Exercise / physical activity and fertility
Exercise/being active can boost your fertility (the ability to get pregnant). Women who do regular, moderate exercise get pregnant quicker than women who don’t exercise regularly.
It doesn’t have to be an exercise class in the gym, it means any activity that will
- raise your heart rate
- make you breathe faster
- make you feel warmer.
You should still be able to talk without pausing for breath. Walking briskly, for example, counts as moderate activity.
If you have a high BMI and are not getting pregnant as soon as you expected, intense exercise may improve your fertility as it will help you lose weight.
If you regularly do intense vigorous exercise, read more here.
Exercise / physical activity and pregnancy
Being active by doing regular moderate exercise before and after you get pregnant will help you have a healthy pregnancy and birth. Research has shown that being active before and during early pregnancy can reduce your risk of having problems in pregnancy, such as gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia.
Staying strong and ready for labour
Pregnancy puts strain on the body. You may find it easier to cope with if you are fit, strong and flexible. It has also been shown that labour is easier for women who are active during pregnancy.
Reduced stress and anxiety
Planning to have a baby can be very exciting. It can also be an anxious time for both parents-to-be. You’re making plans for a huge change in your life. Mental health problems such as anxiety and depression can be common in pregnancy.
Staying active can help to boost your mood and lessen your risk of stress and depression.
Health benefits for baby
Staying active will also benefit your child’s long-term health. Women who are active are more likely to have children who are active too. It may help for you and your partner to think about becoming active as part of your preparing to be parents.
Think about what kind of activity you’d like to do when you become pregnant and when your baby arrives and start doing it now. For example, it could be walking in the park or going swimming.
You don’t have to join expensive gyms or follow a strict exercise plan. It’s about focusing on ways to make activity part of everyday life.
How much exercise should I be doing?
If you have always been moderately active
For most women, if you have always been active, continuing to exercise at the same level before (and during) pregnancy is safe and healthy.
If you exercise vigorously on most days of the week
A small amount of women who exercise vigorously on most days of the week, such as competitive athletes, may be advised to cut their exercise to a moderate level if they are having problems getting pregnant.
If you have not been active before
If you have not been active before, start to build up your level of activity now. The advice is to build up to:
- at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week and
- strength exercises on two or more days a week that work all the major muscles
or:
- 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week and
- strength exercises on two or more days a week that work all the major muscles
or:
- a mix of moderate and vigorous aerobic exercise a week and
- strength exercises on two or more days a week that work all the major muscles
Moderate activity means any exercise that will raise your heart rate, make you breathe faster and feel warmer. You should still be able to talk without pausing for breath.
Good examples include:
- swimming
- brisk walking
- gardening
- dancing.
Vigorous activity means any exercise that makes you breathe hard and fast. If you’re working at this level, you won’t be able to say more than a few words without pausing for breath.
Good examples include:
- race walking, jogging or running
- aerobics
- singles tennis.
Examples of muscle-strengthening exercises include:
- lifting weights
- working with resistance bands
- push ups or sit ups
- yoga
- pilates.
To get the health benefits from strength exercises you should do them until you get to the point where you struggle to do any more.
5 Tips for being active
Avoid sitting down as much as possible
Cut down the amount of time you spend sitting down (being sedentary). You could try:
- walking or cycling to work
- standing on the bus or train, or getting off a stop earlier
- walking to a co-workers desk instead of emailing or calling
- setting a reminder on your phone to stand up regularly
- taking the stairs instead of the lift or escalator.
Source www.tommys.org
