Best Exercises For Improving Fertility

Keeping active is one of the best and most simple ways to increase fertility. Women who do regular, moderate exercise get pregnant more quickly than those who don’t.

Running and walking

Both walking and running are excellent cardiovascular workouts, especially since you don’t need any special equipment (aside from a trusty pair of sneakers). Once you are expecting, walking is safe and recommended right up to delivery day.

And it’s perfectly fine for experienced runners to stay on track, as long as you get your doctor’s okay, listen to your body, and stick to level terrain. That said, now’s also not the ideal time to risk injury by training for your first marathon or working toward a five-minute mile.

Strength training

Weight lifting builds muscle tone and bone strength — both of which will help keep you in top shape during pregnancy. To avoid risking injury, opt for lighter weights with more repetitions (12 to 15), or focus on resistance exercises that use your own body weight, like lunges, squats, crunches, and push-ups.

Even CrossFit and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can be okay when you’re expecting if you’ve been at them for years and get the okay from your practitioner. Just avoid jumping and jarring movements. Be sure to take breathers when you need them as well as frequent water breaks.

Pilates, barre, and yoga

Barre, yoga and Pilates are ideal exercises if you’re trying to get pregnant since they build strength, balance, endurance, and muscle tone — all things that will help your conception efforts.

Yoga, in particular, is designed to help you relax, which is especially important when you’re TTC. That said, yoga injuries are common, and they can derail your baby-making efforts (imagine trying to get busy under the sheets with a back injury!), so it’s smart to seek out the guidance of a teacher who can help you pinpoint your body’s limits.

If you’re a fan of the super-hot Bikram yoga, you’ll probably want to cool it for now as well. This form of yoga involves doing poses in a room that’s heated to between 95 and 105 degrees, and exercising in an overly-hot room isn’t safe for a brand-new developing fetus. Talk with your yoga instructor (and your doctor) to find the yoga style that will work for you.

Swimming

Swimming is a low-impact exercise that builds muscle tone and offers fantastic cardiovascular benefits. Swimming, in particular, is ideal for expecting moms since it makes you feel weightless and can help relieve common early pregnancy symptoms like nausea and swelling.

Indoor cycling

As long as you’ve been spinning your wheels for at least six months, indoor cycling is another safe, low-impact exercise that’s safe up through pregnancy. Just make sure to drink plenty of water and take breaks if you get super winded or overheated.

Signs you’re overdoing it on the exercise

It might be time to tone down the frequency, pace, and duration of your workouts if you feel excessively tired, irritable, have muscle or joint pain, or can’t get a good night’s sleep. All of these symptoms can mean you’re overdoing it, whether you’re pregnant or not, and putting yourself at greater risk of injury.

Also be sure to check in with your doctor if your menstrual cycle becomes erratic since keeping your period on track makes it a whole lot easier for the egg to meet sperm.

Source: Whattoexpect.com