Hemorrhoids, leg cramps, sciatica — oh my! Alongside the joy of pregnancy often comes a parade of physical discomfort that can spur the phrase: "Am I supposed to feel like this?"As your body grows and shifts, your body's internal pressure systems can get thrown off, causing pain or instability, say pregnancy and postpartum physical therapists.By building balance and strength in a few key areas of the body, you can alleviate and even prevent common pregnancy aches, says physical therapist Krystle Howald, who runs Expecting and Empowered, a platform that focuses on pregnancy and postpartum workouts."I wish people knew a lot of things are preventable during pregnancy," says Howald.Howald shares five movements that can ease pain for women in every trimester.Aim to do two sets of these exercises three times a week as part of your strength regimen, and practice them throughout your pregnancy.Count these exercises toward your 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity physical activity, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends for pregnant women.
And don't forget to take a little time to stretch every day.If you are feeling dizzy, short of breath or having chest pain, stop what you're doing, advises Dr.Ana Cepin, director of community women's health at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.Our guides on form are Amy Kiefer, a certified personal trainer and the co-founder of Expecting and Empowered, and Holly Keskey-Koester, a fitness instructor.You know that very distinctive waddle walk of the deeply pregnant? It's a common way your body compensates for the added weight on your pelvis and the loosening of your ligaments as they prepare for birth, says Howald."It means our feet are slowly drifting outward and our hips are rotating outward too," she says.
That unnatural gait could lead to pelvic pain or worsen back or sciatica pain.Avoid the pregnancy waddle with side-to-side exercises that help you maintain lateral hip control, like banded walks...