Today we are discussing exercise during your first trimester. Exercising appropriately during this period can make your entire pregnancy a better experience because it gets you off to a good start. Establishing a consistent routine in your first trimester should be your focus. Below are some tips.

During your first trimester you should work to achieve good body mechanics and good posture through abdominal strength as well as understanding how to achieve a good pelvic floor contraction through kegels. It is during this time that you should practice your relaxation and breathing techniques. These techniques will be employed through your entire pregnancy to keep you calm and focused. Even more importantly, proper breathing can help inhibit some of the stress getting to baby.

Did you know that exercise can also alleviate some of the symptoms of morning sickness including fatigue and nausea? Walking for 30 minutes at a time can help make you feel that much better. There are some other essential exercises that you should be incorporating into your regular routine. If you have an existing routine at this point, you shouldn’t need to modify it too much just yet.

Essential exercises include chest openers to tone your shoulders as well as pelvic tilts and hip circles to strengthen your abdominal muscles and alleviate any back discomfort that you might be feeling. Lateral flexion and spinal rotation should be integrated and don’t forget to include breathing exercises.

Ultimately, during the first trimester, your focus should be on establishing a consistent routine and to just keep on moving. Make exercise a daily part of your life beginning in your first trimester and reap the benefits throughout your pregnancy.

Today we’re talking about exercises during the second trimester. During your second trimester you may feel better than you did during the first. The second trimester is many times considered the easiest of the trimesters because many morning sickness symptoms tend to subside at this time and your belly has yet to fully develop. There are however some major changes taking place in your body. Your body is more vulnerable now due to the increase in weight in the front of your body, changing your center of gravity. Additionally, the increase of the hormone relaxin can make your body quite unstable and even vulnerable to injury. For this reason you need to modify. It is important to eliminate or change some of the things you do during your pregnancy. If you have an existing weight lifting routine, be sure to sit down. Laying down and standing up while lifting weight is not advised. If you want the extra challenge, try lifting weights while sitting on a fit ball.

Another thing to consider is to exclude flexion of your torso starting with the second trimester. Traditional abdominal exercises such as sit-ups and crunches need to be taken out of your exercise routine as they can create a diastase.

Always ensure that you have a good warm-up and cool-down period. The warm-up period will gently elevate your heart rate while the cool-down period will bring your heart rate back to normal levels.

Now for exercises. Be sure to continue your pregnancy conditioning exercises including deep breathing, pelvic tilts, and hip circles. All of these exercises will help to strengthen your body. Twenty minutes of cardio is recommended to be integrated into your routine to keep your heart and vascular system strong.

Your focus during the second trimester is to work towards having good posture, abdominal strength and proper body mechanics. But most importantly, it is critical to keep moving. Studies show that moms who exercises during pregnancy have an easier delivery and bounce back faster to their pre-pregnancy shape.

Your third trimester is both emotionally and physically challenging and you might be feeling a little bit tired as your baby belly grows. Because of the increased fatigue, now is the time for you to slow down and be more careful in your choice of exercise. Your focus in your third trimester exercise should be in preparing your body for labor and delivery and be sure to continue your pregnancy conditioning exercises.

Exercises such the pelvic tilts and hip circles will not only keep your abdomen strong, but will also promote flexibility of your pelvic joints. It is during this time that you should perfect your breathing techniques and your relaxation exercises. Breathing techniques are the very techniques that will help you stay calm and focused during labor. Additionally, proper breathing can help promote pain management during labor and delivery as well.

Here are some suggestions for third trimester exercises. Thirty minute of exercise or activity is recommended and is ideal but you can still break those thirty minutes down into ten to 15 minutes chunks of time and it could be effective and beneficial. Remember to only participate in low impact activities. Make sure you stay away from jerky, bouncy movements and be sure to avoid over stretching. Stretch just to the point of feeling the stretch, but no further. Also be sure to exclude flexion exercises such as sit-ups and crunches during this period. If you are lifting weights, be sure to sit down and avoid standing or laying flat on your back.

It is also important to pay extra special attention to your body during the third trimester. Never work through the pain if you feel any abnormal abdominal discomfort. Should you feel any discomfort, be sure to seek the advice of your health care provided. Remember mommies, whatever you decide to do in your third trimester, be sure to take it easy and to be extra careful.

So you’ve exercised throughout your pregnancy, you’ve prepared your body by keeping it strong and healthy and you have even prepared it for labor and delivery. So what else is there to do? Today we’re talking about exercises that you can do during labor.

Many moms are surprised to learn that you can actually exercise during labor itself. Labor and delivery puts stress on particular muscles and joints throughout the labor process. However, there are exercises that you can perform to help alleviate some of the pain associated with contractions. These exercises will also help open up the pelvis to give more room for the baby.

One great tool to use throughout pregnancy and birth is a birthing ball which is a simple exercise ball. In the video above, you can see a lovely third trimester mom who has used the ball throughout her pregnancy and intends on bringing it into the labor room with her.

One exercise that she might choose to do during labor is the forward kneeling stretch on the ball. She is going to allow her head to rest against the ball. In this position she can rock gently from side to side. This will help open up her pelvis and even help alleviate some of the pain that she might be having. If one is having back pain, this exercise will help allow the baby to drop away from the mom’s spine.

A second exercise is supported kneeling. Supported kneeling is a great exercise for those who don’t have the energy to hold their own body. The ball will support the weight of the body as one lays over the ball. Again, this is another great exercise for those who are experiencing back pain. Rocking back and forth gently allows the body to open and release. Pelvic tilts and hip circles are amazing exercises and feel fantastic during labor.

Lastly, deep squatting is also a fantastic exercise. Deep squatting is particularly effective during labor because it can open up the pelvis almost a quarter of an inch which gives the baby just a little more room to pass down through the birth canal. Beware, squatting can be tiring, so be sure to practice this throughout your pregnancy.

Ultimately, these exercises during labor can reduce your labor time and quicken your postpartum recovery. Do you know of any other exercises that have worked for you? We’d love to hear!

Today’s we’re talking about 7 simple things that you can do to help alleviate back pain. Pregnancy is not easy on a mom’s body and back pain probably won’t come as a surprise. To help prevent and even alleviate back pain it is important to become aware of your every day movements including how you sit and stand. Here are some tips to be mindful of to help you prevent back pain.

1. Be sure to practice good posture and body mechanics. They’re vital throughout your pregnancy.
2. Stay fit. Regular exercising can help keep the muscles in your back strong. Such exercises including cat stretches and even pelvic tilts are great. Now pelvic tilts can be done in many positions but doing it on your hands and knees is a simple to start practicing. You want to inhale, keep your spine neutral, and exhale. Be sure to tuck your pelvis. I like to think about drawing my tail underneath of me between my legs. Inhale returns to normal and exhale will draw the abdominals up and tuck your pelvis. Now, you can also bring this exercise into a full cat stretch which is also a little bit more of a range. You can certainly tip your head down and find that that stretch comes all the way up to the back of your neck. This feels really great for pregnant moms, especially in their third trimester.
3. Also, be sure to stand and sit with care. When sitting, choose a chair with good back support or put a pillow in the small of your back to support your body.
4. Sleep on your side.
5. Wearing the right gear is also quite effective for alleviating back pain. Be sure to choose shoes that have good arch support that are low heeled.
6. Consider alternative treatments. Treatments like chiropractic care and acupuncture have been proven to be quite effective in alleviating back pain.
7. Lastly, back pain can be caused by other problems. If you have a pain that is severe and doesn’t resolve with rest or time, be sure to seek the help of your primary care physician.