It is safe to say that pregnancy is one of the happiest phases of a woman’s life. From diet plans to maternity wear–everything on the checklist is ticked off as soon as she finds out.
But is her daily exercise box checked?
Wondering why we’re talking about exercise during pregnancy? Well because light exercises during pregnancy can be beneficial for you. In fact, a study recently published in the journal Physiological Reports suggests that exercising during pregnancy can help in restoring tissues and can offer better health for both the mother and her foetus.
In fact, if you suffer at the hand of fatigue and backache, which are very common during pregnancy, regular exercise can help with that too. Also, when you go into labor, you will need stamina and keeping up with a daily routine of exercise can help you achieve exactly that.
“A moderate level of exercise immediately before and then during pregnancy leads to important changes in different tissues of the obese mothers, effectively making the tissues more like those seen in non-obese mother,” said co-leader Dr Amanda Sferruzzi-Perri, a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin research fellow from the Centre for Trophoblast Research in the Department of Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge.
The key organs that were affected by exercise are white adipose tissues, skeletal muscle, and liver.
Co-lead Professor, Susan Ozanne from the Welcome Trust-Medical Research Council Institute of Metabolic Science at the University of Cambridge, added that “Our findings reinforce the importance of having an active lifestyle and eating a healthy balanced diet when planning pregnancy and throughout for both the mother and her developing child.”
Study suggests that the exercise affects key signaling pathways – the ways that molecules and cells within tissue communicate – involved in responding to insulin (the hormone that stimulates glucose uptake by white adipose tissue and skeletal muscle), in storage and breakdown of lipids (fats found in the blood and tissue), and in the growth and synthesis of proteins.
If not active then you can face another hurdle – being overweight. Too much weight is another problem that you can face during pregnancy which can lead to gestational diabetes. This can actually be risky. In this case, both the mother and fetus are at the risk of exposing themselves to type-2 diabetes.
Consult your doc, take a heads up, and then try these exercises out to stay fit and healthy.
1. Brisk walking
2. Swimming
3. Yoga
4. Squats
5. Low-impact aerobics
Word of caution!
Pregnancy is a delicate time and before you jump on to anything, consult your gynecologist first.
Whatever form of exercise you choose, please don’t overdo it. Remember the keyword here is moderation. Eat and exercise in moderation.
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