Contents:
- Medical Video: High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy
- What are the benefits of walking while pregnant?
- 1. Reducing varicose veins
- 2. Promotes digestion
- 3. Reducing the risk of gestational diabetes
- 4. Reducing the risk of preeclampsia
- 5. Prevent stress
- 6. Facilitate labor
- 7. Babies born with healthy weight
- When can you start walking while pregnant?
- Walking tips while pregnant
Medical Video: High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy
Maintaining pregnancy does not mean you do not need to move a lot. A fit mother will actually give birth to children who are stronger, healthier and even smarter. Well, one of the safest, cheapest, and easiest types of exercise for pregnant women is walking. Indeed, what are the benefits of walking while pregnant?
What are the benefits of walking while pregnant?
Diligent walking while pregnant not only helps you maintain fitness, but also benefits the baby being conceived. What are the benefits?
1. Reducing varicose veins
Varicose veins are one of the many problems faced by women during pregnancy. Varicose veins that appear in the area of the foot can feel sore and make aches, which tend to get worse in the afternoon until evening. Especially after a pregnant woman has a lot of activity or too long standing.
Routine walking during pregnancy helps reduce the swelling that occurs due to varicose veins, so there are no visible veins that stand out in the calf area.
2. Promotes digestion
Walking includes cardio which facilitates digestion. For pregnant women, this benefit can reduce the severity of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy until diarrhea or constipation.
Healthy digestion also helps the body absorb nutrients faster and convert food into energy, and reduce insulin resistance which can trigger the development of diabetes.
3. Reducing the risk of gestational diabetes
Gestational diabetes is a complication of pregnancy which is fairly common. Your risk of having gestational diabetes can increase dramatically if from before pregnancy and onward you are overweight with a BMI score of 30 or more.
Blood sugar left high during pregnancy increases the risk of premature delivery, and has an obese baby.
Exercise such as walking will help you maintain and control your weight, which can reduce the risk of developing gestational diabetes. It even avoids the risk of gestational diabetes developing into type 2 diabetes after giving birth.
4. Reducing the risk of preeclampsia
Preeclampsia is a condition of high blood pressure during pregnancy, even though you have no previous history of hypertension. At least 5-8% of pregnant women in the world have preeclampsia, and approximately 10-15 percent of the total cases of maternal death during childbirth are caused by preeclampsia.
Walking helps maintain a healthy body weight and reduces cholesterol, thus balancing blood pressure levels during pregnancy. So you can be at lower risk of premature labor that occurs due to preeclampsia.
5. Prevent stress
Various physical changes and problems that occur during pregnancy can make pregnant women easily stressed. Well, did you know that walking is one type of exercise that is effective for improving moods?
People who routinely walk, even during pregnancy, experience an increase in happy hormone endorphins that make the mood better and cause pleasure. Regular exercise can also make you sleep well.
6. Facilitate labor
Diligent walking while pregnant will strengthen the thigh muscles, calves, and hip muscles. This will be very good for creating a faster and easier labor. You don't have to wait long for contractions, and don't have difficulty when straining (signed).
7. Babies born with healthy weight
With you often walking, you control the baby's weight gain while still in the womb so as not to risk obesity.
Babies born to mothers who regularly walk while pregnant tend to have a more ideal weight index score with a weight of 150-200 grams lighter. However, the study found that this weight reduction did not have a negative impact on overall baby growth. Nutritional intake from mother to fetus is also not affected.
In general, babies born with ideal weight are considered healthy and have better insulin sensitivity even after they are adults. Better insulin sensitivity can protect children from the risk of diabetes in the future.
A joint study by a team of researchers from Germany and the United States also reported that babies born to mothers who diligently walk during pregnancy have a healthier cardiovascular system (heart and blood vessels) later in adulthood.
When can you start walking while pregnant?
You may immediately get used to walking, even on the first day when you know you are positively pregnant. Walking can be done throughout the gestational age and has almost no serious health risks.
However, you still need to always discuss with your obstetrician about the decision when to start exercising during pregnancy and how to be safe.
Walking tips while pregnant
If the doctor has allowed it, you should slowly slowly start about 15 minutes every three times a week. Then then increase the duration and frequency to 30 minutes every 4-5 times a week.
Adjust the intensity of your foot according to your body's ability. If you feel tired or even exhausted until you can't talk, you should immediately stop and take a short break. Don't force sports outside your tolerance limits.
If you don't have enough time to exercise, you can take the time to walk between your activities. For example, going to lunch when in the office, parking or going down at a bus stop / station that is a bit away from the office, or going to a shop near the house to just snack.
Which is equally important, make sure you keep your body fluids sufficient by drinking water during your exercise session. Also use sunscreen and hats if you walk on a hot afternoon.
