Easy gymnastics for pregnant women: 3rd trimester, 2nd and 1st

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Childbirth is a natural process, despite all its complexity. If a woman is prepared for it, then this guarantees a favorable course of childbirth to a greater extent.

Benefits of gymnastic exercises during pregnancy

Motor activity is good for everyone, including pregnant women. Daily performance of simple gymnastic exercises has a very beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, blood supply, reducing the risk of developing fetal hypoxia. Muscles come into a state of tone, and this helps to cope with the load that increases every month, when a woman often experiences a constant feeling of weakness and fatigue. Exercise during pregnancy is an opportunity to avoid gaining extra pounds, as well as prevent the appearance of stretch marks and cellulite.

Special gymnastics for pregnant women will help prepare the respiratory system for childbirth. 3rd trimester for such classes is a particularly important period. Trained breathing contributes to less painful contractions and reduces the risk of fetal asphyxia, the child inthe process of labor will receive enough oxygen.

Gymnastics also has a beneficial effect on the nervous system. Exercise helps to relax and avoid nervousness, which is important during this period.

Gymnastics at home

Gymnastics should be practiced from the very beginning of pregnancy in order to maintain good he alth and shape throughout the prenatal period. But visits to gyms, fitness centers at this time should be avoided, it is best to do it at home. Home gymnastics for pregnant women should last no more than 25 minutes. The most difficult thing here is regularity and constancy. Classes should be carried out daily, and not only when there is a desire and time. Therefore, they should be included in the daily routine and strictly observed.

Self-selection of exercises can sometimes harm the expectant mother or baby. Therefore, it will be very good if a doctor who monitors pregnancy helps with the choice of exercises. He will be able to take into account all the individual characteristics and needs of the body in each trimester.

Precautions and contraindications

During pregnancy, you should be especially careful about various loads. Therefore, following a number of rules when doing physical exercises will help to avoid trouble:

• Before starting classes, you need to consult with your gynecologist and make sure there are no contraindications. This is especially true for those future mothers who have severe toxicosis, abdominal pain, spotting, tone.uterine muscle or there is a threat of termination of pregnancy.
• Need to find out what exercises during pregnancy will be useful and what should not be done.
• Don't neglect the warm-up, which will warm up the muscles and improve blood circulation.
• The room before class should be well ventilated, clothing should be loose.
• Don't get too carried away - exercise time is limited to 15-25 minutes depending on the trimester. Especially in the 1st trimester, light gymnastics for pregnant women is recommended, which takes no more than 10-15 minutes in time.
• Sudden movements should be excluded - running, jumping, active games, training on simulators.
• Monitor your heart rate. The pulse should not be higher than 150 beats.
• There is a set of gymnastic exercises for each stage of pregnancy.

Exercise for 1st trimester

Strengthening the abdominal muscles, preparing the heart for increasing loads - these are the main tasks that gymnastics for pregnant women helps to solve at the initial stage. The first trimester is the period when the body is most vulnerable, so the simplest exercises are recommended:

• Squats. Standing on the floor, legs apart, toes slightly apart, with one hand you need to hold on to the back of the chair, and stretch the other to the side. Slowly lowering, without lifting your heels from the floor, spread your knees to the sides. It is important that the muscles on the inside of the thigh tighten. Do 8-10 squats.
• Performing tilts alternately to the right and left sides, hands can be heldat the waist or bent at the elbows in front of you.
• Exercise that strengthens the muscles of the chest: standing upright, keep your hands at the level of the chest, joining your palms. Inhale - squeeze hands tightly, exhale - relax. Run 15 times.
• Stand up straight, rise on your toes, linger in this position and slowly lower yourself. Repeat exercise 10-15 times.
• Walk in place for 3-5 minutes.
• Waving the arms in front of you, alternately with one and the other hand.
• Sitting on the floor, perform a circular turn of the head - in one direction and the other alternately.

It is important to be careful in the process of doing the exercises, you should listen to your body and not abuse the exercises. Lesson time should not exceed 10 minutes.

Gymnastics for pregnant women. 2nd trimester

The period of the 2nd trimester is less dangerous, and the load is no longer so scary. The goals pursued by gymnastics for pregnant women are also slightly different. The 2nd trimester requires an improvement in the blood supply to the fetus, strengthening the muscles of the back, lower back and abdominal walls. The following exercises are recommended for this:

- "Scissors". Standing on the floor, spread your arms to the sides and cross them in front of you. Perform these movements 10 times. This will help strengthen the chest muscles.

- Sit down, bend your knees and tightly connect your feet, then slowly spread your knees apart, keeping your feet apart. Repeat 3-4 times.

- Rotation of the body in a standing position - first in one direction, then inanother.

- Sitting on the floor, first turn your head to both sides, then your torso, keeping your arms bent in front of you.

During this period, not only light gymnastics is suitable. Exercises for pregnant women can be supplemented with yoga, fitness, swimming pool.

A set of exercises for the 3rd trimester

The last months of pregnancy are the most difficult period. Frequent back pain, heaviness in the legs and swelling, problems with stools - gymnastics for pregnant women will help to cope with all this. The 3rd trimester is a time for more relaxed exercises that are aimed directly at preparing for childbirth. The purpose of classes at this stage is to improve venous blood flow, joint mobility, increase the elasticity of the pelvic floor and stimulate the intestines. Recommended Exercises:

- Lying on your back, alternately pull your legs to your stomach, bending them at the knees. Repeat 6-7 times.

- Kneeling, sit down on your heels and rise. At the moment of squatting, bend your back, getting up - bend back.

- Sit on the floor, pull your bent legs towards you, then, gently pressing your knees with your palms, spread them apart, trying to touch the floor with them.

- Get on all fours, slowly bend and arch your back, repeat 5 times.

Do not perform exercises that are too complex and active, because overexertion can lead to termination of pregnancy. As soon as a feeling of fatigue appears, classes should be stopped. To make childbirth easieractivity, there were no complications during childbirth, and the postpartum period was painless, you should perform exercises daily for 25-30 minutes. Be sure to include gymnastics for pregnant women in the daily routine. The 3rd trimester is the most important in preparing for childbirth.

Exercise with the ball in the 3rd trimester (fitball)

Exercises with the ball are quite simple, but very useful, because they help reduce high blood pressure, normalize blood circulation, and relieve fatigue. This is mostly relaxing gymnastics for pregnant women. You can sit on the ball, lie down, lean on it with your chest, and sway slightly.

In a sitting position, putting the ball in front of you, you can squeeze and unclench it with your hands. This exercise helps to train the pectoral muscles. To strengthen the muscles of the back, while sitting on the ball, turn the body alternately in one direction and the other.

Respiratory gymnastics according to Litvinova's method

Proper breathing is essential for a future mother. With its help, you can normalize the work of all organs and systems of the body.

Developed by Svetlana Litvinova, a set of special exercises has a relaxing and calming effect, helps to distract from stress and reduce anxiety. Breathing exercises for pregnant women will help you learn chest breathing and help prepare for childbirth. Litvinova included in hercomplex a selection of simple and familiar exercises, which require only 10 minutes a day to complete:

• Chest breathing. Starting position - stand up straight, hands on hips. Inhale slowly, filling the chest with oxygen. Do not use aperture.
• Diaphragmatic breathing. Keeping one hand on the stomach and the other on the chest, inhale, lowering the diaphragm and slightly protruding the stomach outward. Then - exhale for 4-5 seconds. This breathing improves the blood supply to the fetus.
• Doggystyle breathing. To complete the exercise, you will have to portray a dog - standing on all fours and sticking out your tongue, you need to breathe through your mouth often, often, as dogs do when they are hot. At the same time, the lungs are filled with oxygen very quickly, and the child receives enough air.

Exercise not to do while pregnant

There are a number of exercises that should be avoided during pregnancy. These are all exercises for stretching the abdominal muscles, twisting, bridge, twine, as well as gymnastic exercises when you have to raise your legs (“bike”, “birch”, etc.).

Sports during pregnancy

Safe sports are recommended during pregnancy. But there are very few of them:

• Fitness. Repetition of simple movements to the music improves the work of the heart muscle, blood circulation, saturates the body with oxygen. Such gymnastics for pregnant women is quite easy to perform. The 3rd trimester is a special period, so you should not get involved in fitness during this period.
• Swimming. This is perhaps the most beneficial sport during pregnancy, recommended at any time. You can swim alone or in a group, but in the later stages it is better if a coach is nearby. You can also perform various gymnastic exercises in the water. It is only important not to overdo it - the time spent in the pool should be no more than 20 minutes.