Breaking Unhealthy Habits During Pregnancy

The Importance of Breaking Unhealthy Habits During Pregnancy

Everyone knows that a healthy lifestyle is essential for a healthy pregnancy. The choices you make while expecting your child can affect both your and your baby’s health, which is why breaking unhealthy habits as soon as possible is so important. Here are four useful tips on how to get it done with success, so check them out and get down to business right now!

• Create a healthy meal plan

Even though people tend to say that women who expect a child have to eat for two, some pregnant ladies take this saying too far by eating unhealthy, comfort foods more often than they should. Of course, a slice of pizza or a piece of your favorite cake every now and then is more than fine, but drowning yourself (and your baby) in junk food is the last thing you should do during pregnancy.

Creating a healthy meal plan is a great way to start, so try to eat as many fresh fruits and vegetables as possible in the first place. Foods that are high in water content are also highly required as you need to get hydrated, so make sure to eat cucumbers, watermelons, green peppers, oranges, raspberries, and many more. Protein found in chicken, cheese, and eggs, as well as other foods rich in folic acid, are essential for proper development of your baby, which is why you should try to eat them on a daily basis.

• Stay physically active no matter what

Expecting a baby doesn’t mean that you have to stop being physically active – on the contrary, physical activity is more than desirable during pregnancy. Even though it’s probably the last thing on the mind of any future mom, the fact is that exercising has a lot of amazing health benefits that can bring a lot of good in the long run. So, don’t skip your daily routine and you’ll see that you’ll feel much better after every sweat session.

Apart from boosting your mood, working out can also improve your circulation, maintain a healthy weight, and help you sleep much better, which are the benefits that shouldn’t be overlooked. Of course, you should stay away from intense workouts and switch to low-intensity ones such as walking, jogging, swimming, and dancing. Yoga is a great choice, too, as well as reformer Pilates, so give them a try too!

• Quit your bad habits as soon as possible

Needless to say, changing your lifestyle is extremely important when you’re expecting, and this is particularly true if you’ve developed some bad habits back in the past. Smoking, drinking, and substance abuse are the most harmful ones and you must know that they have detrimental consequences on your baby’s health. These can result in low birth weight, birth defects, and even stillbirth, so be sure to quit them as soon as possible. The sad fact is that substance use disorders are quite common among pregnant women – much more common than people realize, and that’s probably because this topic isn’t as talked about as it should be. More and more women who struggle with alcohol or drug addiction decide to go for opiate detox while pregnant, which is a program that helps them successfully deal with their addiction and live a healthier life later on. Staying cautious, embracing healthy lifestyle habits, and having a support group are very helpful to recovering substance abusers, don’t forget that.

• Get enough rest

You’ve probably already figured out that you get tired more easily now when you’re pregnant, right? Well, that’s because of your changing hormones, and you must know that it’s the extra progesterone that makes you sleepy as your body produces more of it while you’re pregnant. Besides that, pregnancy can also lower your blood sugar and drop your blood pressure, which inevitably makes you much sleepier than usual. However, a good night’s sleep is a necessity, no matter if you’re pregnant or not, so stop staying up late and get enough of it every night – and day, too! Trust us when we say that your favorite TV show can wait, so consider recording it and watch it tomorrow or later that day. On the other hand, if you’re craving some time alone, just wake up a bit earlier in the morning instead of compromising your night’s sleep. Your body will be thankful!

As you can tell, breaking unhealthy habits during pregnancy doesn’t have to be as challenging as you probably thought. Of course, it’ll take some time, effort, and persistence, but you know what? It’s totally worth it, and you’ll realize that once you have your baby is in your arms!

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