Tips For Yoga and Swimming When Pregnant

As we know, exercise when pregnant has many benefits for both you and your baby. It can, however, also be very harmful if not done correctly.

Yoga and Pregnancy
Be sure to follow the tips below to ensure proper exercise.

• If you haven't been doing yoga regularly, then try and take a beginners class to ease yourself into the yoga routine.
• Don't perform any poses on your back after the first trimester as that can cut blood flow to the uterus.
• Avoid poses that stretch the muscles too much, particularly the abdominal muscles.
• Perform standing poses with your heel to the wall or use a chair for support to help prevent losing your balance and risking injury to you or your baby.
• When bending forward, bend from the hips, not the back. Maintain as much distance as possible between the breastbone and the pubic bone. This will make breathing easier.
• Keep the pelvis upright when stretching the chest and the front of the thighs.
• If you need to bend forward while in a sitting position, place a towel around your feet and hold both ends. Bend from the hips and lift the chest to avoid compressing your abdomen.
• When practicing twisting poses, twist more from the shoulders and back to avoid putting any pressure on your abdomen.
• If you feel any discomfort, stop. You will probably need to adapt each pose to your body's physical changes

Yoga is a convenient exercise that can be done almost anywhere. In fact, many women like to stay in the comfort of their home and work out alongside a

Swimming and Pregnancy

Swimming is one of the best forms of exercise a pregnant woman can do, either as a beginner or someone who has been swimming for years. If you haven't been swimming or exercising regularly, then start off slowly, stretching and easing yourself into the new exercise routine.

Swimming is a great way to get an all over workout as it uses both large muscle groups, and is a good cardiovascular workout. The other main advantage of swimming is that is offers a weightless environment which helps prevent the risk of injury.

Just a note of caution for swimmers; always wear flips flops on pool decks and in public showers because of the risk of catching a contagious fungus.

If you do notice that your toenail looks thick, discolored or brittle, you may have toenail fungus. This nail fungus is known as onychomycosis (on-ee-ko-me-KO-sis) and it is one of the most common foot problems. In fact, it affects around 10 to 20% of the population.

So what if you’re pregnant and you get toe nail fungus? Toenail fungus will not go away and should be treated before it spreads. Toenail fungus cures abound but you must be very careful since many of the medications are not suitable during pregnancy. First consult with your doctor to confirm whether it is toenail fungus and then discuss your treatment options. It is often recommended that pregnant women stick to natural or home remedies for toe fungus until after their baby is born. And if you are planning on nursing, you should wait until you have weaned your baby before you start some of the toe fungus treatments. Again, to be safe, try a home remedy for toe nail fungus.

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