The Best Exercises When Trying to Conceive

There is significant research showing the importance of prenatal exercise, but it’s really your activity level before you conceive that really sets the stage for your pregnancy. If you’re heavy into training and competition, you’ll want to lessen your fitness intensity well before trying to get pregnant, as this will ensure normal menstruation and ovulation cycles. Also, you want to discontinue jarring activities that could place your abdomen at risk. These include soccer, skiing, horseback riding and basketball. The following are a sampling of exercises best for when you’re trying to conceive.

Walking

Hiring a personal trainer to stay in shape can keep you on target with your fitness goals. But if you’re looking to get pregnant in the not-too-distant future, you may want to lace up your walking shoes. Walking provides individuals who are overweight, obese and unfit with a doable activity program that is low-impact. Besides a supportive pair of walking shoes, no other equipment is necessary. If you’re looking to get an upper body workout while you walk, include small hand-held weights or walking poles. When you’re pregnant, you’ll be able to continue your walking program with your physician’s approval.

Bike Riding

Another low-impact workout that provides cardiovascular benefits is bike riding. Whether you sign up for a spin class at the gym or you take out your bike and ride your favorite trail, the activity can help you drop pounds, maintain your weight, lower your cholesterol and reduce your chances of getting diabetes. When done under your doctor’s guidance, you may be able to continue bike riding well into your pregnancy.

Swimming

Swimming is at the top of the list provided by health care providers and fitness trainers. Because it’s done in water, you can safely swim laps, jog and participate in water aerobics without any jarring movements. This makes it an ideal pre-conception and pregnancy workout for women. The buoyancy that the water provides may even lessen aches and pains felt during the third trimester of your pregnancy.

Yoga

Yoga is an exercises that can stimulate both mind and body. It also promotes flexibility, endurance and strength. Through the various deep breathing and stretching techniques, you’ll teach your body to relax and reduce stress with every movement. When you’re trying to conceive, you want to avoid Bikram yoga classes because of the high temperatures of the room and poses that could be more challenging to the body. Prenatal yoga classes are ideal for women who are pregnant, looking to get pregnant or postpartum.

Strength Training

Strength training two to three times a week does more than just burn calories. The movement using moderate amounts of weight can also help pre-conception by building strong bones and muscles. Using small dumbbells, resistance bands or your own body weight, you’ll be able to work your overall body. Pushups, squats, lunges, planks and dips are just a few sampling exercises you may want to focus on. A stronger body can also prove helpful when it comes to carrying the baby and during delivery.

Not everyone has an easy road to pregnancy. That’s why it’s important to maintain your health and wellness. If you need additional assistance getting pregnant, there are a number of resources available to help with conception. Tuboplasty helps restore fertility to those who have had tubal ligation. Once the tubal reversal has been restored, women have a greater chance of conceiving naturally.

There are numerous benefits to incorporating regular exercise into you daily regimen before conception. From boosting your ovulation and fertility to relaxing the body and helping it to become stronger for pregnancy, exercise is critical to your overall health and wellness. Simple activities such as walking, yoga and lifting small weights also helps women who have a high body mass index and are unable to conceive lose weight.