The Unique Role of Physical Fitness in Managing Pregnancy Stress ...

Hi there dear readers! Here is a guest post from a mother who emailed and asked me if she could post a guest article here in my blog. Of course I can't say no, since her topic is health related. Thus,this post is a beginning of my approval to any health and nurse bloggers out there who want to be a guest blogger here in my blog. Email me then, if you are interested.

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As undeniable facts of life go, stress is one of the most potentially damaging for new moms and their growing babies. Of course, very few things in this world are all good or all bad, and stress does have some positive roles to play. The hormones produced in the body during a stressful event will heighten the awareness and speed reflexes, which make it possible to escape from dangerous situations unharmed. Exposure to pathogens initiates a physical stress response that typically results in a stronger immune system.

However, chronic stress is dangerous to the health. It may come from toxins in the food or environment, strained relationships, and even physical injuries that do not heal properly. Chronic stress has been positively correlated to heart disease, obesity, many types of cancer, and a weakened immune system. Specifically during pregnancy, chronic stress has been linked to lower birth weight, prolonged labor, complications during delivery, and a number of early childhood diseases. Fortunately, exercise offers a well-understood way to reduce the damaging effects of all types of stress.

Building Emotional and Physical Adaptability
Exercise has a number of proven benefits for pregnancy, and all women are encouraged to investigate exercise options through the many pregnancy classes now available. Increased flexibility, stronger pelvic muscles, and an optimized metabolism all contribute to reducing the experience of symptoms during pregnancy and making delivery go more smoothly.

It also helps in another, closely linked way. Exercise has been shown to reduce the experience of psychological stress. Previous studies have shown that pregnancy decreases a woman's tolerance to all forms of stress, and things that were not stressful before may suddenly become risks to the emotional and physical well-being of mom and baby. One meta-analysis of previous work in the field found sufficient evidence to substantiate the idea that physical exercise increases stress tolerance for mom and results in better health outcomes for baby.

What Are the Most Beneficial Exercises?
Generally speaking, beneficial exercises will be those that are used regularly and closely match the individual's tolerance for physical stress. Studies of exercise have consistently found there is no difference in overall benefits between water aerobics, yoga, and a daily walking routine. However, the individual's health status and fitness level have to be considered when choosing an appropriate form of exercise. During pregnancy, this means choosing a form that is lower impact and less intense than optimum forms for non-pregnant women. There is a greater need to avoid injury and over-exertion, both of which can lead to chronic stress.

A range of enjoyable exercises is the best choice, because this ensures multiple types of specific benefits and regularity. Water aerobics may be preferred by some moms, and this type will reduce symptoms like fatigue, insomnia, and digestive upset. Water aerobics can even be used to tone muscles, but it will not help in strengthening the bones. Mixing low- and no-impact aerobics with resistance training and pregnancy-specific exercises for toning the pelvic muscles is an optimum recipe for decreasing pregnancy stress.

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Working with a doctor, a mother can develop an appropriate exercise plan to better reduced her stress levels and keep her physically healthy. Planning for delivery with her doctor, learning more about standard procedures, like pain medicines available, and optional procedures, like umbilical cord blood banking, will help a mother go to the delivery room solely focused on delivery of a healthy baby without the worry of the details.

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This article was written by Katie Moore. Katie is an active writer within the blogging community who discusses maternity, motherhood, prenatal health, childbirth and other topics within this niche.? If you have any questions or would like to connect with Katie please contact by visiting her blog, Moore From Katie or her twitter @moorekm26.

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