Some of the benefits include:
- Healthy Weight Gain: It is recommended that you only gain 20% of your body weight whilst pregnant. (60kg weight = 12kg weight increase)
- Strengthens Pelvic Floor Muscles: Your pelvic floor muscles support your bladder, uterus, and bowel and with the added weight of a growing baby these muscles need to be strong.
- Prevent Gestational Diabetes: Exercise has shown to reduce insulin dependence and help keep your blood sugar levels under control during pregnancy.
- Improved sleeping during 1st and 2nd trimester: Energy levels can be low during the 1st and 2nd trimesters so exercise will help give you energy during the day and sleep well at night.
- Prevent Preeclampsia: Lowers the chance you will suffer from high blood pressure during your pregnancy. Preeclampsia can result in you being bed ridden in the 3rd trimester if severe.
- Decrease Back Pain: If you keep your core and pelvic floor muscles strong through exercise these will help support your back during pregnancy. Most women experience back pain during pregnancy.
- Improved Circulation: You will experience fluid retention, bloating and swelling during pregnancy and exercise will help decrease these affects as well as prevent varicose veins and haemorrhoids.
- Help Decrease Time of Labour: Your pelvic floor will be strong from exercising and you will be fitter so you will remain strong during labour.
- Improves Mood: When you exercise your body produces endorphins which make you feel good, these will help to prevent you from suffering from pre and post natal depression.
- Baby Blues: Because you have exercised before the baby is born you are healthy and fit and better able to handle those sleepless nights when the baby blues can take hold. Most mums will experience this in the first 2 weeks of having the baby.
- Back in Shape Faster: Exercising during pregnancy will have you back to your pre-pregnancy body faster and have you feeling great.
- Kegels Exercises: Strengthen pelvic floor muscles, It is recommended that women begin these exercises at the beginning of their pregnancy and continue to do these until the birth of the baby. Kegels are used to strengthen pelvic floor muscles which in turn prevent or treat urinary stress and incontinence that affects women after childbirth.
