Prenatal and Postnatal Exercise
         Your ideal amount of weight to gain will be different than your mother's or granmother's or your best friends.  Do not spend your whole pregnancy worry about your weight or what you will like like after giving birth.  Yes, some of the weight you put on will stick with you for awhile after that little baby is born, but there are more important reasons to exercise during and after your pregnancy.  Regular exercise will help you have an easy birth and will ensure you and your baby are healthy.
          Popular belief seems to be that you cannot exercise while pregnant, but you can.  Many forms of exercise are perfectly acceptable for a pregnant woman.  If you were exercising before you can keep on doing whatever you were doing, but take it a little slower or easier in places you feel you need to.  This is a very important time to be sure you don't over do it.  If you are new to exercise start slow and build slowly.  A good activity to start with is walking. 
        Ideal workouts during pregnancy are gentle streatching, relaxtion, swimming, brisk walking, and water aerobics specially designed for pregnancy.
         There are some rules for working out during pregnancy though, and they are good to keep them in mind.  It is a better to work out three times a week than less often, less often will put abnormal strain on your bady.  Exercise that is too strenous can speed up the baby's heartrate to dangerous levels.  A pregnante woman should be able to carry on a conversation while exercising, and drink lots of fluids afterwards and during.  Cool down immediately after exercise relaxing for about five minutes and then lieing on your left side for ten more.  Avoid to much stretching and heavy lifting.  Some exercises that are not recommended after situps and leg raises for the strain they place on the back.  After the seventh month of pregnancy you will need to slow down, definately in exercises like jogging, aerobic dancing, running, and jumping rope. 
        After the first trimester do not exercise lying on your back.  This decreases the blood flow to your baby.  Pay close attention to your body's signal of becoming fatiqued, when you notice them slow down and stop.  As your belly grows your balance will be off, so avoid exercises that require sudden changes of directions and involve abdomenial injury risk.  Also you will need to avoid exercises that involve precise body movments like gymnastics, water-skiing, and horseback riding.  It is also said sucba diving and snorkling need to be avoided.
         If at any time you feel dizzines, shortness of breath, tingling, numbness, bleeding or other fluids released from the vagina, or abdominal pain during exercise stop immediately.

        After pregnancy your body and shape will change.  Even for mothers who gain only the recommended 25 to 35 pounds will not have their pre-pregnancy body back right away.  In most cases it takes up to a year to get back in shape.  To do this you will need to exercise.  Aerobic activity for at least 20 to 30 mintues three to four times a week will burn fat and calories.  Also streatching will be needed to include in your new workout routine.  To tighten up your body use abdonminal crunches, leg raises, and Kegels to firm those muscles once again.
           Don't be afraid to try new things, aerobics aren't the only way to get in shape.  Light weight lifting is a quick way to shape up.  Yoga is also a good way which teaches relaxation techniques you may find usefull in those stressful months after a baby is born.  Dance is also a good and fun way to shed those pounds and latin, ballroom, and other forms of dancing that require a partner are good ways to reconnect with your partner after a day taking care of the baby or to bring the romance back.
            You needn't really wait any to start exercising again.  Some women feel up to immediately after birth, others wait weeks or months.  The important thing here is you feel up to it, be sure you are really ready to avoid injury.  After about two weeks  for a vaginal delievery or four weeks for a Caesarian you can start vigourous exercises again, should you so desire.