Jogging During Pregnancy: For & Against

Though jogging seems the most harmless physical exercise, jogging during pregnancy raises a lot of debate, questions and concerns. Let’s look into this matter and find out whether one can run during pregnancy.

The joy of pregnancy, expecting a baby, and nine months of happiness are a happy time in the life of any woman. But during this period it is necessary to comply with a set of rules and radically revise your habits, even useful ones. This also applies to sports, namely jogging during pregnancy.

Sports during pregnancy

Regular exercises help pregnant women deal with pain and ailments, such as pain in the joints and lower back. Exercises normalize metabolism, relieve stress and elevate mood, keep up the tone of the body, relax and stretch the muscles, and make the pelvic joints spring. Generally speaking, it has a beneficial effect on the future mother and contributes to easy childbirth.

The women, who maintain regular exercise during pregnancy, give birth to babies with high vital indicators, as opposed to mothers, who are afraid to leave the couch. In addition, physical activity preserves female beauty and femininity during pregnancy, prevents stretch marks and helps you avoid gaining excess weight, which is especially important for pregnant women.

When are you forbidden to jog during pregnancy?

Of course, you need to consult a doctor before doing sports during pregnancy or continuing training. There are cases of complicated pregnancy, when any physical activity will be detrimental for the baby and mother. Such gynecological problems include:

• Risk of miscarriage.
• The possibility of premature birth.
• Malposition.
• Renal insufficiency.
• High blood pressure.
• Problems with the cardiovascular system.

Sports during pregnancy must be practiced in moderation. The most common variant of physical activity for pregnant women is jogging during pregnancy.

Jogging and Pregnancy

Can you keep jogging during pregnancy? It is possible, but only if you used to jog before pregnancy and did not decide to start training after you had learned about pregnancy. Remember that pregnancy is not the time for experiments with your body. Therefore, new kinds of sports should be postponed until the birth of the baby.

As for the mothers, who were engaged in jogging before pregnancy and wish to continue jogging, there are several recommendations.

• Keep doing exercises and jogging during pregnancy only after a consultation with your doctor. The doctor must carefully examine an expectant mother and exclude the possible problems that jogging may cause.
• Jogging should be slow and remind sports walking. It is necessary to alternate a few minutes of running with fast walking. Note that the training time should be no longer than 30 minutes.
• The maximum permissible pulse of a pregnant woman when jogging should not be higher than 60% of her heart rate during rest in the first trimester of pregnancy and should not exceed 75% during the second trimester.
• Jogging during pregnancy should be monitored; it is desirable to undergo regular checkups and consult a physician.

Is it allowed to jog during pregnancy?

As mentioned above, one can jog during pregnancy only if she used to run before pregnancy. Then it is allowed to continue training. While running, the heartbeat is intensified, and it surely affects the baby; as a result, there may be a miscarriage or premature birth.

If you had never jogged before pregnancy, but wanted to maintain a healthy lifestyle while expecting a baby, substitute jogging with fast walking. Such exercise is only allowed during the first two trimesters of pregnancy, but in the third trimester any increased physical activity is unwanted even among professional athletes. Jogging can cause bleeding, preterm labor, and everything which seems so frightening and risky to expectant mothers.

• During pregnancy, it is very important to jog in the right conditions. We are talking about clothes for pregnant women and the place for jogging.
• Avoid jogging on a treadmill in a stuffy gym with loud music and lots of visitors.
• You cannot run along the roadway, inhaling toxic exhaust fumes, as it negatively affects not only the mother but also the baby.
• You cannot run in extreme heat and low temperatures in order to avoid hypothermia and dehydration.

Cautions when jogging during pregnancy:

• Do not get overheated, especially when running in the first trimester. Drink water before and after exercises; wear loose clothing that does not restrict movements. During the hottest time of the year, you should be engaged in sports in the evening, when the heat is not so strong.
• Do not bring yourself to exhaustion. You should not feel tired and frustrated after exercises; you should have the feeling of pleasant weariness and satisfaction.
• Watch your pulse and monitor breathing. As soon as the shortness of breath appears, slow down the pace of your workout.

As soon as you feel unwell: slight pain, nausea, seizures, blackouts – stop training and go to the antenatal clinic for an examination.

Jogging in early pregnancy

Jogging in early pregnancy is a very difficult question because there are many nuances that cause controversy and concern among experts. For example, some argue that one should run during early pregnancy since it hardens the body, contributes to a healthy baby and significantly improves the condition of mothers during pregnancy.

But there is another side of jogging during early pregnancy. Jogging can cause a miscarriage and severe bleeding. When running, the blood rushes to your working muscles, moving away from the fetus, which adversely affects the child’s development.

Peculiarities of jogging during early pregnancy

• Jogging is good not only for pregnant women, but in general for all people who are concerned about their own health.
• Many experts from the sports field argue that the so-called morning jogging, which helps to cheer up and gain strength for a full working day actually destroys the cardiovascular system, which has not yet had time to wake up from sleep.
• It is better to jog in the evening. Instead of jogging, you can be engaged in active sports walking. This will maintain the heartbeat on the same level and will not lead to sudden surges of blood pressure.
• Before the start of training, namely jogging in early pregnancy, consult a physician. Remember that someone’s positive experience of jogging during pregnancy may not be good for you. Everybody is different, so it is not necessary to risk your life and the future baby’s health as well.

Jogging when planning pregnancy

Jogging when planning pregnancy, as well as any physical activity is not contraindicated. On the contrary, it is very, very helpful. Physical activity has a positive effect on the overall condition of the body, it promotes good blood circulation and proper metabolism, cleanses the body of toxins, improves the mood and frees from obsession.

The influence of jogging on the body of a pregnant woman during each trimester

Jogging is good when planning pregnancy: it affects the entire body and helps to conceive a child. Let us consider the effect of jogging at different periods of pregnancy.

• The first trimester. When running, check your pulse and drink water while jogging and afterwards. Do not expose the body to dehydration since it reduces the blood flow to the uterus and can cause premature birth.
• The second trimester. The belly grows, the center of gravity shifts, and the risk of injury increases. Safe training is possible on a special treadmill. On a flat surface. If there is a risk of falling, you should fall to the side or the knees and take care of the belly.
• The third trimester. The idea of jogging should be treated with caution. If you feel tired, stop and take a break.

Remember that leading a sedentary lifestyle during pregnancy is not recommended, but it is not advisable to overwork either.

Jogging during pregnancy is an opportunity to relax and keep the body in good condition.