Water exercises for pregnant women

Some water aerobics exercises for pregnant women include walking, running, lifting the knees or kicking the legs, always keeping the body inside the water and can be done by most pregnant women.

Water aerobics, in most cases, is indicated after 3 months of gestation, which is the period in which the risk of abortion decreases, and can normally be practiced until the end of gestation, but before starting to practice water aerobics, the should consult the obstetrician.

Generally, the pregnant woman should do water aerobics 2 to 3 times a week for about 45 minutes as it leads to increased mobility of muscles and joints, helping to maintain controlled body weight and balance, and helping in the healthy development of the baby and facilitating labor.

Some exercises that can be done during class include:

• Exercise 1

Keep standing and walk in water, keeping your arms out of the water making 90 degrees with your elbows and looking to join them to the front

• Exercise 2

With the body immersed in water, the pregnant woman should lean her arms close to her thighs and open and close her arms as quickly as possible

• Exercise 3

The woman should grab the edge of the pool and tap her legs with her feet inserted into the water;

• Exercise 4

Run in water without leaving the place, raising the knees towards the chest

The hydrogymnastic exercises can be done with the aid of material, such as shin, pool noodles, elastic or dumbbells, according to the purpose of the exercise, and the use of material, in most cases makes it difficult to exercise.

Main benefits

Water aerobics is a physical activity, which has immense advantages for pregnant women, such as:

• It relieves and prevents back pain, which occurs due to the weight of the belly;
• Promotes physical and mental relaxation, reducing anxiety and stress;
• Strengthens the muscles, including the muscles of the perineum, which is important at the time of normal delivery;
• Helps control weight within proper;
• It contributes to a more peaceful and deep sleep ;
• It improves circulation, because the position adopted in water promotes venous return;
• Increases body balance .

In addition to these advantages, the fact that hydrogymnastics is made in water facilitates movement, since there is a sensation of lower body weight, besides reducing the impact to the joints, especially the knees.

Although water aerobics is beneficial for most pregnant women, it also has the disadvantage of increasing the chances of developing urinary tract infections, so it is important to choose a pool that performs daily water cleaning.

In addition to physical activity, the pregnant woman should make a balanced diet appropriate to her needs. Watch the video to learn how to feed.