What abdominal exercises are safe?
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Can you do sit-ups or crunches during pregnancy? If so, for how long? Lisa Stone, an ACE-certified Pre-and Post-Natal Fitness Instructor, has your answer.
Your question
What kind of abdominal exercises are safe during pregnancy? - Terri in Andover, Massachusetts
The expert answers
During the first trimester, you can safely continue doing traditional crunches. After the first trimester, it's time to switch to ab exercises modified for pregnancy -- you shouldn't do any exercises in a back-lying position because your heavier uterus could compress your vena cava (the main source of blood return), causing abnormally low blood pressure and restricting the amount of oxygen getting to your baby.
That said, here are a couple of exercise suggestions to get you started:
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1. Start in a quadruped position (forearms & knees), exhale as you tighten the abs pulling the belly button in toward the backbone, inhale as you release.
2. You can work the obliques by starting in a side-lying position with knees bent and at a 45 degree angle, exhale as you lift the rib cage toward the hip bone, squeezing in the waist line, inhale as you lower.
You should also combine these exercises with pelvic floor or Kegel exercises to get maximum benefit.
