Stretching exercises make the muscles limber and warm, which can be especially helpful when you’re pregnant. Here are some simple stretches you can do before or after exercise:
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Neck rotation. Relax your neck and shoulders. Drop your head forward. Slowly rotate your head to your right shoulder, back to the middle, and over the left shoulder. Complete four slow rotations in each direction.
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Shoulder rotation. Bring your shoulders forward and then rotate them up toward your ears and back down. Do four rotations in each direction.
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Swim. Place your arms at your sides. Bring your right arm up, extend your body forward, and twist to the side, as if swimming the crawl stroke. Follow with your left arm. Do the sequence 10 times.
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Thigh shift. Stand with one foot about 2 feet in front of the other, toes pointed in the same direction. Lean forward, supporting your weight on the forward thigh. Change sides and repeat. Do four on each side.
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Leg shake. Sit with your legs and feet extended. Move the legs up and down in a gentle shaking motion.
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Ankle rotation. Sit with your legs extended and keep your toes relaxed. Rotate your feet, making large circles. Use your whole foot and ankle. Rotate four times on the right and four times on the left.
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