Exercises For Pregnant Women: Safe and Simple Exercises to Perform in Pregnancy

Exercises for pregnant women work wonders for both mother and baby. When considering how to work out while pregnant, a lot of questions typically spring to mind.

Exercise is a physiological activity that enhances or maintains physical health and welfare. It's especially important in times of pregnancy to ease some typical discomfort as the body gets ready for birth and delivery.

It might be challenging to cut through the pregnancy exercise misinformation and find evidence-based recommendations because of inconsistent advice from family, friends, and influencers online, which promote risky pregnancy exercise routines.

In this article, we will provide a list of safe exercises for pregnant women.

Easy and Safe Exercises for Pregnant Women

Exercise can help you feel better by strengthening the heart and lungs, increasing blood flow, toning and preparing the muscles for delivery, boosting energy, and preventing common aches and pains. It can also help you sleep better throughout pregnancy.

Here are some of the best exercises for pregnant women:

1) Plank

Safe and simple exercises can be performed during pregnancy. (Image via Pexels/Freestocksorg)

Planks are one of the safest exercises for pregnant women. It focuses on the core, arms, and back muscles.

Here’s how to perform planks:

Kneel down with your wrists directly beneath your shoulders.
Once your body is in a straight line, lift your knees, and straighten your legs behind you.
Keep your back straight and stomach up.
Hold for one to two breaths before increasing to five.

2) Side-lying leg lift

It's one of the best exercises for pregnant women. It's crucial to strengthen the muscles that support balance and pelvic stabilization to get ready for shifting the center of gravity.

Here’s how to perform side-lying lifts:

The knees should be bent and piled on top of the other as you lie on your right side.
To leave a tiny space between your waist and the floor, slightly elevate your right side off the ground. Additionally, it aligns your pelvis.
Straighten your left leg, and slant it forward slightly. Turn your hips so that your toes are pointing down at the ground.
When lifting your leg, exhale for around three seconds before inhaling to lower it again.

3) Walking

Walking is a good exercise for pregnant women. (Image via Unsplash/Lucas Favre)

Walking is one of the easiest exercises for pregnant women to fit into their hectic schedule.

You can keep working out right up till the day of your delivery (or even on that day if you want to speed up the contractions). Furthermore, all you need is a pair of decent shoes, and you can participate without any extra tools or a gym membership.

One of the gentlest, lowest impact forms of exercise, walking on a flat or even surface is recommended for pregnant women. Walking with the arms swinging wide and rhythmically can cause a slight rise in heart rate. Walking in a serene, natural environment can also aid in promoting relaxation and well-being.

4) Biceps curl

Although babies may not look heavy, carrying them for extended periods requires a surprising amount of arm power. Use bicep curls to tone your arms to grow that muscle and prevent pain in the future.

Here’s how to perform biceps curls:

Choose weights you can hold comfortably for manyrepetitions.
Keeping the knees slightly bent, stand with your feet just wider than the hips.
While bending your elbows, slowly raise the dumbbells towards your shoulders for a few seconds.

5) Pile squat

Exercises help in remaining active during pregnancy. (Image via Pexels/Yan Krakau)

Like a regular squat, the pilé squat is performed with additional rotation, which develops the quadriceps, hamstrings, and butt while also improving balance. That makes it a great exercise for pregnant women.

Here’s how to perform plie squats:

Place your hand on the back of a kitchen chair while you stand next to it to do a pilé.
Hip distance between the feet should be the proper alignment.
Keep your toes and knees turned out to about 45 degrees while pulling your belly button up and in.
As you lower your torso and keep your back as straight as if you were leaning against a wall, bend your knees.

Just choose any of these exercises for pregnant women if you just have ten minutes to work out for both the upper and lower body. Do your pelvic floor exercises too.

If you're overflowing with energy, extend your workout. You have the option of working out your entire body in one session or just your lower or upper body.