Pregnancy and Exercise For Women Over 35

Women who are taking into consideration pregnancy over 35 often think about how their bodies will adjust during the 9 months they will carry their child. Once you've done all the calculating in your pregnancy calendar and have had your pregnancy confirmed by your obstetrician or other medical professional, it's time to start thinking about how your current trips to the gym or at-home exercise routine may change.

Exercise should be an important part of your daily routine and can be extremely beneficial for not only you, the 'more mature' mother, but for your baby as well. Besides the obvious benefits of having a healthy body with more energy, being in shape physically can help you to deal with the demands that having a baby can put on your body during pregnancy and in having the energy to care for your child.

Not only can pregnancy and exercise give you an emotional lift, but it may also help you to have a shorter recovery time and allow you to bounce back more quickly than you might if you're not in good health. Exercising helps you to adjust to the additional weight you'll be carrying around by the last trimester, improves circulation, helps to relieve common occurrences like backaches and helps to prevent varicose veins and constipation.

As with any physical activity concerning pregnancy, you should discuss all exercise routines and activities with your doctor. Some women may have to significantly reduce their exercise regime due to previous history of miscarriage, an incompetent cervix, multiple fetuses, or other health related concerns. Others are free to continue exercising as normal as long as there does not appear to be any complications along the way. Always be sure to notify your obstetrician if you notice spotting during your pregnancy or have significant discomfort or pain after exercising as this could indicate a potential problem.

If you are a workout fanatic 7 days a week for 3 hours a day, you may need to restrict some of the types of workouts that you do and take it a little easier especially during the last trimester. If you never work out at all except to get in and out of the car to go to work or to take your other children to their extracurricular activities, then now is a good time to take a look at what you can do to increase your overall physical health.

There are many exercise techniques that you can adopt to increase blood flow, energy, and emotional balance, in addition to improving your body's stamina, balance and alignment as well as your overall muscle health and strength. Some of the regular activities you can do throughout your pregnancy can include yoga, Pilates, stability balls, meditation, tai chi, walking, swimming or other low-impact activities. Many women who jog or run on a regular basis prior to conception can continue that activity for most of their pregnancy as long as they are careful and closely monitor their bodies.

If you haven't been exercising on a regular basis start gradually, keeping it at a moderate level and be sure not to overdo it. Listen to your body and when it starts to tell you to slow down or you start to feel pain, it's time to stop and take a break. Remember to drink lots of water during and after exercising which helps to replenish the oxygen supply for both you and the baby. Pregnancy and exercise go hand in hand to provide you and your baby with the physical and emotional balance that you need.

Lisa Congdon has a lifetime of experience in mentoring and coaching others in various professional arenas as well as in many personal accomplishments. As a wife and mother over the age of 35, she has a passionate love of writing and shares her experiences, stories, and education through her blog, her books, and her articles.

A Child to Love . . . The Pregnancy Guide for Women Over 35 - [http://www.achildtolovebook.com].

pregnancyandexercise

Benefits of Yoga For Pregnant Women

Yoga can not only help you stay fit through a pregnancy, but also boost mind and body, helping to keep your pregnancy hassle-free. As an ancient Indian practice, tracing its roots back almost 5000 years, yoga is a tried and true means of dealing with your overall well-being, both mind and body. Each yoga pose, or asana, is tied to breathing techniques, or pranayamas, and focuses on specific parts of the body to ensure a complete body effort. Specific to pregnant women, yoga asanas helps to open muscles of the pelvis, reducing pressure on ligaments and easing lower-back pain. Additionally, it promotes flexibility, strength and stamina, as it focuses the entire body on releasing and relaxing. No activity does better at centering the mind and relieving stress, while gently toning the body. Not only does the mother benefit from yoga, but the baby does as well by receiving increased levels of oxygen and endorphins. The benefits of yoga for pregnant women are described in detail below.

One of the most common benefits of yoga for pregnant women is to help stay in shape throughout the pregnancy. Regardless of your fitness level or skill level, yoga is a gentle, but highly effective way of toning the muscles throughout the pregnancy. Additionally, many yoga instructors are trained and certified in yoga for pre-natal women and can help to customize your yoga workout to ensure the greatest level of safely and the most effective workout possible. Yoga can help to target specific trouble areas for pregnant women during pregnancy, such as helping to strengthens abdomen muscles and pelvic floor.

One of the benefits of yoga for pregnant women is that it can help to boost circulation and help with fluid retention. This is extremely important as you are doing the work for two during pregnancy. Additionally, asanas help to relieve aches and pains. Working with your instructor, you can tailor your workout to focus on specific areas of pain and discomfort. As many asanas focus on proper alignment of the body, yoga will help to improve posture, helping to ease back pain, which is common in pregnant women.

Another one of the benefits of yoga for pregnant women, and for people in general, is that spending time focusing on the combination of body position and breathing, you begin to obtain an increased awareness of your body. Through this greater awareness, you are able to better understand what is happening to your body throughout pregnancy. Some aspects of pregnancy, such as weight gain, morning sickness and decreased sexuality, can bring about feelings of depression and low self-esteem. Yoga can help deal with these feelings by allowing you to refocus and balance your energy, helping to shift into a positive mindset.

As a safety precaution when starting yoga, always remember to check with your doctor if you are unsure of a safe level of physical exertion for yourself during the pregnancy. When looking for the right class, make sure to take both the style of yoga and instructor into consideration. Certain styles of yoga are better for pregnant women, such as Ananda, Hatha, Kundalini, and Iyengar, are better for pregnant women as they are more focused on proper alignment of the body and breathing than on a high intensity workout such as Power or Bikram yoga. If you are unfamiliar with yoga or the specific style of yoga you will be taking, make sure to take a supervised class, at least initially. Good instructors will be able to help you customize your workout to meet your unique needs. Additionally, make sure your instructor is certified in prenatal yoga though an accredited yoga institute.

Regardless of your skill level, make sure to start slow to best understand your bodies capability during this time of change. The best rule to follow when practicing yoga is, if it doesn't feel good, don't do it. As you get comfortable with the asanas, feel free to practice on your own, but again, talk to your instructor to discuss poses that will provide the greatest benefit and that are safe to practice alone. Many yoga books and videos are also available that are focused specifically for pregnant women.

Avoid strong back bends or asanas requiring strong use of stomach muscles as this can cause undo stress on the body. Use your best judgment when doing balancing poses, especially those done on one foot. If you want to perform these poses, make sure to use a chair, wall or another individual for support. Make sure to not to overstretch the body as the ligaments around the joints become loose and soft during pregnancy. Be care not to overheat when practicing yoga as it can be harmful to the fetus. For this reason forms of yoga that involve turning up the heat in the room should be avoided; this includes both Hot and Bikram Yoga. As stated above, make sure to listen to your body and stop if you begin to feel the slightest bit of pain or discomfort. A gentle approach over time yields the best results.

Outside of the workout element, one of the benefits of yoga for pregnant women is social atmosphere it provides for pregnant women. In yoga classes specifically tailored to pregnant women, mothers-to-be are able to share stories and discuss issues and concerns. Often, the relationships built during these yoga classes, build into playgroups for the children after birth and long term social groups.

Yoga can be practiced until late in the pregnancy. As your body changes, make sure to modify your workout to ensure personal comfort. Yoga can provide benefits even during labor. The focus and relaxation achieved during a yoga session can be mimicked during labor by using pranayama techniques to center yourself and helping to open musculature and quiet the mind. After child birth, yoga can help to maintain a proper body shape, as well as strengthen the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles. Additionally, the focusing techniques in yoga can be helpful for those facing post-partum depression. You can start practicing yoga six to seven weeks after delivering delivery.

With both physical and mental benefits that can last throughout the pregnancy, yoga can prove to be a valuable tool to pregnant mothers.

For more information visit GetIntoYoga.com [http://www.getintoyoga.com/].

Get Into Yoga is aimed at people who are looking to take the first step to learning about the world of yoga. This goal of this site is to provide an introduction to yoga and break down those barriers that stop people from getting into yoga. The pages and links in the site help to provide readers obtain with a complete picture of the world of yoga as well as the necessary information and tools to start right now. To visit the site go to: [http://www.getintoyoga.com/]