Posted on August 14, 2007 in Lastest News
A pregnant woman undergoes subtle changes in her hormones and weight. Regular exercise is very important for a woman to stay fit during pregnancy. And, these exercises should be done on wooden floor or carpeted surface. This reduces shock and provides sure footing.
Below are some important exercises that help a pregnant woman stay fit and have a happy delivery:
Neck exercises
Rotate your neck to side, back & front. To further increase the stretch in your neck muscles, open your mouth & tilt the head backwards. Now close your mouth.
Shoulder rotation
Sit cross-legged and raise your shoulders towards your ears. Pull the shoulders back so that the chest is expanded. This relieves the pain in the upper back and the neck region, and prevents rounded shoulders and humped back. Also rotate your shoulders in circular motions. It helps maintain the form of the breasts in the long run.
Cows pose or Gomukh Asana
This helps you get rid of the cervical pain, the common complaint during pregnancy. Take your one hand back with elbow bent overhead. With the other hand, press the bent elbow further down. This stretches your arms and also works on stiff cervical muscles. Hold this position for a minute and repeat it on the other hand.
Adductors stretch
Sit cross-legged and bring the soles of your feet together in front of you. Hold them with your hands and pull them closer to yourself. You will be feeling the stretch in your adductors or inner thigh muscles. This relaxes you and stabilizes the pelvis. Hold this stretch for a minute.
Pelvic raise
Lie down flat on your back on the mat. Bend your knees and place the feet flat on the floor. Now slowly exhaling, raise your pelvis off from the floor. Stay in this position for 20 seconds and slowly lower the pelvis down to floor. You can repeat it 2-3 times. This strengthens the back muscles and relieves lower backache.
Bend forward in box position
Come on all fours in a box position. Your hands should be directly under your shoulders and your knees should be directly under your hips. Have a neutral back. It should neither arch up nor scoop inside. Lower the elbows down, shifting a lot of your weight forward on your hands. With this exercise the weight of the pregnant uterus shifts away from the pelvic floor and spine. This relieves the backache, pain in hips and legs.
Side lying leg abduction
Lie on your side with your head placed on one stretched out arm. Raise the upper leg as high as possible for 10 times and the hold it their for 10 seconds. Repeat it on the other side. This exercise helps to relief legs by assisting the blood to flow backwards towards the heart and gives soothing effect to the legs.
Meditation, breathing exercises
Meditation relaxes both the mother and the baby. Sit cross-legged and bring the arms in front of you. Join the thumb and the index finger together. This is called chin mudra. Close your eyes and slowly inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. Let your mind and body relax. Focus your attention within you. This will reenergize you. You will feel the mind relaxing.
Ankle rotation
Sit with one leg outstretched in front. Place your other foot on the thigh of this leg. Hold the ankle with your hands and start rotating them clockwise and then anti clockwise. Do it 10 times in each direction and repeat on the other leg. This exercise avoids swelling in the feet, which is a common complaint by pregnant women.
Source: Hindustan Times
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November 15th, 2008 at 7:09 am
[...] Every obstetrian hesitate to recommend this method for pregnant women. So it’s really wise to avoid it from a doctor’s point of view. [...]