Pregnancy Exercises

Safe Abdominal (Ab) Exercises To Perform During Pregnancy

Are you pregnant and thinking about how you can continue to stay fit and healthy without hurting your unborn baby? Do you want to try some abdominal or ab exercises during pregnancy that will tone the muscles in your abdomen and help you throughout till the childbirth?

If you are looking for some pregnancy ab exercises that are safe and will also offer you additional health and fitness benefits, scroll down to check out our exercise recommendations.

Best Ab Exercises During Pregnancy:

When you are pregnant, it is important to stay fit and maintain your daily exercise routine after you consult your doctor about it. In some cases, your doctor will ask you to stay away from any other form of exercise other than walking. It depends on your overall health, the way your pregnancy is progressing, and also the level of activity or exercise you undertook earlier.

Being fit and exercising during your pregnancy will help your body stay flexible and prepare for the big day, the birth of your baby. Abdominal exercises help keep your muscles flexible, something that is important while giving birth.

Tips While Performing Abdominal Exercises While Pregnant:

The first and foremost thing to remember before you do any exercise while you are pregnant is to take your doctor’s advice and confirmation. Your doctor will assess your physical condition, the overall health of your pregnancy and other factors into consideration. Only then your doctor will tell you whether or not it is safe for you to continue with exercises, and if yes, till when.

Here are a few safety tips you should follow while you are performing these ab exercises while pregnant:

During the first trimester, as long as you feel comfortable, you can increase the intensity of your exercise. You can do this by increasing the number of repetitions. You can also increase the intensity of the exercise by adding a little weight to your exercise.

As you move to your second and third trimester, make sure to tone down the intensity of your workout. You might also need to stop doing a few of the exercises completely, as they could be difficult to carry out while you are pregnant, or may hurt you or your unborn baby.

Sometimes, you may need to use props to do certain abdominal exercises. If you have not used the props, such as an exercise ball, earlier, make sure you ask your partner or a friend to help you adjust to the same the first few times. Ask for help so that you can balance yourself properly and get the hang of it. It will prevent a nasty fall or the risk of sudden injury. Once you have practiced a few times with the help of a support, you can slowly start doing it by yourself.

Always stay hydrated before you set out to do any exercise. Make sure you drink water and fresh liquids throughout the day. You can keep a bottle of infused water near you, something you can sip on in between your sets. It is also a great way to keep you hydrated and keep you feeling recharged for the day.

Making your abdominal muscles stronger will help make them more flexible. It will help you during labor and at the time of birth, as it will be easier for you to push your baby out during birthing.