Introduction
The pregnancy phase is a dynamic and transformative one for every woman. It brings in many changes in their lifestyle and daily routine. For those who have been exercising even before pregnancy, continuing it would be beneficial. However, there is a question about the risk of performing high-intensity workouts during this period. It is crucial to comprehend which exercises are safe to be performed. In this article, let us explore the recommendations and guidelines for performing high-intensity workouts during pregnancy.
Can You Pursue High-Intensity Workouts in Pregnancy?
For many women who are into an active lifestyle before pregnancy, meaning that they were involved in moderate or high-intensity workouts, gymming, or running, you might be wondering if these activities are something that can be pursued safely during pregnancy. Especially if you have been an active runner before your pregnancy, or even if you are a long-time walker or enjoy jogging occasionally, you might be wondering if the same activities can be safely continued during pregnancy.
It is always a known medical fact that during pregnancy, which is one of the dynamic phases of a woman's life, it is important to stay physically active for the best health of the mother and the developing fetus. Most fitness experts and physicians also recommend regular exercise regimens during pregnancy to keep yourself strong and rejuvenated as well. Running as an exercise regimen would require some modifications on behalf of the pregnant woman, to ensure that there is no harm to the developing fetus. For most runners and even athletes, physicians recommend that with some modifications suggested by your physician, you can continue to perform your moderate to high-intensity workouts safely and healthily when you are pregnant.
According to the information given by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), it is quite safe even for individuals who may be used to a sedentary lifestyle (with little to no physical activity) to continue regular exercises during pregnancy, to ensure an active lifestyle. However, these exercises including running or moderate-intensity workouts should be given clearance by your midwife or gynecologist, who will be monitoring your maternal and fetal health through regular or periodic follow-ups during pregnancy.
Why Is Safe Exercising Important for Pregnancy?
According to the information stated by the ACOG, the safest exercises that can be deemed best for all pregnant women in general are moderate-intensity workouts or aerobic exercises only. Examples include routine and rejuvenating activities like brisk walking, swimming, gardening your plants, and some forms of pregnancy-safe poise in yoga practice.
It is always important to note that every individual's body composition and sensitivity to exercise regimens would be factors to be considered for sustaining overall systemic health. Hence, only your registered healthcare professional or gynecologist can give you the individualized regimen or tell you the safest exercise regimens or practices that may be safe for both you and your developing baby.
For individuals who are already experienced in running, jogging or you may be an athlete or sports player, then you would mostly be able to continue these activities, even though they would be considered high-impact workout, as you would be used to performing such activities. However, in the second and third trimesters, some modifications or changes would need to be made as these are sensitive phases where women would be easily prone to exertion or exhaustion. Regular exercise regimens hold importance and a sedentary lifestyle often has more drawbacks for a pregnant woman.
Your physician or gynecologist may further recommend light jogging or brisk walking, which can help sustain a healthy weight during pregnancy. Further, new exercise regimens that pregnant individuals may not have been used to doing, in the past - would not be beneficial during pregnancy. For example, performing highly intense activities like brisk running for sensitive individuals may not only put a lot of physician strain and exertion on the women's cardiovascular system, but further, there would be an increased risk of muscle sprains, or tissue injuries.
Therefore, it is important to note that even while exercising, it is always pivotal to choose ventilated surroundings or outdoor spaces for your exercise regimens during pregnancy. This can ensure that there is no lack of aeration or oxygenation needed during exercise. Rather, it is important to avoid closeted spaces and also be cautious about implementing high-impact or body-jerking prenatal exercises that would possibly irritate the joints or muscles of the pregnant individual or even cause acute respiratory issues, when there is a lack of adequate oxygenation.
What Are the Benefits of Exercising During Pregnancy?
According to the explanation by the ACOG, numerous benefits listed below are associated with regular exercise that can be beneficial for preparing the mother for healthy labor or delivery:
-
Reduction in pregnancy-related back pain.
-
Reduction in constipation episodes.
-
Lowers the risk of gestational diabetes (diabetes diagnosed for the first time during pregnancy), and pre-eclampsia ( high blood pressure disorder that can occur during pregnancy), and lowers the need for a c-section delivery.
-
Helps sustain a healthy weight.
-
Regulates your energy levels and sustains healthy tissues and organ systems.
-
Maintains your heart and lung capacity.
Who Needs to Consult Physician Before Performing Active Exercise Regimens in Pregnancy?
Certain high-risk pregnancies may often not be capable of tolerating high-impact or even moderate-impact exercise regimens according to medical case reports in the literature. Such cases listed below would be prone to miscarriage, low birth weight infants, or pre-term deliveries.
This includes individuals suffering from the following conditions:
-
Heart or lung diseases or issues.
-
Pregnant individuals with cervical cerclage(a surgical technique where a band or suture is placed across the cervix to assist stop an early birth or miscarriage).
-
Pregnancy with multiple fetuses (twins, or triplets).
-
Pregnancies prone to placenta previa (a pregnancy complication that happens when the placenta blocks the cervix's opening entirely or partially) of preterm labor.
-
Pre-diabetics who would be pregnant are prone to preeclampsia or high blood pressure.
-
Pregnant individuals with moderate to severe anemias (a medical condition when the body lacks sufficient hemoglobin or healthy red blood cells to deliver oxygen to the tissues).
These above enlisted conditions are at increased risk or sensitive to miscarriage or pre-term deliveries. Hence, caution should be exercised and advice should be taken from your gynecologist or physician regarding what exercises you can practice prenatally or how walking can keep you healthy during pregnancy. In these situations, running is not usually advisable at all.
Conclusion
While running, playing sports high-intensity exercises, or training count as high-impact activities, these need to be given clearance by your registered physician or healthcare professional/gynecologist when you are pregnant. Brisk walking, jogging, gardening, swimming, and walking slowly and carefully for long periods as well in ventilated spaces would be beneficial in sustaining healthy maternal and fetal health. Hence, it is best to stick to a routine or modify your exercises in such a way that you would be able to exercise joyfully, without worrying about the risk of any muscle or joint sprain. Light or brisk walking, jogging, and moderate running (in pregnant individuals used to previous highly active lifestyles) would be suited to sustain a healthy weight and prevent the risk of obesity associated with sedentary patterns.
