfetched results than you can even think of. With a consistent exercise regime, the body feels energized.
Bring down Chances Of Preterm Birth
Exercising regularly can lower the chances of preterm birth dramatically. Experts believe that a consistent workout plan can also reduce your chances of going through a C-section.
Cardio Exercises – The Best Pregnancy Work Out
We know that your body doesn’t feel like yours at the moment. Your breasts hurt; you hate a jar of pickles and then crave it the next day. You are nauseating and obsessively checking Rihanna’s pregnant news for some comfort. it might be feeling Jules Baxter or Wendy Cooper or neither of them and trust me, all of this and much more is normal.
We know working out must feel like the last thing in your mind right now, but do you know that doing exercises during pregnancy can soothe your muscle system and relieve you of many pregnancy aches.
Cardio Exercises are the OG’s best exercises for any pregnancy workout plan. These are known for preventing gestational diabetes, relaxing your mind, helps with backaches and fatigue. Some of the cardio exercises are –
- Walking
- Jogging
- Stationary cycling
- Swimming
- Prenatal Yoga
- Water Aerobics
Time Required – According to ACSM (American College of Sports And Medicine), at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity for 5 days a week is safe for most pregnant women. You should always listen to your body, though and should never put strain if you aren’t feeling comfortable doing so.
First Trimester Best Pregnancy Workout Programs
1. Kegels
Practice Kegels as early and more regularly throughout your first trimester pregnancy workouts for greater benefits. Kegels are a good way to strengthen the muscles that support the abdominal organs, including the uterus, vagina, bowel, and bladder.
How To –
- Get comfortable. You can start by lying down.
- Squeeze your pelvic floor muscles.
- Hold for 5-10 seconds.
- Relax.
- Repeat
2. Squats
Squats are safe for most pregnant women. Squats are super effective to build lower body strength. If you are a gym rat, you can use a leg press machine to reap the maximum benefit out of this pregnancy workout. incase you don’t have access to a gym, you can use kettlebells, dumbbells or weights.
And suppose you don’t have any of this equipment. In that case, you can still go ahead and do this excellent exercise that will help you prevent backaches, help in the baby’s descent during labour, and strengthen your core for post-pregnancy shenanigans.
How To –
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart
- Keep your back straight
- Lower down your body as much as you can
- Hold for 10 seconds
- Get back to starting position
3. Modified Pushups (Kneeling position)
Kneeling pushup will take off the extra strain from your belly by letting you put weight on your knees while exercising. Also, this pregnancy workout plan will help you work your upper body and prepare you for holding the baby for long stretches by strengthening your arms.
How To –
- Put hands and knees on the ground.
- Pull in your abs and bring your chest towards the floor
- Push back up and return to starting position
- Repeat
Second Trimester Best Pregnancy Workout Programs
The Second Trimester is famously called the best Trimester. The ugly trio – “nausea, sickness, and tiredness” that debuted in the first-trimester bid goodbye during these middle months. With more visible belly bumps, the pregnancy starts feeling more natural.
You might feel your absolute pregnant best in this Trimester, so you must make out the best from regained energy levels. Listed are 3 safe second trimester workouts that will prepare you more for childbirth and days ahead.
1. Alternating Shoulder Press for Best Pregnancy Workout Programs
This pregnancy workout plan will help you strengthen your shoulders, triceps, and core muscles, which will come in handy as you prepare for childbirth and the period after that.
You will need a resistance band or moderately heavy dumbbells for this exercise.
How To –
- Bring both dumbbells to your shoulder with your palms facing forward
- Slowly lift your one arm upwards (over your head)
- Engage your core
- Hold for 3-5 seconds
- Repeat on another side
2. Side-Lying Leg Lifts
This exercise is a hip strengthening exercise and will help minimize the effects of hip pain and back pain.
How To –
- Lay down in a relaxed position on your mat
- Switch to your right side with your knees bent
- Slightly lift from your right side, keeping a little distance between your waist and floor
- Pull out your left leg and position it in front of you
- Hold for 3 seconds
- Slowly pull it down
- Repeat on another side
ALSO READ: Lying Leg Curls : 15 Minutes Workout For Toned Legs
3. Step Up Exercises
This pregnancy workout plan aims at strengthening thighs, hamstrings, and gluteal muscles. it will require a short step stool (stairs can also work) and stable solid ground to perform this exercise. You can use dumbbells if your body allows you for a little more intense workout session.
How To –
- Stand in front of a raised platform like a step stool
- Step up with your left leg
- Keep your posture straight
- Bring up your right leg to the chair as well
- Step off the bench with your left leg and then, with your right leg
- Repeat by alternating legs
Third Trimester Best Pregnancy Workout Programs
This is the time when things are getting real. Your baby bump is not only visibly more significant but has shifted your centre of gravity. This means that you should avoid exercises that might disorient your body and can have a chance of falling. You should also avoid exercising on your belly, crunches, situps or other abdominal workouts.
All those hormones are raging up, and the intense work your body is doing to make a legit human being inside you might leave you to feel tired, exhausted and you might feel to slow things down, and it’s okay!
You can solely rely on cardio workouts and pelvic floor exercises, which is already more than enough. But if you are really feeling up to it, then you can perform these workouts for strengthening your body for labour and childbirth
1. Pelvic Tilt
This pregnancy workout plan helps strengthen abdominal muscles, and a strong core helps you while you are in labour as it involves a lot of pushing and patience.
How To –
- Lie on your back on the floor
- Bent your knees
- Gently rock your hips towards your head
- Hold for 3 seconds
- Get back to start position
- Repeat
2. Squats for Best Pregnancy Workout Programs
Adding squatting in the third trimester Best Pregnancy Workout Programs might get complicated as your center of gravity has changed.
If your body allows you, you can do simple squats without any weights involved. And if squats are creating discomfort in your spine, you can always tone it down to half or quarter squats by reducing the depth of squats.
You can try variants like supported squats, chair squats and birthing squats.
How To –
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart
- Keep your back straight
- Lower down your body as much as you can
- Hold for 10 seconds
- Get back to starting position
ALSO READ: 9 Best Hip Raise Workout – Do It The Right Way!
3. Assisted Lunge OR Side Lunge
This Best Pregnancy Workout Programs can help you gain stable glutes and hamstrings. They strengthen your inner thighs and prepare your body for childbirth. The diagonal movement can also help during the baby’s ascend in the birth canal and prepare your body for labour.
How To –
- Stand with feet together
- Place your hands joined in front of your chest
- Take a step to the right and lower your body to that side (as much you are comfortable with)
- Get back to start position
- Repeat on another side
Which exercises to avoid during pregnancy?
Avoid activities like planks and pushups that can cause excessive strain on your abdomen. Avoid exercises that require to lie on your back for long hours. Avoid jumping, bouncing or activities that require sudden jerky movements with the risk of a fall.
Can exercising cause miscarriage?
No. Exercising is safe and even beneficial to most women. If your doctor has given you a clean chit to exercise, then there’s no reason to hold back.
On the contrary, a little pregnancy workout regime will decrease the chances of preterm birth or a C-section.
Can I do squats while pregnant?
Yes. When done consistently, squats can help you in childbirth by preparing your body for birthing. Squats focus on strengthening the pelvic floor, hips and glutes.
This muscle group plays a vital role in your labour process, and maintaining it will ease down the discomfort you might feel during childbirth.
Is it okay to jump while pregnant?
Will my stomach be flat again after pregnancy?
Conclusion
Remember that none of the said workouts is set in stone and can vary for different women and pregnancies. Every woman and pregnancy is other. Pregnancy is the time to accept change and celebrate it. Do not get intimidated by perfect pregnancies on Instagram or perfect pregnant bodies of your favourite celebrities.
This is a time for you to celebrate your own body and throw a little cheer dance for yourself. Get comfortable and use this time to get more in sync with your unique, amazing body and go with perfect routine for Best Pregnancy Workout Programs.
