Preventing Pregnancy Fatigue

During pregnancy, your body is using more energy and needs more rest. You probably find yourself feeling tired sooner during normal activities. While this is due to your changing hormone levels and increased metabolism, regular physical exercise can help you manage your fatigue. Regular physical exercise which you may call cardio or aerobics, can help.

The secret is to exercise at a low intensity. To understand what intensity means, think of it this way. A low intensity exercise is one you can do and maintain a conversation. A moderate intensity exercise is one you can do while talking, but probably just short sentences. During high intensity exercise you can not get out more than one or two words at a time.

Just about any exercise can be done at a low intensity. You might enjoy walking, biking, swimming, jogging or dancing. To keep the exercise low intensity just be sure you can still talk while you do it. Understand that every person's fitness level is different, so what is low intensity for you may be a moderate or high intensity for a friend.

You will find that as you make regular physical activity a part of your daily routine, your strength increases and fatigue decreases. You may also find that you walk or bike faster and still maintain a low intensity workout. This is because your body learns to be more efficient with its energy supply. And while exercise cannot prevent the effects of pregnancy hormones on your body, it can help you deal with those effects more comfortably.

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