Gymnastics for pregnant women in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd trimester – the most effective and useful exercises

Pregnancy is not a disease, and therefore expectant mothers can and should engage in feasible sports and feel moderate physical activity. Every pregnant woman should consult her gynecologist about the type of exercise and the intensity of the exercise.

We will present the most popular and useful exercises for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy.

The content of the article:

The benefits of gymnastics for pregnant women – indications and contraindications

The benefits of gymnastics for pregnant women can hardly be overestimated, so doctors recommend that almost every expectant mother do it daily.

The expectant mother can be introduced to effective exercises at school for expectant mothers.

• A strong general strengthening effect of gymnastics on the entire body of a pregnant woman is known. The work of all organs and systems improves, metabolic mechanisms are actively launched, and the body’s protective resources increase.
• Exercise improves mood and helps the mom-to-be to fight depression.
• The cardiovascular system is strengthened.
• With exercise, you can avoid the swelling that worries almost all expectant mothers, especially in the third trimester of pregnancy.
• Exercise relieves muscle tension and tension, relieves stress on the spine and stabilizes posture.
• Regular gymnastics during pregnancy will allow a woman to quickly return to her previous shape after childbirth.
• Exercise prepares the body of expectant mothers for childbirth.
• Burning calories by physical activity allows pregnant women not to gain excess weight and to carry out the prevention of fatty deposits on the abdomen and hips.
• Exercise will greatly help the expectant mother learn to control her own breathing and control her body during childbirth.
• Strong muscles and proper breathing are the key to significantly reducing pain during childbirth.
• Getting rid of prenatal depression is another positive property of regular gymnastics.

The list is endless. Surely every woman who is expecting a baby or was previously pregnant herself will tell you about the benefits of the exercises that she performed during pregnancy.

Video: All about gymnastics for pregnant women

Are there any contraindications or restrictions to gymnastics during pregnancy?

1. With placenta previa physical activity and exertion are prohibited!
2. It is forbidden to play sports and exercise for women with the threat of termination of pregnancy.
3. With hypertonicity of the uterus gymnastics should also be postponed to quieter times.
4. Give up exercise at risk of bleeding…
5. With varicose veins or hemorrhoids you can not do exercises that increase the load on the legs.
6. Any strength exercise, as well as exercises associated with jumps, sharp turns, hits and falls are prohibited throughout the entire period of pregnancy!
7. With hypertension, hypotension, anemia the mother-to-be needs to get a doctor’s recommendation for performing certain exercises.
8. The physical activity of the expectant mother is prohibited with toxicosis in the last months of pregnancy…

Even if you feel great and do not see any contraindications for doing the exercises, it will not be superfluous to get the advice of your doctor, and ideally, to undergo an examination.

It is worth noting that there are special exercises that can be performed by pregnant women at any time, and even those who have contraindications to other exercises – these are breathing exercises for expectant mothers.

Basic breathing exercises for expectant mothers at any stage of pregnancy

Perform breathing exercises daily for half an hour, before or after basic exercises.

These exercises can also be done throughout the day, at any time.

Exercise 1:

Lie on the floor with your legs slightly bent at the knees.

Put one hand on your chest, the other on your stomach. Slowly inhale the air through your nose and then exhale.

Inhalation should be done as deeply as possible, while inhaling, try not to increase the chest, but breathe only with the diaphragm, raising and lowering the stomach.

Exercise 2:

In the same prone position, place your right hand on your chest and your left on your stomach.

Inhale deeply, slightly raising your shoulders and head, but being careful not to change the position of your abdomen. Change hands and do the exercise again.

Repeat several times.

Exercise 3:

Sit cross-legged. Lower your arms along your torso.

Bending your elbows, raise them so that your fingers stay at chest level. At this time, inhale without changing the position of the abdomen and chest.

Slowly lower your arms while exhaling.

Gymnastics exercises in the 1st trimester of pregnancy

Although a woman’s body at the very beginning of pregnancy may not feel changes, very important and powerful processes of the birth of new life are taking place in its universe.

The embryo, consisting of only a few cells, is very vulnerable to all external influences, so the 1st trimester of waiting for the baby is the time to start taking care of him and learn to limit yourself from what can harm the course of pregnancy.

Video: Exercise for pregnant women in the 1st trimester of pregnancy

What exercises cannot be done in the 1st trimester of pregnancy?

1. First of all, you need to remove all abdominal exercises from your gymnastics. – they can provoke uterine tone – and, as a result, bleeding and termination of pregnancy.
2. It’s time to forbid yourself from performing jumps and sharp bends.

Useful gymnastics exercises in the first months of pregnancy:

1. Exercises for the thighs and muscles of the perineum.

Lean on the back of a chair. Sit down slowly, spreading your knees wide. Hold in a half-squat, then slowly return to the starting position.

Exercise 5-10 times.

2. Exercises for the calf muscles – prevention of edema.

Position – standing, feet together, toes apart.

Holding the back of the chair, slowly rise onto your toes. Feel the tension in your calf muscles, then slowly return to the starting position.

Perform 5-8 times at a slow pace.

Watch your posture!

3. Exercise for the muscles of the legs, perineum and abdomen.

Leaning on the back of a chair with both hands, the right leg should be extended forward, then slowly taken to the side, back, then to the left (“swallow”, but the leg should be strongly brought to the left). Do the same for the left leg.

Perform the exercise 3-4 times for each leg.

4. Exercise to maintain the shape of the breast.

Clasp your palms into a lock in front of the chest, elbows are spread parallel to the floor.

Squeeze your hands tightly in the lock, then slowly release the tension.

Monitor correct breathing and do not hold it for a long time!

Repeat the exercise 8-10 times at a slow pace.

5. Exercise for the hips, abdomen and sides.

Put your feet shoulder-width apart. Do a small squat, bending your knees, and slowly rotate your pelvis – first to the right, then to the left.

Perform the exercise without effort and discomfort.

Make sure your spine is straight!

Commentary by obstetrician-gynecologist Olga Sikirina: I would not recommend Kegel exercises, unless at the beginning of the second trimester of pregnancy. Every second, third woman now has varicose veins even before childbirth, including hemorrhoids and varicose veins of the perineal vessels, and Kegel exercises can aggravate this. Careful selection of patients for these exercises is required.

Gymnastics for pregnant women in the 2nd trimester – exercise video

If the expectant mother felt signs of toxicosis at the beginning of pregnancy, then in the second trimester these unpleasant sensations have already passed. The body begins to get used to the changes that occur in it, and the risk of miscarriage is already unlikely.

Video: Gymnastics in the second trimester of pregnancy

In the second trimester of pregnancy, attention should be paid to those exercises that strengthens the muscles of the pelvic floor, abdomen, back and thighs – to prepare for even greater stress awaiting in the last months of pregnancy.

Useful advice: In the 2nd trimester of pregnancy, it is better for the expectant mother to wear a bandage while doing physical exercises.

1. Kegel exercises – to strengthen the pelvic muscles and prevent urinary incontinence

2. Seated Floor Exercise – For Back and Abdominal Muscles

Sit on the floor, spread your arms to the sides and back a little, lean on them. Turn your torso and head to one side or the other.

Do not hold your breath, breathe evenly.

Repeat the exercise 4-5 times in each direction.

3. Lying on your side exercise

Lie on your left side. Stretch your left hand forward in front of you, put your right hand on it.

Slowly raise your right hand to the top and take it back to the maximum possible distance, without turning the body and head. Return your hand to its original position. Perform 3-4 such exercises, then do the same on the right side.

4. Exercise for the muscles of the back and abdomen.

Sit on the floor with your heels under your buttocks, hips and knees pressed together. Stretch your arms in front of you.

Slowly tilt your head and body forward, trying to touch the floor with your forehead, then slowly return to the starting position.

Do not try to do the exercise with force! If the exercise is difficult or your stomach is in the way, move your knees apart a little.

5. Exercise for proper breathing

In a sitting position, bend your legs at the knees and cross slightly. The arms are straight and palms on the hips.

Slowly raise your hand and pull it up, while taking a deep and slow breath, throwing your head back a little. Then exhale just as slowly, lowering your hands to the starting position.

Perform the exercise with the other hand, in total, perform 4-7 times for each.

6. Exercise for the chest

Exercise to maintain the shape of the chest from the previous block for 1 semester, continue to do in the second.

Gymnastics exercises for the 3rd trimester of pregnancy, rules of execution

In the 3rd trimester of pregnancy, it becomes difficult to do most of the previous exercises.

A fitball ball comes to the aid of expectant mothers. There are excellent exercises for preparing for the upcoming childbirth, which are good to do with a fitball.

1. Exercise with dumbbells to strengthen the muscles of the back and abdomen

Sit on the ball. Lower your arms with dumbbells (0.5-1 kg) along the body.

Bending your elbows, raise the dumbbells to your armpits, then just as slowly lower them to their original position. Do not tilt the body!

Then bend your arms at the elbows and raise the dumbbells to your shoulders – lower them slowly.

Alternate these movements. Remember to follow the correct breathing.

2. Exercise in the prone position – to strengthen the muscles of the thighs and perineum.

Lie on the floor. Place one leg on the fitball. Try to roll the ball with your foot to the side, then return it to its original position. Repeat 3-4 times.

Roll the ball also by bending your knee.

Do the same with the other leg.

3. Exercise for chest muscles

Holding the fitball in front of you with arms outstretched forward, try to slowly squeeze it with your palms, then relax your arms just as slowly.

Make sure there is no tension on your stomach while doing this exercise!

Run 5 to 10 times.

Together with a set of exercises for a pregnant woman, you can also perform water aerobics exercises for expectant mothers.

All information in this article is provided for educational purposes only, it may not correspond to the specific circumstances of your health, and is not a medical recommendation. The site сolady.ru reminds that you should never ignore a doctor’s consultation, especially during pregnancy!