Is It Safe to Practice Tai Chi During Pregnancy?
Practicing tai chi during pregnancy helps women develop balance, promotes stability and improves their body alignment. It’s also a healthy habit that fuels the body. Therefore, when practicing this martial art, pregnant women will be able to move more easily, and won’t feel as heavy.
This occurs because tai chi movements are good for stretching joints, and to maintain muscle mass, while providing energy to the body.
Tai chi is very good for pregnant women, especially for their body. This is due to the fact that during pregnancy, women gain a lot of weight, and this affects the vertebral column and the lumbar region.
Benefits of tai chi during pregnancy
It’s important to point out that the slow movements of this exercise is what makes it ideal for pregnant women. Since there’s no need for abrupt movements, tai chi doesn’t put mothers or babies at risk.
In addition, it helps straighten the vertebrae, and reduces back pain and stress. However, in order to practice this sport, you need to be patient and constistent.
Improves athletic performance
The constant stretching benefits lymphatic drainage, reduces swelling and improves coordination. In addition, breathing and cardiocirculatory activity stimulate lungs and blood pressure regulation.
These movements help flexibility and muscle toning. Furthermore, they help balance the body and maintain a stable weight. This is very important for the mental and physical health of pregnant women.
The combination of these movements and breathing help women relax. This exercise is very positive for pregnant women, especially before labor. Relaxation allows women to identify their emotional changes, fears, happiness, illusions and cravings. And, all of these emotions are quite common among pregnant women.
Tai chi during pregnancy: relieve stress
In addition to all the benefits previously mentioned, practicing this martial art is an opportunity to do something different and a chance to spend time with other pregnant women.
What’s more, it has many psychological benefits, because tai chi is commonly referred to as moving meditation. By combining movements and breathing, this exercise helps release the mind, reducing tension and stress. Since modern mothers are more conscious about taking care of their own bodies, they tend to choose these kinds of activities more frequently.
Tai chi is a type of exercise that usually combines with other martial arts, such as yoga, Qi Gong and Tui Na. The main goal of these activities is that mothers get to have a healthy pregnancy.
It’s important that pregnant women practice sports to strengthen their pelvic floor, such as Qi Gong, a Taoist art that works on the muscle area preparing the body for dilation and labor.
Tai chi after labor
You should wait for two weeks after labor before practicing tai chi again, as long as you had a natural birth. In case of a C-section, you should wait for at least a month. Furthermore, tai chi helps recover balance after the bad positions used when breast feeding.
Adopting this activity as a habit helps mothers fight fatigue and provides them with the energy they need after giving birth. Also note that you can do these exercises with your baby, as long as you have a baby carrier.
In conclusion, tai chi during pregnancy can be an amazing activity to connect with your baby. We highly recommend it for pregnant women and for good health.
