How to strike the right balance during pregnancy? Know the FITT principle
Many pregnant women have questions about exercise: What kind of exercise is appropriate? Will it affect the baby? Will early pregnancy exercise cause miscarriage? Will late pregnancy exercise cause premature birth? These questions arise one after another. Generally, if pregnant women exercise appropriately, they generally won’t cause miscarriage or premature birth. Today, Dr. Huang will discuss how to strike the right balance between exercise and safety and effectiveness during pregnancy.
“FITT” principle , exercise during pregnancy is also necessary
“FITT” is a combination of four English words, which refer to frequency, intensity, type, and time. Therefore, if you pay attention to these four key points when exercising during pregnancy, you can achieve safe and effective exercise.
(1)Frenuency: How many times a pregnant mother can complete exercise in a week.
(2) Intensity: This measures the appropriate intensity of exercise for pregnant women (low, medium, or high). Generally, it is recommended to exercise at low to medium intensity, with a maximum heart rate of 170 minus age, and at an intensity that does not cause fatigue.
(3) Type: The exercise done by pregnant mothers should be beneficial to health management during pregnancy, and at the same time, it is hoped that it will be helpful for the final delivery.
Early pregnancy and FITT principle
If you’re in the early stages of pregnancy, your reaction may be more severe. If you experience any discomfort, rest is the best option. Pregnant women who are already exercising can continue with gentle, comfortable exercise, such as prenatal yoga and walking, for about 30 minutes. Practice breathing techniques and pelvic stabilization exercises. Stretching after a walk may also help you sleep better.
Second trimester
Generally speaking, pregnant mothers can increase their exercise volume appropriately. In addition to walking, they can also do some regular exercise, such as dancing, swimming, rhythmic gymnastics, Pilates , etc. During exercise, supine lying should be avoided.
Late pregnancy and FITT principle
Exercise needs to be slowed down. For example, common stretching exercises to relieve back pain should be slowed down. As delivery approaches, pregnant mothers can do some light exercise while practicing breathing techniques to help relieve labor pain.
(4) Time: How long should pregnant mothers exercise each time? It is generally recommended to exercise for 20-30 minutes a day, or about 150 minutes a week.
Which exercises should pregnant mothers be cautious about? (FITT principle)
Appropriate and scientific exercise is an important part of pregnancy health management. However, not all pregnant women are suitable for exercise. Pregnant women need to follow their doctor’s advice, get enough rest, and avoid excessive activities.
Pregnant mothers with symptoms such as anemia, heart disease, asthma and chronic lung disease, hypertension, diabetes, thyroid disease, placental abnormalities (such as placenta previa), etc. are not recommended to exercise too much and should do a small amount of exercise under the guidance of a doctor.
What should you pay attention to when exercising? (FITT principle)
1. Pregnant mothers should exercise with the company of family, friends, or a coach. Wear sweat-absorbing, heat-dissipating, and elastic clothing.
2. Warm up properly: Due to the effects of relaxin and other pregnancy hormones, pregnant women’s ligaments will loosen, making joint connections unstable. If you don’t do a good job of warming up, it is easy to cause muscle and joint strain and cramps during exercise.
3. Try to replenish water before, during and after exercise.
4. Avoid high-intensity sports such as playing tennis, badminton, skiing, cycling, high jumping, running, and mountain climbing during pregnancy.
5. If you experience sudden pain, rupture of membranes, difficulty breathing, vaginal bleeding, high blood pressure, dizziness, fever, fatigue, calf pain or edema, etc., you need to stop exercising and seek medical attention immediately if necessary.
What are the benefits of moderate exercise? (FITT principle)
1. It promotes gastrointestinal motility and improves constipation. It can improve common symptoms such as edema during pregnancy, rapid weight gain, and back pain, and it can also improve sleep quality.
2. Performing pelvic floor muscle function exercises during pregnancy may shorten the labor process, increase the success rate of vaginal delivery, reduce the rate of cesarean section, and at the same time reduce the incidence of urinary incontinence after vaginal delivery and promote postpartum body recovery.
3. It helps improve the mood of pregnant women, enhance their self-confidence, increase their satisfaction with their self-performance, and reduce the risk of postpartum depression.
After reading so much popular science, I believe that pregnant mothers have a certain understanding of exercise during pregnancy. If you are not sure whether exercise is suitable for your own situation, or which exercise is suitable for you, you can ask your doctor during the prenatal check-up and exercise moderately under the doctor’s advice.