What Exercises to Avoid During Pregnancy?

Pregnancy is a very complex thing. You should be extremely careful even to the tiniest things not to spoil anything.

Although most exercises are safe to perform during pregnancy (as long as you exercise with caution and do not overdo it) there are also dangerous ones.

There are certain things to avoid, such as F1 driving, horseback riding, or any contact/extreme sport that could cause blunt-force trauma to the abdomen, there’s quite little that pregnant women can’t do.

On the other hand, there are also some points which pregnant women should keep by all means in order not to harm both your or your child’s health.

Working Out While Pregnant

Pregnant women who exercise should always monitor the signs of potential issues.

Remember – if there’s something wrong with the pregnancy, it’s not caused by the exercise itself. Here, exercise might provide an extra bit of stress that brings the problem to the forefront.

So when feeling bad, immediately stop exercising and consult your doctor if you have one of the following:

• Vaginal bleeding
• Excessive nausea
• Abdominal cramping
• Extreme headaches
• Light-headedness

Also, watch out for dehydration, which can be the reason for preterm uterine contractions. What’s even worn, it can lead to preterm labor.

Overall, doctors advice 8 or 9 cups of water a day during pregnancy, on average.

However, fluid needs should be adjusted for the intensity and duration of your workout.

A Trimester-by-Trimester Guide to Exercise During Pregnancy

First Trimester Tips

Here, you can keep doing exactly what you were doing before pregnancy including lifting the same amount of weight.

Prenatal yoga or Pilates class is the best friend of a pregnant woman. It’s also a great habit as you’re being surrounded by a lot of pregnant women around you.

However, if you feel sluggish, try decreasing either the intensity or the duration of your workout rather than skipping the workout at all.

For instance, cut your bike ride a few miles short.

Second Trimester Tips

The second trimester of your pregnancy is from week 13 to week 28, months four, five and six. During this period of time, you may also have more energy than you did in the first trimester.

Your heart is starting to work harder to circulate all the blood you built up during the first three months. Cut back your cardio intensity by around 20-30 percent.

If you’re a cyclist, consider switching to the stationary bike or to some Spinning class – your growing belly can make balancing on a bicycle tricky.

Third Trimester Tips

Be extremely careful during the third trimester. Avoid lifting heavy (15 pounds or more) weights, instead, do more repetitions with lighter weights.

Also, don’t forget to do the free-weight exercises seated, if possible, because it will be quite hard for you to balance while standing up. You can continue with your cardio but don’t be surprised if you can walk faster than you can jog.

Finally, you can try swimming. It will be quite fascinating your you as you’ll feel wonderfully weightless in the water, and it won’t stress your joints.

Remember – exercises do not put you at risk for miscarriage in a normal pregnancy. To be sure you’re healthy and are able to exercise, first of all, consult with your health care provider before starting any new exercise routine.