Healthy Exercise and Eating for Pregnancy

Exercise and careful eating is not only allowed during pregnancy but is encouraged as a means to prevent excessive weight gain. While finishing pregnancy looking good is desirable, remember that a healthy pregnancy can be achieved in the same way.

Gaining weight and never looking the same after giving birth is the fear a lot of women have about pregnancy. Women should not have that fear because with diligence gaining too much weight can be prevented. It is great for women to exercise and eat right during pregnancy as well as other times. A woman is only supposed to gain twenty five to thirty five pounds while pregnant. However the average woman gains forty to fifty pounds. Many women use pregnancy as an excuse to stop exercising and eat junk food but it should mean the opposite. Eating for two does not mean twice as much but it should be the reason to exercise and eat right. As a matter of fact according to the Department of Health and Human Services women should not increase their calorie intake the first trimester. Adding calories should not begin until the last six months. During the last trimester, the calories a pregnant woman should be adding per day is only three hundred, roughly equivalent to one average homemade sandwich. Obviously dieting to lose weight during pregnancy is not good.
Walking thirty minutes a day through out the pregnancy can help to keep the weight under control if you were not exercising before. If you already had a workout program you can continue it with very few adaptations nearly as long as you are comfortable. Exercise can help make the birth of the baby easier which is great motivation to get moving. Pushing a baby out takes physical work and if the woman is in shape it is easier for her to do. Researchers say that women who worked out during their pregnancy shortened the delivery by thirty minutes as opposed to women who did not. Another reason to exercise during pregnancy is because it reduces postpartum recovery time. Hormones called endorphins are released while exercising and the hormones make the woman feel happier. 
Three tips for exercising while pregnant: 
1. Always warm up and cool down five to ten minutes. Slowly building up and lowering your heart rate is healthier for the mom. The workout should not be so strenuous that the mom can not hold a conversation during the routine. 
2. As the baby grows in the stomach the mom should keep in mind her balance will be affected. The mom should make sure she is doing exercises that do not require a lot of balancing or that may result in injury. Water aerobics, walking and other low-impact exercise are excellent during pregnancy. 
3. It is okay to do mild abdominal exercises as long as they are comfortable and not performed while lying on the back. Pelvic tilt exercises and tightening the abdominals are not only permitted but are encouraged for strengthening the back, abdomen and pelvic area. 
If a woman who has never exercised before in her life wanted to begin working out while she is pregnant, she can. Also a woman who wants to start exercising in the middle of the pregnancy can. The woman must remember that it is not the time to lose weight but to remain healthy. The woman should also consult her doctor before beginning any exercise program.

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