Overweight: getting back on track before pregnancy
According to scientists, overweight mothers have an impact on their newborns. Will this new study(1) across the Atlantic be able to provide a trigger in pregnant and obese women to give themadditional motivationto lose a few pounds before pregnancy?
A promising new discovery
This study was conducted in the UK and found that women who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of giving birth to children with excess weight. The same is true for those with high blood glucose levels or diabetes.
Dr. Rachel Freathy, co-author of the study, says that being too fat or too thin is detrimental to health. For children to be healthy, it is necessary to understand and define the maternal profile. For this, the researchers analyzed the weight, blood pressure and blood sugar of more than thirty thousand healthy women and their children, and this over the long term since eighteen studies were carried out.
The report indicates that a maternal BMI of +4 pointsis correlated with an excess birth weightof almost 60 grams. The same is true for glucose levels and blood pressure, which have a proven influence on the infant’s birth weight.
According to scientists, these results encourage us to remain vigilantto ensure optimal child development. In addition, high levels of lipids in the mother’s blood do not seem to have any effect on the size of the newborn. Some previous studies have validated this characteristic but, this component alone, is not sufficient to affirm a change in the height of the future child.
Therefore, it seems appropriate to prepare for these events and then ensure a healthy diet and correct physical exercise so that the child does not have to suffer the nutritional and sedentary fragilities of his mother.
Fitness exercises for pregnant women
Gentle and conducted exercise is recommended during the first months of pregnancy and then postpartum a few days after delivery after the return of diapers. For the overweight person, exercise is even more advisable. Ideally, it is best to start several months before pregnancy.
- Lie on your back, knees bent and feet on the mat, peel off your glutes up to your waist, keeping it on the floor. Contract the buttocks, tuck the navel in while blowing and this ten times. With this exercise it is the posterior plane and the abs that are solicited.
- In the sheathing position, that is to say flat on the belly on the elbows and on the bottom of the thighs, it is necessary to keep the pelvis off the ground by tightening the underside of the buttocks so that the pubis is oriented downwards. It is a question of not arching the back by pulling the tailbone towards the feet. Stay between 10 and 30 seconds and then release. Here, the transverse muscle is strengthened. It helpsto maintain a toned belly.
- Standing, do the position called “the chair” for 10 seconds, which consists of placing your back against the wall with your thighs parallel to the ground (like sitting on a chair). The legs and back maintain the posture and are therefore energized.
In order to soothe yourself, lie down and breathe with your stomach. Take some air while inflating the belly and then exhale the air by soothing your ribs. Try to practice mindfulness breathing by focusing all your attention on breathing movement.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.