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Can Pregnant Women Ride Bikes?

September 21, 2015 by U.M.

Can Pregnant Women Ride Bikes?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.

Cycling While Pregnant: What You Need To Know

September 15, 2015 by Lee Agur

Should I Cycle While I Am Pregnant?

Cycling While PregnantAs people learn you are pregnant you will receive all kinds of advice, some good and lots bad. At the end of the day you have to do what is right for you, the golden rule: Listen To Your Body.

As long as you are able to stay safe, and avoid the risk of falling, then cycling can be a great exercise while pregnant.

Tips To Cycling While Pregnant

Instead of “Training” Think More “Fitness”

Your body is focused on growing a baby, it is not the time to increase training or even maintain previous training regimens; doing so will surely lead you to exhaustion and have a negative impact on the fetus. It is the time to focus on feeling happy and healthy. A general rule of thumb, bike as far as you feel like.

If you used to bike 60 miles in a day then 15 – 20 miles is reasonable. Make sure to decrease intensity along with the distance as well.

Be Careful Not To Fall

Take all the precautions you can in order to reduce the risk of falling! Mountain biking, unless on extremely flat and non-technical terrain, is not suggested especially during the first trimester as there is a higher risk of miscarriage. Road biking, commuting or riding a cruiser bike where the risk of falling is negligible is ok.

Take it slower than you are used to, unclip a second earlier than you may normally, don’t draft off anyone, stay away from the roads with the ridiculous amounts of potholes.

Listen to Your Body

Knowing when to not go for a ride or stopping early is even more important than knowing when to go for a ride. If you are exhausted or feel dizzy, or there is any other negative that is out of the norm why risk your baby for a simple ride?

Cycling Can Help With Morning Sickness

It is not a scientific fact, and each individual is different, but some women believe that cycling (or exercise in general) helps reduce morning sickness.

Bikefit While Pregnant

As your tummy grows, you will become more uncomfortable, that is just a fact; however, this is not something that needs to deter you from going for a ride. A bikefit when you are pregnant focuses on comfort first, and everything else last.

A few key areas to focus on are:

  • Handle bars – raise them to get you in a more relaxed position and to reduce cramping
  • New saddle – you may need a different saddle – think gel seats and wider platform
  • New apparel – new shorts with added padding and larger waistline is advisable along with a new jersey.

Any Pain Stop

If there is any abnormal symptoms or pain at all stop immediately.

  • Leg, chest or stomach pains
  • Light headed or dizzy
  • Have difficulty with balance
  • Any vaginal bleeding
  • Shortness of breath
  • Contractions

Benefits of Cycling While Pregnant

  • Reduces tiredness, pains, aches, swelling, depression, anxiety, stress and insomnia.
  • Makes you feel better about the changes that are happening in your body.
  • Helps maintain a healthy body weight.
  • Better prepares the body for the demands of labour.
  • More likely to have a positive effect on overall mood.

Cycling in the Different Trimesters

First Trimester

During the first trimester you are likely very tired as you expend a lot of your energy into growing placenta. Try to go for a ride in the morning when you are likely more energetic, avoid long rides and know when to skip a day if you are exhausted.

The fetus is delicately attached to the womb, any violent falls would put your baby at great risk. You don’t want to fall at any time during the pregnancy; however, the first trimester is when you are at the highest risk of miscarriage. Follow the advice listed above that much more delicately.

Second Trimester

You may have more energy in the second trimester, but make sure not to exhaust yourself by riding too much.

Third Trimester

As you grow bigger, your organs will start to get compressed. Shortness of breath will be common, but make sure it does not get extreme. You will continually become more uncomfortable on (and off) the bike. A bikefit that is focused on comfort while you are pregnant is a must.

What Doctors Say

There are benefits to cycling while pregnant including: reducing tiredness, pains, aches, swelling, depression, anxiety, stress and insomnia. Major risks to reduce to ensure the fetus becomes a happy and healthy baby is that you take every care to reduce falling as well as to hydrate properly and not overheat. Reducing major stresses on your body should be your number one priority. If you experience any major dizziness, pain, shortness of breath or bleeding stop and consult a medical physician immediately.

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