Exercise

Submitted To: Prof. Jocelyn Jainga RN RLE Instructor

Submitted By: Precious Ann G. Reyes BSN 2D RLE Group 1

Exercise
Extreme exercises have been associated with lower birth weight but moderate exercise is healthy during pregnancy. The average, well-nourished women should exercise during pregnancy a minimum of 3 times weekly for 30 consecutive minutes. An exercise

should consist of 5 minutes of warm-up exercise, an minutes, and then 5 minutes of cool-down exercises. muscle groups rhythmically, such as walking are best. consulted her physician or nurse-midwife before beginning

active stimulus phase of 20 Exercises that involve large Make sure that a woman has the exercise program.

Walking is the best exercise during pregnancy, and women should be encouraged to take a walk daily unless inclement weather, many levels of stairs, or an unsafe neighborhood are contraindications. Swimming is a good activity for pregnant woman and like bathing is not contraindicated as long as the membranes are intact. It may help relieve backache during pregnancy.

Prenatal Yoga
Prenatal yoga aimed at helping a woman relax and managed stress better for all times in her life, not just pregnancy. Yoga exercises help a woman stay overall fit by their focus on gentle stretching and deep breathing. Yoga breathing techniques can be used in labor to help both relaxation and pain management.

Perineal and Abdominal Exercises

Many exercises to strengthen abdominal or perineal muscles can be incorporated into daily activities. Encourage women to maintain an overall active exercise program during pregnancy, as being in good physical condition can help prevent the need for cesarean birth. They should not attempt to exercise if any of the danger signs of pregnancy are present and they should never exercise to a point of fatigue.

Tailor sitting

The position is done in a way that it stretches perineal muscles without occluding blood supply to the lower legs. A woman should not put one ankle on top of the other but should place one leg in front of the other. As she sits in this position, she should gently push on her knees toward the floor until she feels her perineum stretch. This is a good position to use to watch television, read or talk to friends on the telephone or file papers on a lower cabinet at work. It is good to plan on sitting in this position for at least 15 minutes every day. If she does this, by the end of pregnancy, a woman's perineum should be supple that when she tailor sits, her knees will almost touch the floor if pushed.

Squatting

Squatting also stretches perineal muscles and can be a useful position for a second-stage labor, so a woman should also practice this position for about 15 minutes a day. For pelvic muscles to stretch, a woman should keep her feet flat on the floor and not to squat on their tiptoes. Incorporating squatting on daily activities such as picking up toys from the floor reduces the amount of time a woman must devote to daily exercises.

Pelvic Floor Contractions or Kegel Exercises

While sitting at the desk or working around the house, a woman can tighten the muscles of her perineum by doing Kegels exercise. Such perineal muscle- strengthening exercises are helpful in the postpartum period to reduce pain and promote perineal healing. They have long term effects of increasing sexual responsiveness and helping prevent stress incontinence.

Kegel exercises are exercises designed to strengthen the pubococcygeal muscles. Tips: 1. Squeeze the muscles surrounding the vagina as if stopping the flow of urine. Hold for 3 seconds and relay. Repeat this sequence 10 times. 2. Contract and relax the muscles surrounding the vagina as rapidly as possible 10 to 25 times. 3. Imagine that you are sitting in a bathtub of water and squeeze muscles as if sucking water into the vagina. Hold for 3 seconds and relax. Repeat this action 10 times. 4. Caution: Do not regularly start and stop the flow of urine during urination to try and strengthen muscles as this can lead to incomplete emptying of the bladder.

It may take as long as 6 weeks of exercise before pubococcygeal muscles are strengthened, in addition to strengthening urinary control and preventing stress

incontinence, Kegel exercises can lead to increased sexual enjoyment because of the tightened vaginal muscles.

Abdominal Muscle Contractions

Abdominal muscle contractions help strengthen abdominal muscles during pregnancy and therefore may help prevent constipation as well as help restore abdominal tone after pregnancy. Strong abdominal muscles can also contribute to effective second-stage pushing during labor. Abdominal contractions can be done in a standing or lying position along with pelvic floor contraction. A woman merely tightens her abdominal muscles, and then relaxes them. Another way to do is to practice "blowing out a candle". A woman takes a fairly deep inspiration, and then exhales normally. Holding her finger about 6 inches in front of herself, as if it were a candle, she then exhales forcibly, pushing out residual air from her lungs as if her finger were a lit candle. She can feel her abdominal muscles contract as she reaches the end of a forcible exhalation.

Pelvic Rocking
Pelvic Rocking helps relieve backache during pregnancy and early labor by making the lumbar spine more flexible. In can be done in a variety of positions: on hands and knees, lying down, sitting or standing. A woman arches he back, trying to lengthen or stretch her spine. She holds the position for 1 minute, and then hollows her back. If a woman does this at the end of the day about 5 times, it not only increases flexibility but also helps relieve back pain and make her more comfortable for the night.

Focus on Family Teaching Guidelines during exercise in Pregnancy

1. Perform regular exercises rather than engaging in intermittent activity. 2. Do not perform vigorous exercise in hot weather or if you have a fever to avoid overexerting yourself or developing hyperthermia. 3. Avoid activities that require jumping, jarring motions or rapid changes in direction such as jogging because your joints may be unstable. 4. Exercise on a wooden floor or a tightly carpeted surface to reduce shock to the abdomen or knees and knees and provide a sure footing. 5. To avoid muscle cramping, avoid exercises and motions that involve deep flexion or joint extension such as stretching with the toes extended. 6. Always start your exercise by warming up for approximately 5 minutes with activities such as slow walking. 7. Drink liquids liberally before and after exercises to prevent dehydration. 8. When getting up from lying on the floor, do so gradually to prevent dramatic blood pressure changes or stretching of the round ligament that can lead to sharp abdominal pain. 9. Stop any activity and contact your primary care provided if any unusual symptom appear. 10. Make sure your caloric intake is adequate to meet only the extra energy needs of pregnancy but also those of the exercise performed.

Benefits of Exercising During Pregnancy

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relieve backaches and improve your posture by strengthening and toning muscles in your back, butt, and thighs reduce constipation by accelerating movement in your intestine

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prevent wear and tear on your joints (which become loosened during pregnancy due to normal hormonal changes) by activating the lubricating fluid in your joints help you sleep better by relieving the stress and anxiety that might make you restless at night

Strength-Training Exercise during Pregnancy

Hamstring Lift

1. Rest on your hands and knees, with your back flat and abdominal muscles squeezed tightly 2. With your foot flexed, extend your left leg straight behind you. 3. Keeping your back flat, lift your left leg up until it is level with your back. At the same time, shift your weight to your left arm. 4. Lower your leg. Repeat several times. 5. Change sides and repeat, shifting your weight to your right arm.

Inner Thigh Lift

1. Lie on your left side, propping yourself on your left elbow and forearm. Cross the right leg over the left, placing the right foot on the floor next to your left knee. 2. With your foot flexed, lift your left leg slowly two to three inches. 3. Slowly lower your legs to the floor-do not just drop. 4. As you repeat the lifts, be sure to keep your body aligned. Do not roll back onto your buttock. 5. Change sides and repeat.

Outer Thigh Lift

1. Lie on your left side, your head resting on your hand, your body aligned. For balance, bend your bottom leg. 2. Slowly lift your top leg straight up and slightly back. Hold for a slow count of 5, then lower slowly. 3. After you've completed your repetitions, change sides.

Pelvic Rock on All Fours

1. Rest on your hands and knees, your back straight and your knees comfortably apart. 2. Slowly arch your lower back, lift your abdomen, and tuck your pelvis under (as if a string attached to your spine is pulling you upward). Hold for a slow count of 4. 3. Slowly returns to the starting position-do not allow your back to sag. Repeat the tuck, holding the tucked position for a full count of 10. Squeeze your pelvic floor at the same time for an added benefit.

Diagonal Knee and Arm Reach

1. Lie flat on your back, your knees bent and feet flat. Place your hands either behind your head or across your chest.

2. Flatten your lower back to the floor, then raise your head (straight up toward the ceiling, not with your chin down on your chest), shoulders, right arm, and left knee all together slowly. Do not pull on your neck! 3. Slowly return to the starting position. 4. Repeat, raising your left arm and right knee.

Plies

1. Stand with your feet about two feet apart and toes turned comfortably out. 2. Slowly bend your knees, keeping your back flat. Never lower your buttocks past your knees. Keep your knees over your toes-don't let them roll in. 3. Rise slowly, concentrating on the leg muscles as you push upward. Keep your heels flat during the entire movement. To advance the exercise, stay down for 15 to 30 seconds, and then rise slowly.

Sit-Back

1. Sit with the soles of your feet together and comfortably away from your body, your arms held in front of you parallel to the floor. 2. Tuck your chin to your chest and curl back slowly until you are halfway down, keeping the sides of your feet on the floor and your back rounded 3. Return to the sitting position. Exhale as you curl back. (If you find this exercise easy to perform, do the exercise with your arms crossed over your chest. ) Do not try to curl back to the floor and up again.

Trunk Roll
1. Lie on your back, your knees bent and arms on the floor straight out at your side. Lift your feet off the floor, or keep them flat on the floor.

2. keeping your shoulders down and your knees together, roll your legs to the left, touching your left leg on the floor. 3. Roll your legs back to the starting point, then to the right. Make sure your knees are not bent too close to the chest. Keep the movement smooth and don't rush.

Push-Away

1. Stand facing a wall, with your palms on the wall slightly farther apart than shoulder width. Place your feet about two to three feet from the wall. Hold your arms and body straight. 2. Lean toward the wall, allowing your arms to bend. Touch one cheek to the wall. 3. Straighten your arms, pushing your body (still aligned) away from the wall. Do not arch your back. Keep your palms on the wall at all times.