Baby Care

Why is it important to be engaged in sports during pregnancy? What is recommended and what should be avoided? What do you need to eat and in what quantity?

During pregnancy, various changes occur in the body. Sports and nutrition should be given an important place in maintaining the health of the expectant mother and her child.

What happens to the body during pregnancy?
Pregnancy requires huge strength. During this period the body has to deal with increased metabolism and with increasing needs for nutrients. Fortunately, the body has several mechanisms that help to save energy in favor of the developing fetus. One of the mechanisms is a change in appetite and taste. Typically, a woman eats more and selects certain foods. The second mechanism is an increasing absorption of food in the intestinal wall.
Additional mechanisms are the decreased rate of accumulation of fat and reduced physical activity. The physiological mechanism gives a woman signals to reduce the load. If you do not listen to it, the intense stress can harm the health of a mother and the developing fetus.

What is important to change in the diet during pregnancy?
The most common problem among pregnant women is the number of calories eaten per day. The answer variesdepending on the duration of pregnancy. From 1 st to 15 th week, there is no need to change the usual amount. From 15 th to 28 th week it is recommended to consume 25-30 calories for every 1 kg of your weight. From 29 th to 42 th week it is recommended to consume 30-35 calories per 1 kg of your weight. These recommendations are perfectly suited to women who do moderate exercise at least 3 times a week for 30 minutes. But if training is given more attention, you need to add the missing calories.

Why is it important to be engaged in sports during pregnancy?
Sport during pregnancy has several positive aspects. For example, it controls weight, reduces the risk of high blood pressure, controls blood sugar and reduces the risk of diabetes, maintaining strength in the muscles and ligaments, improving the general well-being. Some studies has shown that sport during pregnancy shortens labor, reduces the risk of caesarean section and shortens post-partum recovery. However, this is very important that women do not use sports as a means to reduce weight, because at this stage of their life this is not a priority.

What load should future mothers take?
Modern medicine recommends continuing fitness activities before pregnancy, but in accordance with the terms they exclude certain exercises. Women, who do not have certain medical problems, can start with moderate intensity 30 minutes a day 3-4 times a week. You can do walking at a moderate pace, to participate in yoga class. Women with experience in the classroom in the gym may continue but reduce the load in accordance with the changes in the body.

Can we start doing it during pregnancy?
Moderate and regular load will only be beneficial. It is important not to begin with an intensive workload, and work smoothly.

What load should be avoided?
Expectant mothers should avoid sport activities, in which there is full contact – kick boxing and various forms of struggle. So it is necessary to give up extreme sports – rock climbing, scuba diving, etc. After the first trimester, it is important to avoid stress, which occurs in the supine position or stomach.

Can I use weight training?
Yes. This helps to maintain good muscle tone. You can perform one approach every 2-3 times a week. Between workouts there should always be a holiday in at least 24 hours.
Using weight during exercise will strengthen joints and ligaments, which will help to protect them from injury. But a dumbbell weight of 1-3 kg should be fine for exercising the muscles of the hands.

Why is it important to use vitamins and minerals?
Pregnant woman involved in fitness should be sufficient to monitor the use of vitamins and minerals. For example, calcium is needed to prevent the appearance of convulsions. Iron will keep the normal hemoglobin level, which in turn will ensure the delivery of oxygen to the muscles. It is recommended to eat foods rich in vitamins and minerals.

What should pregnant women do before classes?
Any woman sports must consume enough carbohydrates (whole wheat bread, buckwheat, rice, oatmeal, etc.) 2-2,5 hours before. Immediately before beginning you need to eat another small portion of carbohydrates – fruit, a slice of whole meal bread, energy bars, etc. If during the trainings you feel reduction in blood glucose levels, you can use sweet drinks. These quickly raise the level of glucose.

Fluid intake during exercise
The temperature in the cavity of the uterus is one degree above the temperature of mother’s body. During exercise the body temperature rises. In this connection it is necessary to strictly ensure that the temperature does not greatly exceed (maximum allowed – 38 º). The water helps to cool and prevent the emergence of fluid loss in the body. General recommendation on the use of the liquid: 1-2 glasses of water just before the start of the training and 2-3 glasses of water for every hour.

How many calories should be added in case of daily training?
Despite the fact that at the later stages of pregnancy the intensity of training decreases, the number of burnt calories during exercise increases due to body weight and changes in metabolism. Studies has shown that pedestrian walk at a moderate pace during pregnancy burns 20% more calories than the same trip before pregnancy. A walk up the stairs burns 22-25% more. From this it follows that even if the intensity of training does not increase, you will still need enough to compensate for the loss of calories. Approximate calculations suggest additional 350-400 calories per training day for each hour of exercises during pregnancy. More accurate calculations are made by a specialist in accordance with the load, weight, duration of training of the woman.

2 Responses to “Pregnancy: Diet and Fitness”