Undoubtedly the best feeling of womanhood, pregnancy is a dream for all women. While the feeling of pregnancy is the happiest of the feelings, it often becomes one of the most painful feelings ever. Swollen joints, back aches, abdominal pains, this list of pains that comes with pregnancy can be endless and most aggravating. While it is suggest able that you take appropriate rest and care of yourself, some light exercises are always on the table.

Doing moderate or light exercises have more benefits than one can imagine. There are some special conditions like anemia, placenta previa, incompetent cervix and ruptured membranes to name a few are the reasons why you might be prevented from undertaking any sort of activities but consulting your practitioner can provide you a better insight in what all exercises are doable for you. It is important to understand that all pregnancies are different in many ways so what might work for somebody else might not be suggest-able for you.

Why Exercise During Pregnancy For Safe Delivery?

While activities like horse riding or skiing are obviously not recommended for anybody but exercises like jogging, yoga, pilatics, etc are helpful in many ways. Exercising daily in the pregnancy is known to provide relief from pains, lift up your spirit and mood, provide relief from the inflammation of the joints, etc. Exercising daily or on most days of the week also helps the baby to become healthier by lowering the bmi, helping in mental growth, etc. So, in case you have had a habit of working out before the pregnancy or not, it might be the right time to sweat some irrespective of the habits.

While being ignorant or having half baked knowledge about the workout that you have on your mind can be disastrous for both you and your baby, we have tried to list down all the workouts that are best suited for you without involving any undue risk.

List of Best Exercises You Can Do in Pregnancy

• Yoga – With an appropriate mix of stretching and breathing exercises, there is hardly any pain related to pregnancy that cannot be reduced. While the list of the activities that one can partake while practicing yoga is huge, it is advised to consult a doctor about your intended Yoga regime so that you avoid any unnecessary complications. Consulting a professional yoga trainer can help you clear any doubts and questions, it is advised that you partake in standing stretching positions in the initial stages of pregnancy and progress to breathing activities as you progress. The stretches help you prepare for the delivery and help you keep you and your baby fit, the breathing exercises help you in remaining calm and maintaining your composure as this might be the most difficult thing to do.
• Walking – A wholesome and easy to do workout, walking is a must advised activity for all the pregnant ladies in the house, Easy to do without any knowledge of rocket science, it is advised that you take a thirty minutes walk daily. While it is not mandatory to take a continuous walk, you can divide the time periods and do it according to your convenience. In case you decide to walk in a park, all the fresh air will also lift up your spirits and make you happier. You can also read : Is running safe in pregnancy?
• Swimming – A complete exercise in itself, swimming is a wholesome physical activity which helps you remain fit and healthy while you are carrying your baby bump. Because your weight reduces under water, swimming makes sure that you do not exert any undue physical pressure on your already paining and swollen limbs and other body parts. While the thing that is inadvisable to do is diving or jumping in the water, it is also advised that you maintain caution while moving around the edges of the pool for it might be wet and you might hurt yourself after tripping. 
• Planks – Maintaining a posture which you attain while doing push ups without actually doing push ups is called planks. All you have to do is keep your arms directly below your shoulders in an elevated position and keep your back straight for maximum possible duration. While this exercise not only helps with the ever growing back pains, it also makes your body holistically strong for during the pregnancy and while giving birth.
• Weight training – Make sure that you go easy on yourself by reducing the weights to have which you would lift otherwise, weight lifting becomes an importance exercise because it not only prepares for the physical exertion while giving birth, it also prepares you for after delivery when you will be spending a lot of time lifting that new life in your hands. Weight lifting not only helps you to strengthen your muscles and in reducing your body pains it makes sure that your body can take the pain which you might feel while giving birth. Also, it is advised that you go easy on yourself by lifting at most half your regular weights and do it in continuous sets.
• Cycling – While it is advised that you practice indoor cycling while in pregnancy, cycling still is one of the most complete exercises for the body. It builds strength, makes you flexible and also helps you in controlling your breathing. As your baby bumps grow, it might become difficult to maintain your sense of balance which might cause you to trip, this is a perfect exercise to do in the beginning stages.
• Pilate – A perfect exercise for improving strength, balance, flexibility, and posture, Pilate is one of the most advised activities till the 14th week without any undue pressure and risk. While you should let your body tell you what it is comfortable with, the only thing to keep in mind is that you do not over stretch or work up yourself too much.
• Kegels – If you are looking for an exercise that you can do anywhere without putting any physical pressure on the body, Kegels is the one for you. All you have to do is to sit or stand, squeeze the pelvic muscles as you are trying to stop urinating, relax and repeat 10 times, 5 times a day. Kegels helps you strengthen your uterus, bowels and bladders which helps you go through delivery without a lot of pain and pressure.
• Outdoor sports – While sitting in the confines of the house can become little nausicaa, it is often important to step outdoors and inhale in some fresh air. There is a range of mild physical outdoor sports like easy trekking, brisk walking, slow running, etc which you can undertake with the advice from your practitioners which will not only make your body strong and flexible but will also help you lift up the mood and spirit.
• Stretching – While a lot of the activities above include stretching, you can also choose to do purely stretching as your pregnancy workout. You can choose from a wide range of postures and stretching patterns which helps you relax your mood, loosen your tensed muscles, release back and other body pains and also keeps you fit. The only thing that you need to take care of is that you not overdo it.

While the exercises done in moderation and with proper technique and guidance can help you get through pregnancy with ease but a small error might cause problems so consulting your doctor is also advisable before you decide on your workout regime for pregnancies.