Exercise to Help Prepare for a Healthy Pregnancy

Exercise before pregnancy and of course during pregnancy could help you prepare for and have a healthy pregnancy. The benefits to exercising during pregnancy are tremendous and the sooner you can start {even before pregnancy} the easier it can be to maintain during pregnancy – not to worry if you are well into your pregnancy, as long as your doctor has approved you to exercise during pregnancy you can get moving! I’ve got some amazing tips, exercises, workouts and programs just for you!

6 Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy:

1. Aim for 20 to 60 minutes of exercise most days of the week {and yes this includes walking}.
2. Include resistance training 2 to 4 times each week {including my prenatal workouts and programs, also great before and after pregnancy because I put a huge emphasis on strengthening your deep core muscles which are very important for life!}.
3. Stay hydrated!
4. Eat healthy, balanced, nutritious food and include good quality fats, and proteins in most meals.
5. Stand tall – think about lengthening through the top of your head while you stand, sit, and move {this can greatly impact how your back feels and decrease back pain, another reason I teach about deep core strength.}
6. Sleep mama sleep!

One of the benefits to resistance {strength} training before, during and after pregnancy is the effect it can have on your pelvic floor muscles. I’m going to take that a step further and include your transverse abdominals, along with your multifidous and diaphragm. All 4 are important components for having optimal deep core strength! It’s important that you have optimal strength of your deep core for good support of your organs, back and really for optimal function of your entire body {no prolapsing or incontinence over here and if you do you CAN do something about it!}. Already do your “Kegels”? that’s great but I challenge you to take it a couple steps further and really understand that you are activating properly – it could be a life changer! Read more in my article on Kegels and I talk much more about it in my programs too!

I love this stat about decreased incidents of depression during pregnancy for mama’s that exercise! It’s real and something I feel is not talked about enough. One thing you do have control of – because hormones can be tricky to get a handle on – is to stay active! Nutrition is another but I’m going to stay focused on the impact of exercise. Get moving daily, even if it’s only 10 minutes some days because that 10 minutes can help you to feel better – both physically and EMOTIONALLY!

One of my biggest reasons I am so passionate about the importance of exercising for your body – pregnant or not – is the amazing impact it can have on your back health! This ties in greatly with your deep core and posture and that’s why I teach the exercises I do and the way I do – to move from your core {deep core to be more specific} and lengthen your body standing, sitting or moving and think about lengthening from your toes through the top of your head.