One of the most critical periods of pregnancy, in which most of the baby’s organs are formed, is the first trimester. Competent exercise at this time will benefit you, and also weaken all the “special effects” inherent in this state of the woman – from dizziness to toxicosis. The prevailing decades-long concept of “do not shake the baby” is long and successfully forgotten. Modern scientific research has proven that even in early pregnancy, reasonable exercise is beneficial to the health of the mother and fetus, as well as making it much easier to carry a baby.
If you lead an active lifestyle from the onset of pregnancy, the positive effect of exercise only increases. According to the testimonies of pregnant women themselves, sports contributes to the production of endorphins, hormones of joy, so necessary during this period, and gives strength. In addition, good physical form will not gain weight.
First of all, a woman, who has a confirmed pregnancy, should understand for herself the main rule – no sports exercises in the 1st trimester without consulting the doctor, who leads her. It is worth discussing with him even the complex of physical exercises that were performed earlier, in order to exclude those that could provoke negative consequences.
If there are no health contraindications, and the doctor approved sports in a fitness center, swimming pool, gym, where a set of exercises for expectant mothers is offered, such activity already in the 1st trimester will create the groundwork for positive changes:
Proper selection of exercises for the 1st trimester will allow to balance the emotional background, and training will bring pleasure. However, a woman’s activity in pregnancy will necessarily change compared to the previous period. And these changes will depend on the lifestyle that the woman led before pregnancy. If the girl was with sports “on the do’s and don’ts”, the load may remain almost the same. If, however, in the “old life” a woman did not watch her form and did not do even exercise, you will have to take certain precautions.
In any case exercises in early pregnancy should be done with increasing intensity, slowly, starting with a warm up, activating individual muscle groups, and hatha yoga might well help. Keep in mind that despite its obvious benefits, high loads and prolonged exercises in the 1st trimester might worsen your health, and even provoke a miscarriage.
When exercising in the first trimester, a woman, even if she has been actively involved in sports before, should observe the following recommendations:
Some specialists are of the opinion that, in principle, physical exercises in the first trimester should be excluded for pregnant women, even in spite of their excellent health and longstanding experience of sports earlier. However, not all of them are so categorical, some of them believe that it is necessary to forbid physical activity only if a woman has chronic diseases or a health condition of the pregnant woman and the future baby that is incompatible with training.
Contraindications also include previous pregnancy miscarriages and abortions. It is categorically not recommended to exercise in any kind of gymnastics, if you have severe toxemia and uterus tonus. Also prohibited during pregnancy at this stage of pregnancy are exercises that put stress on the abdominal muscles; those associated with lifting weights and strong stretching; high-intensity, with jerking, abrupt movements.
Despite some restrictions for exercise in the 1st trimester, there are quite a few types of physical activity that are acceptable during this period. Among them are:
During this period it is good to do fitness, swimming, perinatal yoga, do exercises with a fitball, take walks in the air. It is useful to do breathing exercises.
Perform Kegel exercises, as well as any other during pregnancy, should only be done after consultation with a gynecologist who supervises the woman. These exercises in the 1st trimester, as well as throughout the whole period of carrying a fetus, are aimed at strengthening the pelvic floor muscles. The complex of these exercises is repeated 4-5 times a day with an initial muscle strain of 3-5 seconds, increasing later to possible limits.
The complex of Kegel exercises includes:
Perinatal yoga is one of the recommended types of exercises for pregnant women.
If an expectant mother has previously practiced yoga, she may well continue this beneficial and wise practice. You will only need to make minor adjustments to a number of asanas. Even for those who have a lot of experience in yoga, it is recommended to reduce the load and devote at least one third of the class to relaxation practice and breathing adjustments, excluding any asanas that create discomfort.
In addition, it is recommended to take no longer than 5 breathing cycles per pose, and if you feel very tired – even shorter. For those who are just about to start perinatal yoga classes, it is worth to adhere exactly to the trainer’s advice and to consult with your doctor. At this early stage of pregnancy, a complete restructuring of the woman’s psyche and body takes place, so any overloading is unacceptable.
Those who do yoga exercises in the 1st trimester are recommended to perform asanas, with sitting bends, which help to prevent lower back and tailbone pain and preserve posture, for example, Pashchimottanasana and Janu Shirshasana. It is also acceptable to practice standing asanas without pressure on the abdomen, which help to strengthen the legs, for example, Utthita Parshvakonasana and Utthita Trikonasana. Sitting and half-lying poses are also useful in the first trimester for opening up the hip joints, such as Ardha Padmasana and Baddha Konasana.
Some other yoga exercises should be performed with caution, and those that put a lot of pressure on the stomach should be avoided. The fixation of allowed asanas should be kept until the feeling of fatigue appears. The power asanas should be performed extremely carefully. Standing exercises in the 1st trimester are recommended to be excluded, if there is a history of abortion.
Exercise in the 1st trimester is welcomed, relating to any approved types of motor activity. Fitness training during this period is aimed primarily at improving gas exchange in tissues, strengthening the cardiovascular system, and only afterwards – at working out ligaments and muscles. Physician-approved forms of fitness for pregnant women in the early stages can include, for example, walking and hiking in the fresh air – both are an excellent gentle cardio load.
In addition, it is the prevention of varicose veins and just a pleasant pastime. As exercises for the first trimester you can use water activities – the only exception is swimming in a crawl. Exercises on a phyto-ball, excluding those that involve straining the abdominal muscles, also have a beneficial effect on your well-being. It is not necessary to refuse Pilates with calm and smooth movements, as well as breathing exercises.
If you become pregnant, before you start or continue exercising, it is worth coordinating the exercise regime in the 1st trimester with your doctor and discuss with him the permissible loads during this period. Exercise duration of 20-30 minutes daily is considered optimal and much more favorable than a two-hour workout once a week. In women who were actively engaged in sports before pregnancy, the intensity and duration of exercise can be much higher.
However, do not forget that aerobic exercise lasting more than 45 minutes can lead to hypoglycemia – a lack of blood glucose. Therefore, it is necessary to eat well before such exercises. Of course, women who were not engaged in physical activity before pregnancy, should begin with minimal exercise, gradually increasing them in the process of pregnancy.
When exercising in the first trimester, as in all other periods of pregnancy, you should try to perform them correctly, even if they are trivial morning exercises. Because otherwise they can not only be of no benefit, but also, on the contrary, harmful to the body. This is in the case if a woman has no experience and skill to perform such exercises.
Therefore, to begin with, you need to exercise with a trainer who has a special certificate for working with pregnant women, who will help to work out the correct technique and monitor the correctness of performance. It is very important to monitor breathing, not to strain the abdominal muscles, to avoid injury and stretching of joints and muscles, the correct use of breathing exercises.
In addition to the usual morning exercise, fitness and yoga exercises in the 1st trimester it is advisable to include training with a fitball, which facilitates their performance and contributes to the smooth development of different muscle groups. The set of exercises can include, for example, the position of sitting on the ball with legs wide apart and the performance of body tilts in different directions. The exercise of sitting on a chair or lying on the floor and squeezing a fitball between the legs, squeezing and unclenching the ball alternately, without releasing it from the clamp, will also be useful.
The exercises of the first trimester should include pelvic circular rotations performed while sitting on the fitball. Another option is to lie on your back and put one leg bent at the knee on the ball, place the other on the floor and roll the ball back and forth while straightening it. Repeat the exercise several times, then do the same with the other leg.
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