Exercise becomes a question of concern for women trying to conceive. You may get a lot of advice from grannies or loved ones to quit heavy workouts, walk slowly and avoid running. But in actuality, staying active and regular exercise can boost fertility chances. After all, exercise helps to maintain overall health and prepares your body to conceive. So, is running safe when you are trying to conceive?
Some hard-core exercises or fast running are still not suitable for conception time. Then what exercises are best for conception? How much running should I do to manage weight for a healthy conception? If you’re getting confused about running while trying to conceive, here’s everything you need to know.
In This Article
- Is Running Safe When You Are Trying to Conceive?
- Can You Exercise During Ovulation And Implantation?
- Benefits of Running When Trying to Conceive
- Disadvantages of Running When Trying to Conceive
- When Should You Stop Running When Trying to Conceive?
- FAQ’s
Is Running Safe When You Are Trying to Conceive?
Moderate running or aerobic exercises are best to maintain good health. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention report, regular workouts, including moderate running, help with
- Managing weight
- Improving muscle strength in women
- Improving brain health.
It is safe to do a workout/running while trying to conceive. This helps maintain the good body shape needed for conception and birth and shows a positive impact on the body. Some of the moderate exercises suggested by the CDC include:
- Brisk walking
- Gentle bicycling
- Hiking
- Aerobic dancing
- Lightweight strength training
- Swimming
- Yoga
[Read : Yoga Asanas To Boost Fertility]
Can You Exercise During Ovulation and Implantation?
Exercises during ovulation and implantation can be done but you have to maintain a moderate intensity while exercising. Rigorous exercising and high-intensity workouts must be avoided.
You may have heard you do not exercise during the menstrual and luteal phases that last from the day of ovulation until the next cycle begins. The length of the luteal phase is around 14 days. However, the luteal phase may vary from woman to woman and also according to the length of the cycle. This phase plays a significant role during the early pregnancy stage.
At this time, the uterus prepares to implant the fertilized egg. A study conducted on women for 27 months from 2013-2016 shows that intense physical activity can decrease the length of the luteal phase. The short luteal phase of fewer than 11 days doesn’t offer sufficient time for the thickening of the uterus lining to support the implantation of the fertilized ovum. This may not be the ideal time to follow an intense workout routine. But moderate workouts can be beneficial for women.
[Read : Stages and Phases of Ovulation]
Benefits of Running When Trying to Conceive
Moderate exercising such as light running gives a boost to your body’s metabolism and positively influences the factors that are responsible for improving your fertility levels. Let’s take a quick view of the potential benefits of running while trying to conceive.
- Running helps in weight management, directly influencing ovarian function and improving hormone balance.
- Exercise or running also impacts reproductive health. It helps optimize BMI (Body Mass Index) and create an energy balance directly correlated with women’s fertility.
- Moderate running and exercise help to increase antioxidant enzyme expression throughout the body.
- Running improves inflammation and lipid profiles.
- Regular exercise helps relieve anxiety and stress that adversely impacts fertility outcomes.
- Running also improves insulin sensitization, which shows several effects on the ovaries’ response to clomiphene citrate during ovulation induction.
Disadvantages of Running When Trying to Conceive
Though running has enormous benefits when trying to conceive, there are also some disadvantages.
- Running too hard can disturb the hormonal level of women. This hormonal imbalance may hamper the chances of conceiving.
- Excessive running can also cause discomfort in the hip region, knees, lower back, and glutes. This may decrease the chances of conception and cause dead butt syndrome leading to your buttocks to the numb stage.
- High-impact running can also cause urinary incontinence.
Always consult your doctor before attempting any sort of exercise when you are planning to have a baby, especially if you are undergoing fertility treatments.
When Should You Stop Running When Trying to Conceive?
Running doesn’t affect the pregnancy ability of the women. There is no need to stop running while trying to conceive. However, you must stay focused on overall health and follow moderate running if you plan to have a baby. Avoid doing vigorous exercise while trying to conceive.
Women trying to conceive experience an emotional roller coaster ride. It can be a bundle of joy if conceived with fewer efforts but nerve-wracking at the same time if she’s unable to conceive. Working out or running is excellent for preventing stress when trying to conceive. This helps to manage weight and improve the menstrual cycle to conceive properly. So, start a brisk walk and later you can start moderate running if you haven’t indulged in any exercise regime earlier. Also, don’t forget to take the doctors’ advice.
FAQ’s
1. Can Running Trigger Ovulation?
Regular running or moderate exercise helps stimulate the production of the ovum. An exercise program of 30 minutes is beneficial to increase ovulation rates.
2. How Much Should You Run While Trying to Conceive?
A 30-minute walk or running is sufficient while trying to conceive. Strength training is beneficial to improve the chance of conception.
Read Also: Surya Namaskar When Trying to Conceive – Is it Safe?
