5 reasons why you should exercise during pregnancy

You were able to maintain your fitness, your health and
(most of all) your figure without piling on unnecessary
pounds and losing your motivation to peel yourself off of
the sofa? During pregnancy your body experiences dramatic
physiological changes that require a carefully designed
exercise program. But why should you exercise during
pregnancy?

Reason 1: Women who exercise have shorter and easier births
at the ?pushing stage?

There is some research that shows that women who exercise
have a shorter second stage of labour (pushing stage).
However labour is very individual and can last for 1hour up
to 2 days. Fitter women cope better with the labour they
are given.

Reason 2: Women who exercise reportedly feel more positive
and have more energy after the birth. Are you ready to have
the healthiest pregnancy possible?

Women who have exercised with us tell us constantly that
their labours were so manageable thanks to our Pregnancy
Exercise Plan. We love to hear this but also know that it
their ability to cope that is improved by exercise so that
even a hard labour feels easier when you are fit and
strong. Women who exercise do have healthier pregnancies-
they gain less weight, suffer less back and pelvic pain,
sleep better and eat better. They are happier, less likely
to suffer depression and all round healthier.

Reason 3: A strong pelvic floor can assist your birth

If the muscle tone is strong and like a piece of new
elastic they will have the ability to stretch to allow a
baby to pass through during childbirth and return to normal
afterwards. If they are not exercised they may become over
stretched and weak; and their ability to contract strongly
and quickly reduced or lost. During pregnancy the relaxin
hormone will affect the pelvic floor to enable it to
stretch adequately during childbirth. After childbirth the
pelvic floor muscles are stretched, weakened and bruised,
so pelvic floor exercise are important to help tone the
muscles to prevent greater damage.

Reason 4: You can benefit from exercising even if you are
new to starting a exercise program or if you have exercised
very little prior to becoming pregnant.

Provided there are no medical reasons non exercisers may
begin our program during pregnancy. The majority of women
who exercise in pregnancy are doing so for the first time
because they make the decision to begin a healthier life
habit now that they are pregnant. Always exercise with a
program that is run by correctly qualified trainers who
know how to ease you into a new program.

Reason 5: After birth, the babies of women who exercised
were slightly leaner than those who did not

A lot of hype in the media has made claims that women who
exercise have smaller babies. Is a bigger baby better if it
only has more fat? In addition babies born of women who
exercise do not differ in their organ size or bone lengths.
Studies of the babies (born to women who exercised during
their pregnancies) at 1 and five years of age showed at one
year of age exercisers babies scored higher on standardised
intelligence tests than children of mothers who did not
exercise. Their mental and physical performance scored
higher as well. At age five children of exercises were less
fat and scored much higher on tests of general intelligence
and oral language skills than the children born to
non-exercisers. Further studies have shown that children
born to exercising mothers are less likely to be obese.

What better reason to start exercising than for a better
start to life for your child and yourself.

----------------------------------------------------
Dan Thompson is author of the Pregnancy Exercise Plan and a
leading personal trainer in the UK. For a FREE Report about
the importance of pelvic floor exercises & Why you
shouldn't do abdominal exercises go to
http://www.selectworkout.co.uk/program-pages/Pregnancy/pre_n
atal.html