Aqua aerobics in pregnancy: the benefits, when to start and up to what month to do it
During pregnancy there are many doubts of the mother expecting her baby and one of these is certainly linked to the possibility of physical activity. The insecurity is then accentuated by some cultural restraints that see the pregnant woman as a woman forced to rest. During this fantastic moment of the woman, it is important to carry out sporting activities in a responsible way, to recognize the benefits associated with it, but also to know when there is the possibility of practicing it without problems or when it is necessary to stop it. The pregnant woman must take into account which trimester she is in (in the first it is recommended to avoid too much activity), how her pregnancy is progressing, if the gynecologist has given the authorization to practice sports and her level of training in the past.
Among the most recommended sports during pregnancy there are certainly those in water and in particular water aerobics, also suggested by gynecologists as an activity to be carried out from the first months to the last months, when the fetus is now fully formed as can be seen in this video .
All the benefits of water aerobics during pregnancy, from muscle toning to pain reduction during labor
Playing water sports offers many benefits that other sports cannot, such as taking advantage of the absence of gravity and thus toning the body without feeling heavy and tired. The weight of the body is about 1/6 of the real one, an advantage especially in recent months, when the belly weighs on the back and can easily cause back pain and sciatica. Furthermore, the low weight allows you to do many types of movements without risking joint trauma, allows you to perform the repetitions better, remaining more comfortable and safe and you can also perform exercises that are not recommended in pregnancy such as those from supine, a position that is not always it can be taken in the last few months, because the enlarged uterus can compress the vena cava and cause pressure drops.
The resistance offered by the water makes it possible to obtain muscle toning that is sometimes higher than the activity carried out outside the pool, especially in the back, pelvis and perineum, or those parts of the body most affected by pregnancy and at the time of childbirth. It even helps improve pain tolerance during labor.
Moving in the water allows you to mitigate hyperlordosis, the curvature of the spine at the lumbar level that increases with the growth of the belly, relieving or preventing back pain, especially typical of the last few months.
Water aerobics is relaxing thanks to slow gestures and muffled sounds that also help you get in touch with your child, especially when performing the exercises in the immersion and in the fetal position.
Thanks to the pressure exerted by the water, it helps to relieve swelling in the ankles and legs, very common in pregnancy, by promoting the superficial circulation of the lower limbs, which are one of the areas most subject to venous and lymphatic stagnation.
Finally, from an emotional point of view, it is proven that moving in water stimulates the production of endorphins, the hormones that instill well-being.
With the activity in water, the oxygenation of the maternal blood increases, which is automatically transported to the fetus, which therefore receives better nourishment. It has therefore been shown that the benefits of this sport are also seen on the child, who will be born more robust, with the right birth weight and a lower tendency to get sick in the first years of life.
When can you start water aerobics when you are pregnant?
It would be advisable to wait until the third month of pregnancy has passed and usually, at the time of enrollment, it is mandatory to present the certificate of healthy and robust constitution issued by your gynecologist. If the pregnancy goes well and the gynecologist allows it, water aerobics can be done safely for the whole wait, 2-3 times a week.
Advice and precautions
Make sure you drink as soon as you finish your workout because a lot of fluids are lost even in water.
There are few contraindications to aquatic activity and concern overt diseases such as gestational hypertension, infectious diseases, diabetes, overweight or excessive thinness or thyroid dysfunction.
If you have always been sedentary, starting just when you are expecting a baby requires specific training that starts with an education related to breathing. In this case it is important to rely on a professional.
Stop training if you feel dizzy, palpitations, fatigue, uterine contractions or bleeding and undergo a visit to the gynecologist, maybe just a little milder activity will suffice.
These are the advice of Karen Pozzi who is in the sixth month of pregnancy and regularly plays water aerobics and confirms all the benefits listed in this article. There are many doubts related to sports during pregnancy. For this reason, the project "Pregnancy and sport" was born on her blog karenpsport.it to convey that doing physical activity right now is good for the mother, but also for her baby. Thanks to the intervention of professionals such as personal trainers, doctors, osteopaths and nutritionists, her goal is to provide future mothers with more specific information on how to continue doing sports including training frequency, rhythms, methods, benefits, choice of the type of sports to be practiced and risks associated with an exaggerated sporting activity.
Discover the dedicated section on Karen's blog: http://www.karenpsport.it/mamme/gravidanza
