There are various notions about pregnancy that prevail among women all over the world. While fitness is not a goal to achieve during pregnancy but there can definitely be some measures that can be adopted to make sure that the weight gain during the pregnancy period be limited. The unnecessary weight (other than the requisite mandatory and a few pounds above) comes along with several health hazards that can sustain in body for longer periods of time post pregnancy. The pregnant women can adopt several types of fitness regime in their lifestyle. They can go for walk, swimming or Biking Exercise too!
Yes, we mention Biking Exercise! It is completely safe to bike during your pregnancy provided you are paying attention to certain things. The best we would recommend is to use a comfortable recumbent exercise bike that will save you from uneven roads and traffic disturbances.
Benefits of Exercising on Bike During Pregnancy
Knowing these benefits will give you more reasons as why biking should be included in daily routine during your most special period of time i.e. pregnancy:
Controls the chances of gestational diabetes – During the 2nd trimester of pregnancy many women report with gestational diabetes due to higher sugar levels in their blood. This can cause several malformations of the baby inside womb or can create troubles during delivery for the mothers.
With cycling you can control the sugar levels in your body as it makes you excrete the sweat. Slow cycling with timely intervals helps you in sweating out the toxins from the body. Sweating out in a healthy way is good for everyone including pregnant women to control gestational diabetes.
Improves the sleep pattern – During pregnancy sleeping pattern gets affected to a great extent. The reason for it can be the changing hormones, changing body and lack of physical activity. Cycling can help in reducing the sleep disorders as it is a whole body inclusive workout. Your muscles will get sufficiently tried to require adequate rest.
Moreover cycling creates happy mental waves in the mind that will result in generating relaxation during sleep.
Aids in birth and delivery preparation – At the time of delivery women get exhausted quite early as the procedure requires one to endure a lot of pain. Cycling is such a practice that helps you in improving your breathing practices and endurance and provides strength in the core muscles.
Thwarts Edema – Edema is caused usually during pregnancy among women. It is the pain or tingling sensation in the ankles which is arrived due to heaviness in the legs. Cycling keeps in balancing your leg weight and movements of the ankles to prevent it from occurring.
How to Adopt Cycling During Pregnancy?
The body goes through several changes during pregnancy with each trimester. You need to modulate your workouts accordingly.
In first trimester you can do normal biking with little precaution about the inclination. While you approach the second trimester, the belly tends to become bigger and leans forward down. In this state, if your gynecologist permits, you can go ahead with mild biking. Taking short water breaks are advisable as you progress towards the end of second trimester. You can set the time frame and make sure that you drink plenty of fluids during the day.
As you approach the third trimester, we would recommend you to take a call totally as per your doctor’s suggestion. Every pregnancy is different and we see examples of every kind around us. Therefore, instead of following someone else’s path, it is better to seek professional guidance.
If the gynecologist permits, then you should go for stationery bikes with the presence of some trainer or family member to support you throughout your workout time especially during the third trimester.
Cycling is a sport of rejuvenation. We do not recommend making it a stressful exercise. You can alternate cycling with walk or swimming to bring variations in your workout. The body should get the desired amount of workout and relaxation which is quite possible with biking.
Conclusion
Biking during pregnancy is possible with some extra cautious efforts. There are several benefits of including biking during pregnancy- the most important being the attaining of endurance and mental satisfaction that you gain with it.
With little care, caution and efforts it is possible to get your body in momentum with cycling. Our only piece of advice is:
1. Go slow with pedaling.
2. Consult and discuss the difficulties with your gynecologist every month and trimester.
3. Use stationery bike.
4. Take help of trainer or some family member when you approach the end of second trimester.
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