Incorporating physical activity into everyday life brings a whole host of benefits, and this certainly doesn’t stop when you are pregnant. In fact, it is even more reason to start, or continue living an active life as not only will it support you as the expectant mum, it will also support baby through pregnancy and labour as well as exposing them to healthy habits from day one of life.
Here are just 5 reasons why you should think about being active during pregnancy:
Improves or helps to maintain cardiovascular fitness
Maintaining cardiovascular fitness during pregnancy can offer numerous benefits for both the mother and the baby such as ensureing that essential nutrients and oxygen are efficiently transported to the developing fetus, supporting its growth and development as well as supporting a quicker recovery post birth.
Helps you sleep when sleeping gets tough
Maintaining physical activity during pregnancy can contribute to better sleep quality, especially as the challenges of finding a comfortable sleeping position become more pronounced as pregnancy progresses.
Help prevent pregnancy related conditions
Engaging in regular physical activity during pregnancy has been associated with a reduced risk of developing certain pregnancy related complications and conditions such as gestational diabetes and high blood pressure.
Healthy habits for life
Being active is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle so engaging in healthy habits before and during pregnancy can have long lasting benefits for both mum and baby.
Meet other expectant or new mums
Connecting with other expectant or new mums through activity groups can provide significant emotional and social support during pregnancy and the postpartum period by sharing experiences and helping to combat feelings of loneliness.
Find out more
To find out more about having an active pregnancy, take a look at our Active Mums Lincolnshire page and to find suitable activities head over to the Let’s Move Lincolnshire Activity Finder where you can filter activities using the ‘Pregnancy Support’ filter*
If you are an activity provider and deliver, or plan to deliver pregnancy friendly activities in Lincolnshire, please get in touch at Donna.Sutton@activelincolnshire.com.
For more pregancy support, take a look at the Better Births Lincolnshire website where you will find lots of useful information about what to expect and what is available to you in Lincolnshire.
*we continue to work with activity providers to add more pregnancy and postnatal activities to the activity finder so keep checking if there isnt anything suitable at first