The energy has returned, the nauseous feeling has diminished and your body is starting to look like there is actually something growing in there. Welcome to the second trimester of pregnancy which officially begins during the 14th week and ends in the 26th. Exercise remains important during this stage of your pregnancy and the guidelines have not changed very much since the first trimester. However, you may feel like increasing your physical activity since you now are finally beginning to feel better and more energetic.
Walking still is one of, if not the best, exercise for you. Try to walk 3-5 times a day.
Walk for as long as you like without over exerting yourself or your body temperature rising too high. To receive the greatest benefits from walking, modify your workouts.
Vary the speed of the walk and walk up and down hills. Only do this if you feel like you are walking within your body’s comfort zone.
Here are some guidelines to follow regarding any type of exercise while you are pregnant:
Work out between 3-5 days per week. You want to earn the benefits, but you also want to give your body time to rest in between.
Monitor your breathing and maintain the ability to carry on a conversation. If you are out of breath and feel you cannot speak easily, slow your pace – you are working too hard.
Avoid exercises that might cause even minor abdominal trauma. Some exercises to avoid are sit-ups, crunches and bike riding.
Drink plenty of fluids to keep hydrated.
The basic rule of thumb is to continue to do exercises that you participated in before you were pregnant. However, don’t get frustrated that you probably won’t be able to do as much as you did before. Also, remember that your joints and ligaments soften and have increased mobility when you are pregnant and it is a lot easier to injure yourself or cause damage to your body. In order to reduce the risk of injury, stretch the muscles before and after each exercise session.
If at any point you are unsure if the exercise that you are doing will compromise the health of yourself or your baby, contact the doctor who can point you in the right direction. Also, stop exercising immediately and contact your doctor if you experience any of the following:
Bleeding
Cramping
Faintness
Dizziness
Joint pain
Elevated blood pressure
After each exercise session, be sure to cool down your body. Cool down exercises should be low exertion, non-strenuous, gentle and easy. The goal is to bring the heart rate to fewer than 100 beats per minute or 16 beats in 10 seconds.