Your increased body weight during pregnancy increases the effectiveness of a squat for lower-body strengthening. This exercise improves your muscle tone and helps to reduce back pain. Pregnancy is not the time to challenge your muscles to exhaustion, yet you can use this time to maintain your strength. You may even find yourself assuming a squat position to speed up your labor and delivery time.
Benefits
Squatting while pregnant may make you feel as if you are preparing to give birth in a field, but this natural movement has many benefits. According to Birthing Naturally, squatting helps reduce constipation, stretches the back of your lower legs, stretches your lower back and reduces the pressure in your pelvis when you squat to sit. Squatting also increases the pelvic opening to make room for your baby's birth.
Chair Squat
A chair squat is used to strengthen your lower body. Practice a squat with a chair behind you in case you have difficulty standing up from the squat and need to sit. Stand tall with your feet underneath your hips and your knees and toes facing forward. Bend your knees as you press your hips behind you and lower your hips toward the chair. Once you touch the chair with your backside, straighten your knees and return to a standing position. Exhale as you stand and inhale as you squat.
Deep Squat
A deeper squat is used when you have to pick up something from the floor or when you lower down to play with a child. Begin with your feet underneath your hips. Fold slightly forward from your waist as you bend your knees. Keep your knees over your heels and lower your hips to the ground. Maintain this position or return to start by pushing your hips behind you and straightening your legs. Use a chair or table to help you stand until your balance and strength improves.
Frequency
Perform one to three sets of eight to 10 chair squats every other day, or three days a week with a day of rest in between. Complete your deep squats daily when you need to pick up something off the floor, or to reach something in a low cabinet. Birthing Naturally suggests using a deep squat throughout the day to improve your balance and strength.
