5 Great Exercises for Your First Trimester of Pregnancy

Pregnancy is all about a beautiful experience that comes with various emotional and physical changes in a woman’s life. To make this journey more comfortable, it’s essential to take care of your physical and emotional well-being. In this blog, we are going to discuss some of the great exercises that you can perform in your first trimester if your pregnancy is uncomplicated.

What is the first trimester of pregnancy?

Every pregnancy has three trimesters or stages, and the first trimester lasts up to the 13^th week or the first 3 months of pregnancy. In the third trimester of pregnancy, every woman experiences a roller coaster of emotions as they are dealing with new changes in their life.

Exercise plays a very important role during pregnancy, as it may help keep you and your growing baby healthy. But it is very important to talk to your doctor before starting any workout routine.

Let’s discuss some safe and useful exercises for the first trimester of pregnancy.

1. Kegel’s exercises

Kegel exercises, also known as pelvic floor exercises, are done to help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. By strengthening those pelvic floor muscles, you can have great control over your pelvic muscles during labour. This exercise is beneficial in many ways, such as pushing during vaginal delivery, giving support to the weight of the foetus, and healing after the delivery.

2. Walking

Walking is one of the most gentle and low-impact exercises that can be done by pregnant women in the first trimester. Walking offers various benefits during pregnancy, such as maintaining a healthy weight gain, reducing back pain, and helping you be fit and active.

3. Yoga

Yoga helps establish a balance between emotional, physical, and mental dimensions. It also helps you prepare for childbirth and improves your physical and psychological health. During the first trimester, it is safe to perform yoga by limiting some of the asanas. Some of the asanas that are considered safe during pregnancy are Vrksasana, Malasana, and Lunge.

4. Pilates

Pilates is considered the most effective form of exercise when performed during pregnancy. It includes low-impact exercises and breathing practices that help improve abdominal strength, balance, and lower back pain. Keep in mind that the first trimester is not the time to push your body, nor is it a time to try to advance in your Pilates practice. Instead, the focus should be on your Pilates foundation, like breathing and stabilization. Only do as much (or as little) exercise as you feel comfortable doing.

You can do Pilates once per week to help you cope with the changes that happen during pregnancy. It also helps to build strength and balance, which are helpful during delivery. 

5. Breathing exercises

Breathing exercises offer several benefits to pregnant women. Some of the relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing and meditation, can help reduce stress and anxiety during pregnancy. Other than this, these breathing exercises also help to calm your mind and body.

If you’re facing any discomfort like excessive fatigue, muscle weakness, vaginal bleeding, or amniotic fluid leakage during any of these exercises, you should immediately avoid performing those exercises and call your doctor right away if any complications arise.

Your doctor may suggest a list of exercises that are beneficial to you during pregnancy and also advise you to avoid certain exercises.

Benefits of Exercises for First Trimester During Pregnancy

Exercises are a great way to help prepare the body for delivery and childbirth and also offer various physical and emotional benefits. Some of the benefits of exercising during pregnancy are:

• Reduce the risk of complications.
• Help uplift the mood
• Keep blood pressure from rising

• Ease back and pelvic pain
• Boost the energy level
• Improves sleep
• Combats constipation

Conclusion

Pregnancy is an overwhelming experience for many women around the world. During this time, you may experience various physical and emotional changes as your body is changing rapidly.

In this case, these types of exercises, such as walking, pilates, yoga, and pelvic floor exercises, offer various benefits to a mother’s and baby’s health.

These exercises are based on low intensity and are gentle exercises that pregnant women can easily perform and do not require much strength. However, every pregnancy is unique; therefore, you must contact your OB-GYN and discuss your specific conditions with them. During the exercises, make sure you are hydrated enough.