Exercise tips for mums-to-be
May 3, 2010 |17:56 | Exercise By : Team X
Pregnancy is the time when your body undergoes a lot of changes, and that is why a balanced diet during this period is important. A weight gain of 11-15 kg is healthy, and good pre-pregnancy and post-pregnancy exercises ensure that you gain it slowly and lose it quickly.
More than 25 per cent women gain 40 or more pounds during pregnancy. And there are fewer chances of them returning to their pre-pregnancy weight. Interestingly, a woman’s body is more efficient during pregnancy, and makes better use of what she consumes.
Here are some nutrition and exercise tips for pregnant women: What to eat during pregnancy? People keep advising pregnant women to eat for two, but the truth is they don’t need any extra calories during the first six months of pregnancy and only about 200 cal/day for the last three months. So, eat when you are hungry.

Most moms get into gear after they have a baby to shed their pregnancy pounds, but new research suggests.
Seeing a pregnant woman run on the treadmill may feel as shocking as watching a pregnant woman sip a martini. But medical experts allow athletic and fit women to maintain their exercise programs throughout pregnancy.
“What women eat while they are in the early stages of pregnancy influences the sex and health of their unborn baby”, The Daily Telegraph reported. It said that eating breakfast and a high fat diet around the time of conception made it more likely the offspring would be a boy.
Regular exercise during pregnancy offers overall health benefits, Dr. Ruben Barakat, at Universidad Politecnica de Madrid in Spain, and colleagues note in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. However, few investigations have focused on the effects of resistance-type exercise during pregnancy and whether this alters actual childbirth.
A Norwegian study suggests spending too much time in the gym can reduce women’s fertility. The findings of the study suggest that while limited physical activity certainly offers health benefits, however, too much of it could possibly deprive the body of sufficient energy needed for a successful pregnancy. Study details To determine the same, researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology surveyed 3,000 women between 1984 and 1986. These women were questioned about frequency, duration and intensity of their fitness regimes. Factors like age, weight, marital status and smoking were also taken into account.
Doctors should recommend low to moderate levels of exercise to pregnant women because it can strengthen and improve overall musculoskeletal and physiologic health as well as pregnancy related symptoms, according to a review article.













