Should You Work Out While Pregnant?

To prevent back pain from a slouching posture, you should strengthen the muscles in the upper back. This can be done fairly simply with an exercise rubber band. You can exercise from a sitting position, legs straight out in front of you, by placing the band around your feet and pulling it toward the body in a rowing motion.

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As the abdominals relax and lengthen, simple strategies should be implemented to strengthen the abdominal groups, such as the transverse abdominals and rectus abdominis, as these are key muscle groups when it comes to pushing the child through the birth canal. These exercises can include activities as simple as pulling the navel button toward the spine.

To strengthen the pelvic floor, women should perform contractions of the pelvic floor known as Kegel exercises, or simply as "kegels." Because the rectus abdominis, transverses abdominals and pelvic girdle belong to the core, which is necessary to give stability in any movement, balance work should also be done moderately, within levels of comfort.

As with any exercise program, the shape an individual is in should be the determining factor of how long and hard they should be exercising. Just recently, the New York City Marathon was won by a woman who trained during pregnancy. Of course, this is a healthy individual who was used to long distance running and high intensity cardiovascular training.

U.S. health officials recommend that individuals exercise for 2.5 hours per week (roughly 30 minutes per day, at least five days a week) to stay healthy and manage weight. This general rule is applicable to pregnant individuals as well.

Optimum fitness levels during pregnancy are beneficial to both mothers and their unborn infants. This is not a good time to pursue maximum fitness goals, but rather to focus on maintaining a good fitness level. Women should make sure to have a physician's approval for exercise during pregnancy and until three months after delivery.