Exercising your muscles allows them to extract more oxygen from your blood than they do while at rest. Since your body needs 20% more oxygen during pregnancy, it is beneficial for your muscles to be more efficient at taking oxygen from the bloodstream. While you are pregnant, it is good to work on your arm muscles because arm exercises are low-impact. Grab one to two pound weights to begin with and hold your arms down at your sides with one weight in each hand. Bend your elbows at the waist and bring your arm up towards your chest, pulling it all the way up and holding for five seconds. Slowly lower it down and switch to the other arm.  Repeat on each side eight to 10 times. As you get stronger, you can increase your weight a little bit. But take it easy. You don’t want to strain yourself. These will help your biceps, triceps, and shoulders. Grab a weight with each hand. Start with your arms straight down in front of you. Slowly raise your arms straight out in front of you.  Hold them there for five to 10 seconds. Next, lift your arms above your head. Hold them here for five to 10 seconds. Lower your arms to the bottom and rest a moment. Repeat this exercise eight to 10 times. Tricep extensions help strengthen your tricep muscles. To start these exercises, grab a one to two pound weight with both hands. Raise both your hands hands above your head. Bend your arm at the elbow, lowering your hands behind your head. Hold them down for five to 10 seconds. Then straighten them back above your head. Repeat the exercise eight times. As you lower the weights towards your head, be sure you don’t hit your head with the weight. Your feet and legs may swell a lot while you are pregnant. Keeping good circulation may help reduce swelling and get more oxygen into your body. Start by putting on 1- to 2-pound ankle weights on each leg. Sit in a chair or other flat surface. Slowly lift your legs off the floor and straighten them in front of you. Hold this pose for five to 10 seconds. Slowly lower them to the ground. Repeat eight to 10 times.  To add an element to the exercise that will strengthen your core, lay down on your back, preferably on a sofa, bed, or other comfortable area to reduce discomfort. Raise one leg as high as you can straight up in the air and hold it there for five to 10 seconds. Slowly lower your leg. Repeat this exercise eight to 10 times on this leg. Then, switch legs and repeat eight to 10 times on the opposite side. You can also add a set while lying down where you lift both legs into the air at once, hold them up for five to 10 seconds, then slowly lower them. Repeat eight to 10 times. If you want work your hips, lay down on your side and lift your leg up as high as it will go. Hold for five to 10 seconds, then slowly lower it. Repeat eight to 10 times, then turn over and repeat on the other side. Swimming is a great way to keep your circulation strong while you are pregnant. You can move around with little to no impact from the added weight of your pregnancy. Try swimming in your own pool if you have one or going to the local swimming pool. You can also look into classes that may have swimming programs for pregnant women. Another low-impact exercise that helps improve circulation is yoga. This exercise is low-impact and has the added benefit of relaxing you as well. Many yoga studios have special programs for pregnant women. Look into a program you can work into your schedule. To help get your blood flowing, you should stretch more. The stretches do not need to be hard or elaborate stretches. You just need to move all the parts of your body and gently stretch all your muscles. Talk to your obstetrician or midwife about specific stretching exercises for your particular stage of pregnancy. While you are pregnant, you should keep active and stay moving. You don’t have to do difficult or crazy exercise — and they really shouldn’t be while you are pregnant. Small exercises will help improve your blood flow and improve oxygen flow as well. Remember to breathe deeply as much as you can while you exercise to increase oxygen intake. Try simple things, such as bending and straightening your legs at the knees and rotating your ankles. Flex your toes out and then back in. Take nice walks and swing your arms as you walk.
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One-sentence summary -- Strengthen your biceps. Try overhead extensions. Do triceps extensions. Perform leg extensions. Try swimming. Do prenatal yoga. Stretch more. Stay active.


To ensure that your Tide Pods dissolve properly, always place them in the washer before you put in your laundry. Placing pods at the bottom of the machine allows for the maximum contact with water necessary to dissolve them. If you need to place laundry in the machine to gauge your load size, do so and then remove it to place the Tide pod at the back or bottom of the barrel. Make sure that your washing machine is loosely packed. Overloading your machine will prevent the level of agitation during washing that is necessary for your Tide pods to completely dissolve. When placing clothing or other laundry items in the barrel, avoid pushing or pressing them in to make more room. To avoid stains or issues with your Tide pods not dissolving, do not open Tide pods to use for pretreating. Pods are formulated with super-concentrated detergent that is released during the wash cycle. The stain remover included in Tide pods should be adequate for dealing with stains.
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One-sentence summary --
Place Tide pods in the washer first. Avoid overloading your washing machine. Do not open Tide pods to use for pretreating.