An Osteopath’s Guide to Feeling Good Throughout Pregnancy
Posted on July 15, 2009
Filed Under Back Pain | Leave a Comment
As any mother will confirm, pregnancy had a tremendous impact on the body. During pregnancy, a woman’s body gets by 30 pounds heavier on average, which completely changes her posture. Carrying that extra weight around is no simple feat, as it is both strenuous and exhausting for the body. In order to relieve you from the heavy burdens of pregnancy, and to prepare yourself for childbirth some of our leading osteopaths have compiled various tips and exercises for you to carry out.
Work-out Sessions: It is a good idea to maintain a consistent work-out routine throughout your pregnancy, but your routine has to be modified based on what stage of pregnancy you are in. For the first and second trimesters, having three to four 30-minute work-out sessions a week is great for keeping the blood circulation going. During the last trimester, you are best advised to stick to 20 minute sessions, because your added weight will otherwise make the longer sessions way too strenuous.
Types of Exercises: While cardio exercises offer an excellent work-out, we recommend exercises that still make you sweat, but control your heart-rate to 145 bpm. Some of the best exercises to do throughout pregnancy include; lunges and squats (without weights), as well as brisk-walking and swimming. Swimming is especially pleasant during your last trimester, as the water carries all your weight and alleviates the tensions in muscles. Other good sports to try during pregnancy are gentle aerobics and cycling. Remember to do some short, careful stretches before and after each work-out to make your joints and muscles more flexible.
Movements/Exercises to Avoid: Avoid high-impact and contact sports, which range from football to squash. When stretching, do not hold a stretch for longer than 5-6 seconds. Because pregnant bodies are more vulnerable to stresses and strains, prolonged stretches causes a release of the ‘relaxing’ hormone that (while it is necessary for giving birth) is damaging to the areas around the joints. Also, abstain from carrying heavy objects so that you avoid overexerting yourself.
Dietary tips: Having a balanced diet is essential for your own, and your baby’s well-being. Just because you need to feed two people does not mean you eat twice as much as usual. A pregnant body only needs approximately 2500 calories a day. Make sure you eat something from all food groups everyday so as to get the proper energy and nutrition: dairy products (milk, eggs), protein (meat, fish, and poultry), whole wheat, and fruits and vegetables.
See an Osteopath: In order to keep a close eye on the rapid changes your body is undergoing, it is advisable to see an osteopath early on in the first trimester. This way, if your body is not responding to exercises as it should, we can step in and help you change your routine before you damage your body.
It is never easy being pregnant, what with weight gain, back aches, raging hormones, and sheer exhaustion. But hopefully, with the help of an osteopath and the techniques above, your passage from pregnant woman to loving mother will not only be bearable, but enjoyable.
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