Exercise During Pregnancy

Exercise during pregnancy has often been shown to help many women stay healthier and stronger. Doing exercises that are right for your body and aren’t excessive can also help labor and delivery go smoother. If you exercised consistently before becoming pregnant, many medical professionals recommend that you continue to exercise during pregnancy. However, becoming pregnant is not the time to start exercising to keep the pounds off or to lose extra weight. Find out more about exercise during pregnancy and how a customized plan can help you stay strong throughout those 9 months!

Changes With Pregnancy

If you are pregnant or have ever been pregnant, than you know that there are many changes that happen to your body, mood and mind during those 9 months. Your body receives a surge of hormones, especially an increase in estrogen and progesterone production. This surge in hormones is what helps a growing baby develop correctly. Your vascular system goes into overdrive and your body makes more blood vessels to provide more pathways for nutrients to get to a fetus. You will notice changes in your oral health in your body, and may even notice your veins more because of the increased blood supply.

Many women struggle with the weight gain that comes with pregnancy. A healthy pregnancy always involves some weight gain, but that weight gain doesn’t have to be excessive. To get a good idea of how your body will change during your 9 months, talk with family members about their experience. How you look and changes that happen can be common among women of the same family. Some women will stay fairly skinny during pregnancy, while others will gain a lot of weight, and others still will plump up with water weight that will shed quickly. Exercise during pregnancy can help your body stay healthy through all the changes hormones produce.

Exercise During Pregnancy Is Very Important

If you plan on becoming pregnant and you want to stay fit and healthy during that time, make sure you start an exercise routine weeks or months beforehand. When your body is already used to a certain level of exercise, it can transition smoothly into exercise during pregnancy. Getting pregnant is not the time to start a new (and especially extreme) exercise routine. It can cause problems with your pregnancy, so always start ahead of time. However, exercise during pregnancy that matches your fitness level can help you have an easier labor. It also provides benefits such as:

• Reduced back pains and other aches
• Less weight gain by up to 7 pounds
• Strengthened muscles which helps labor and delivery go smoother
• Reduced risk for gestational diabetes by up to 27%
• Increased mood and energy
• Fewer problems with constipation
• Faster bounce-back after delivery
• Better sleep and immune system function

Back Problems and Chiropractic Care

Did you know that proper exercise during pregnancy can help reduce your back problems? The longer you carry a growing child in your belly, the more strain you will feel on your back and hips as the child grows. Hormonal changes, plus the weight of a baby will cause your stomach to protrude more and your back to curve. Pelvic changes on top of that can cause aches and pains that only get worse as you get closer to delivery. Up to 70% of pregnant women have back pain during those 9 months. However, help through physical therapy and chiropractic care can relieve some of that pain.

Chiropractic care is a natural and non-narcotic pain management solution that is safe for people all ages—even infants and pregnant women. A chiropractor is skilled in the musculoskeletal system and in relieving pressure from joints and nerves. Through gentle, corrective movements and adjustments, a chiropractor can move your spine and joints back into place. It’s common for these parts to move slightly out of place with a changing body. Adjustments throughout pregnancy can help relieve your back pain, and can actually help your delivery go smoother.

Additional Resources During Pregnancy

When pregnant, it’s always wise to approach chronic conditions and health problems in the most natural way possible. What we mean by this is that you should choose natural healing methods over using lots of medications or getting surgery. Many women have aches, pains, swelling and more that can make pregnancy a very uncomfortable time. However, physical and chiropractic therapies can help decrease swelling and pain. If you are finding pregnancy to be hard on your body, consider trying therapies such as:

• Massage Therapy: This can help move fluid around so that your retain less water. Increase swelling can cause the muscles to ache, but moving that fluid around can help your body get rid of it.
• Nutritional Assessments: An improper diet can cause you to gain much more weight than you need to during pregnancy. We can test your body for nutrient deficiencies so you make sure your baby gets what it needs. We can also customize a plan for you to keep you healthy, fit and strong.
• Physical Therapy: You don’t have to be injured to see a physical therapist. These professionals can help you with stretches, exercise during pregnancy, counseling on diet and more to make your pregnancy a delight.

These are just a few services we offer that can help your pregnancy be a healthy one. Nutrition is very important for a growing baby, but so is exercise during pregnancy. If you would like help with both of these or aches and pains, call Texas Spine & Sports Therapy Center today at (512) 806-0015!