In this the final part of our series on women trying to get pregnant and the role proper nutrition and exercise play we will look at tho
se women who have been pregnant in the past and have had difficulties.
If you are pregnant, but have had difficulties in the past during your pregnancy and/or this is your first pregnancy and you are concerned, I suggest you adhere to the following guidelines. Remember to ALWAYS discuss with your doctor before starting any exercise and/or diet.
*Adhere to the previous list of changes to make in order to get pregnant; quit smoking and/or using recreational drugs, reduce stress, exercise, eat a healthy well rounded diet, and take a prenatal vitamin.
*Exercise. If you are sedentary, now is not the time to start training intensely. Start off slow and light. Try to get up to 20-30 minutes of aerobic activity keeping your heart rate under 140 bpm. Resistance training can be done 2-3 times a week and perform full body workouts each time keeping the repetitions to 12-20 and the lifting session to no more than 45 minutes. The higher repetitions will help build tendon and ligament strength while building lean muscle.
*Pay attention to your body. If you happen to experience rapid weight loss, dizziness, headaches, cramps, nausea, diarrhea, etc… stop exercise and contact your physician.
There are a number of benefits associated with exercising and maintaining a healthy diet during the pregnancy. A study at Columbia University School of Public Health found that fit women in healthy, low-risk pregnancies, who exercised at least an hour a day, three times a week, improved their pregnancy outcome and increased the birth weight of their baby by about 5%”. Other benefits are the ability to handle the postural changes, gain less unnecessary weight, less constipation, better emotionally and less chance to have a premature birth.