The feeling of accomplishment after a workout at the gym, getting your breath back after that intense functional workout, the pleasure of finishing that race on Saturday morning… anyone who loves exercising knows these sensations well. Therefore, for some women, when the news of pregnancy comes, doubts arise about how to reconcile things. After all, can I or can I not maintain the pregnancy training routine?
First, when the woman discovers the pregnancy, she must seek an obstetrician to find out about her health and that of the baby. Only the specialist will be able to assess the condition of this mother. However, in general, healthy women who already practice physical activity can, yes, exercise during pregnancy.
"If the woman used to train, the advisable is just to reduce the intensity of the activities a little", So that the routine stays up to date, the specialists advise the reduction of 30% of the usual load. “Pregnancy is not the time to gain muscle mass or improve performance, but to preserve what has been developed”, he adds.
Now, sedentary women must remember that movement is health. So, practicing physical activities is also indicated if they are light. "These women should do activities to improve their movement, because this will help up ahead",
Recently, a study published in the scientific journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, in the United States, showed that newborns whose mothers exercised developed motor activities faster than other babies. The findings of this review further add to the evidence that physical activity strengthens not only pregnant women, but babies as well.
Pregnancy training: an activity for each stage
Throughout the nine months of pregnancy – or the approximate 40 weeks of pregnancy – a woman's body undergoes countless changes. Therefore, the ideal is to adapt your training routine to your (new) body.
“The transformations of pregnancy will gradually change the position and curvature of the patient's spine. Your weight will also increase, which puts more pressure on your joints, especially your knees and ankles. In addition, with the advancement of the abdomen, due to the baby growing inside the uterus, the woman's center of gravity also ends up changing”, explains the doctors.
Regardless of the gestational period, the first point to consider is the mother's cardiorespiratory condition. “The guideline is that the heart rate in pregnant women during physical activity does not exceed 140 beats per minute. If this number was higher, you can affect the placental blood circulation", advises the doctors
pregnancy training
Now, some more specific guidelines from the specialist for each gestational stage.
From 1st to 3rd month (13th week): this is the embryonic stage, when pregnancy is still being implemented in the woman's body. At this point, the indication is low-impact activities.
From the 4th to the 6th month (27th week): as the woman still does not have a very large weight gain or a significant change in the center of gravity or in the position of the spine, she can start activities a little more intense.
Until the 9th month (40th week): here the woman already has the fetus quite developed and with great prominence of the abdomen. With that, your center of gravity is also altered. Therefore, exercises in which women can keep their spine supported at all times are advisable. Also prefer positions that do not require much balance. “With the increase in the amount of fluid in the pregnant woman's body, there is an alteration in the labyrinth (the body's balance center located in the inner ear). That's why she tends to have labyrinthitis and an altered notion of balance”, adds the obstetrician. (Activities in the water are good choices at this point.)