Ab Exercises To Do During Pregnancy
4 Replies
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I know you're not supposed to do any ab exercies on your back once you hit the second trimester, but does anyone have any good ab-strengthening exercies they can recommend?
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 | t - August 12 |
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this is from "What to expect when you're expecting" - Sit with your back against a wall or in a straight-backed chair. Put your hands on your tummy and take a deep breath in (your belly should expand). Breath out slowly and contract your stomach muscles as you do. Repeat ten times per session. Sounds like a pretty mild excercise I know, but I have been doing it for a while now (I'm 6 months) and it's quite relaxing and helps keep your back strong too. Apparently it is good practice for breathing during labour and prepares the abs for pushing baby out. Hope this helps
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| t - August 12 |
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ps- you don't want to do any really full-on ab exercises during pregnancy, as this can make the ab muscles too rigid and cause seperation as the uterus pushes its' way through and the muscles don't give, which is really hard to fix after birth (some women have found it impossible). Best to stick to easy exercises that will just keep the abs nicely toned but still with some give in them to allow for babys' growth
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If you have access to a gym, the roman chair is a great machine to tone those lower abs. I'm 7 months and this is the best ab exercise i've tried. Lift your knees toward your midsection. Exhale on the way up and inhale as you bring your legs down. Don't bring your legs all the way back down where you lose the tension in your ab muscles.
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my doctor said the more flaccid your abs are during pregnancy, the more likely your stomach will return to normal-i guess the muscle fibers won't stretch
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