Being pregnant is one of the greatest feelings in the entire world and it is a feeling that only mothers will truly understand. From the outside and from anybody who has never experienced it firsthand, pregnancy sounds more like a nightmare than a dream come true.
Nine months of morning sickness, mood swings, aching joints, checkups, tests, screenings, and weight gain generally doesn’t sound like much fun but ask any pregnant woman how she feels about it and she’ll tell you that she wouldn’t change it for the world.
As far as being pregnant goes, one of the main side effects and one of the main concerns that women have is weight gain. Obviously you will gain weight, there is an entire small person growing inside of you. But learning to limit or manage your weight gain during pregnancy is vital if you and your baby want to be as fit and as healthy as possibly be. This article will provide you with some simple ways to manage your weight gain during pregnancy:
1. A Healthy Diet
Being pregnant is no excuse to binge-eat on junk foods. A small percentage of individuals think that as they’re going to gain weight and as their stomach is going to balloon up anyways, they may as well eat unhealthy foods as their body will already suffer due to the pregnancy. What they don’t realise is that junk foods are full of artificial chemicals, salt, sugar, and fats, could harm their health and the health of their child. To manage your weight during pregnancy, ensure that 90% of the time you consume fresh and healthy foods packed full of nutrients. Fresh fish and seafood, lean cuts of meat, potatoes, rice, wholegrain bread, fresh fruits, and fresh vegetables for example, should all be staples of your every day diet.
2. Allow yourself a weekly treat
A great way of managing your weight and ensuring you eat fresh and healthy produce for the majority of the week is to allow yourself a weekly treat, probably on a weekend. You will get the cravings for unhealthy and rich foods from time to time, we all do, even those of us that aren’t pregnant, and setting yourself a weekly treat meal will help control these cravings. Knowing you have something to look forward to at the weekend will help keep you on track and help ensure you don’t eat a lot of junk food during the week.
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Read More:
Tips to Reduce Blood Sugar during Pregnancy
Guide to Food Safety and Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy
4 Reasons Why Healthy Pregnancy is Important
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3. Eat small and balance meals every three hours or so
Another great way of managing your weight and minimising fat gain during pregnancy is to eat small and balanced meals every three hours or so. Eating small meals like this will help to keep your metabolism running at its full capacity so not only will you be burning calories, you’ll also have more energy as a result. Carrying around the extra weight of an unborn child can be physically demanding, so having as much energy as possible will only benefit you.
4. Exercise
Exercising during pregnancy is perfectly safe, providing you do the right exercises. Obviously you can’t go to the gym and lift weights or head to kickboxing classes, but you can still exercise while pregnant. Walking and swimming are generally considered the safest and most beneficial forms of exercise while pregnant, but ask a medical professional’s advice beforehand just to be safe.
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Did you know that one of the very best things you can do to ensure the future health of your child is actually a decision you can make at birth? Click here to learn more >>
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