Exercising while you’re pregnant is one of the best choices you can make for your health and your baby’s health. Women who exercise during their pregnancies produce healthier babies overall, and cycling during pregnancy has even been linked to increased intelligence and reasoning skills in children. It can reduce the side effects of pregnancy, and make you feel more physically comfortable, as well as more emotionally calm. It reduces the risk of various diseases for you, for the fetus, and for your child later in his or her life. It reduces the stress put on you and the baby, and does not seem to produce any negative effects as long as you limit the risk of falling. Many women who cycle choose to “play it safe” by not cycling during pregnancy, but there are countless cases that demonstrate how beneficial it really is in the long run.
Benefits:
- Women tend to experience less aches, swelling, and fatigue. Exercise improves circulation, posture, metabolism, and many other factors, so it leads to fewer physical side effects of the pregnancy. It also strengthens your body, which can ease the burden of the extra baby weight.
- On the emotional side, women tend to experience less depression and anxiety. Cycling during pregnancy has also been shown to reduce insomnia and overall stress in pregnant women.
- There is a trend towards shorter, easier labor for women who exercised regularly throughout their pregnancy, especially for those who continued their routines up until the end.
- Exercise improves the cardiovascular health of the fetus, and this effect stays with them after they are born. Children of women who exercised during their pregnancies have stronger hearts, and less risk of heart disease and diabetes. They also develop stronger blood vessels.
- Children whose mothers exercised during their pregnancy tend to be more lean, and have a lower obesity rate than children whose mothers did not exercise during their pregnancy.
Things To Consider:
- Make extra sure to stay hydrated during your cycling and exercise, because dehydration may induce premature contractions.
- If you have a very vigorous routine, toning it down a bit is highly recommended
- If you are not someone who has been exercising regularly already, starting during a pregnancy is safe and beneficial, but make sure you ease into it. Your body has a lot to get used to! Taking up cycling may not be a good idea as there is too high of a risk of falling, but other exercises like swimming, aerobics and walking are recommended.
- Make sure to stay out of the heat. Getting overheated or sunstroke can be harmful to your baby. Do not over stress your body in any way.
Can Pregnant Women Ride Bikes?
Exercising and cycling during pregnancy do not cause harm to the fetus, there will obviously be some exceptions to this. Certain complications of a pregnancy can make it more risky for a woman to exercise. For example, if you are carrying more than one fetus, it may be best to reduce the intensity of your regular routine. Short races (if you keep intensity down) have been shown to be safe, but participating in a form of exercise that is very high impact or carries a higher risk for falling or crashing may not be the best idea. It’s best to run your cycling and exercise routine by your doctor so that you can make any necessary modifications to ensure the safety of you and your child.