A lot of people (women) seem to have a confusion regarding the fact that whether they can perform exercises such as sit ups or crunches during pregnancy.
In this article, there will be a widespread discussion on this topic. All the confusions shall be cleared and there will be a justified answer for all your queries.
The question is “Can I still do sit-ups when I am pregnant”? or “Is it safe to sit ups while pregnant”? Yes! There are timings when you can and when you should not.
During the fist trimester, you can obviously work on your stomach and loose that extra fat. Exercise obviously deals with the morning sickness and the stomach issues as well. Sit–ups thus can be said to be extremely useful during this period to deal with some physical stress.
See More: Cardio Workouts For Pregnant Women
Some are of the opinion that one cannot give any kind of physical stress to the body during pregnancy. This is not true actually. There are obviously times when your body should be at total rest. And as discussed earlier, there will be times as well, when you can workout a bit (there are limitations to that, as well).
It will be OK to do some sit-ups or crunches during the first trimester and one will have to adopt some other measures such as a woman cannot just lay on her back throughout the day, as that will result in enlargement of the uterus. (this, you will have to follow during your second trimester).
When you hit your second trimester period, that is when you will have to adopt some serious measure. It wouldn’t suitable to do sit-ups or any kind of abdominal exercises during this period, whatsoever.
There will be times of course, when you will feel that it is almost impossible to perform sit ups. But that is not soon, since we are just discussing about the second trimester and you don’t need to worry about that just yet.
Sit-ups is actually a great exercise to burn that excess belly fat and you will surely know about it. At the same time, they put some stress on the back and obviously on the stomach as well. The belly experiences some serious pressure and that will not be good for the woman who is about to hit second trimester or is already into that stage.
When you’re at this stage, you will have to adopt some serious step that will keep you healthy and away from all kids of physical stress that can take the shape of a disorder. You will have to get rid of the abdominal exercises and adopt some yoga techniques, at least for the sake of the baby.
Well, if you’re a fitness freak and want to look good throughout the day, then there are some good exercises for you other than sit-ups of crunches. This is more of a movement and calling it a workout exercises wouldn’t be appropriate.
If you’re eager to work on your abdominal muscles, then you will need to follow this movement with the combined effort of the hands and the back as well. Get on the floor with your hands and knees facing towards the floor and try to arch your back towards the ceiling (upwards), slowly.
See More: Squatting In Pregnancy
Sit-ups can be a little too much for the pregnant woman. But, the back arch exercise or movement will still allow her to work on that abdominal region.