Exercise During Pregnancy – What’s Safe and Unsafe?

Staying fit, healthy, and active during pregnancy is one of the best things you can ever do for the good health of yourself and your baby. There is evidence that a good exercise regime helps pregnant women maintain their fitness levels and promotes a sense of well-being.

While it’s important to exercise when pregnant, it’s even more important to know which physical activities are not safe to perform during pregnancy. Let’s take a look at eight exercises to do and avoid during pregnancy.

The Benefits of Exercise During Pregnancy

If you consider exercise merely a way to keep your body in top shape, you need to change your perspective. Regular exercise during pregnancy benefits you in many ways:

• Helps with tiredness
• Improves sleep and reduces insomnia
• Improves mental well-being
• Strengthens muscles and increases endurance
• Lowers your back pain
• Reduces the swelling of hands and feet
• Helps your skin look better
• Eases constipation
• Protects your joints
• Helps maintain blood pressure
• Reduce the risk of preeclampsia, cesarean, and gestational diabetes
• Improves postpartum recovery
• Strengthens and tones abdominal muscles
• Improve your cardiovascular fitness
• Helps prevent postpartum depression
• Prevents lower birth weight
• Minimizes chances of premature birth

The Best Exercises for a Pregnant Woman

Here are some safe to perform pregnancy exercises that increase the likelihood of a normal delivery:

#Stretching

Stretching exercises are usually performed on a mat or chair. For moms-to-be, they are a great way to keep their changing bodies relaxed and flexible. Including stretching in your maternal workout regime can:

• Improve your blood circulation
• Reduce the risk of back pain
• Strengthen your pelvic floor muscles

However, to avoid severe muscle strains, it’s highly recommended you perform stretching with utmost care.

#Breathing exercises

A plentiful supply of oxygen is vital for you and your baby during pregnancy, and this is where breathing exercises come in handy. Listed below are some most popular breathing techniques you can try during pregnancy:

• Ujjayi breathing
• Stomach breathing
• Shallow breathing
• Alternative deep breathing
• Chest breathing

An extra benefit of performing these breathing exercises is that waste products are removed from your body efficiently.

#Prenatal yoga

Prenatal yoga is a special kind of yoga that helps improve the flexibility and endurance of a pregnant woman’s body to increase the chances of normal delivery. The advantages of prenatal yoga include:

• Regulates overall blood pressure
• Helps you relax and relieve stress
• Reduces the pain and duration of the labor
• Strengthens the muscle system

Just be sure you dress in super stretchable pregnancy yoga wear to perform prenatal yoga comfortably and efficiently.

#Aqua aerobics

With no risk of falling or injuring, swimming and other water workouts are considered safe for all trimesters of pregnancy. Exercising in water:

• Relieves swollen feet and ankles
• Regulates your blood pressure
• Strengthens and tones your muscles
• Helps you feel weightless if you’re carrying a big baby bump

Take precautions and consult your gynecologist about aerobic exercise if you have:

• Chronic bronchitis
• Poorly controlled hypertension
• Extreme morbid obesity
• Severe anemia
• Heavy smoker
• Poorly controlled type 1 diabetes
• Unevaluated maternal cardiac arrhythmia
• Extreme underweight (BMI <12)
• Poorly controlled hyperthyroidism
• Orthopedic limitations
• Poorly controlled seizure disorder

Exercises to Avoid During Pregnancy

#Lifting Heavy Weights

No doubt, lifting heavy weights helps keep your energy levels up and strengthens your muscles. But, weight training during pregnancy can put too much pressure on your musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems. This can cause various pregnancy complications, such as:

• Miscarriage
• Muscle strain
• Leaking urine
• Uterine prolapse

Hence, strengthen and tone your muscles with lightweight exercises, but avoid lifting heavy weights during pregnancy.

#Contact sports

Contact sports, such as basketball, soccer, football, volleyball, and horse riding, put you at the risk of injury while pregnant. As you cross the third month of your pregnancy, stop indulging in such activities. This is the time when your uterus gradually rises above the bones of the pelvis, and your bump’s risk of being hit is higher than ever.

#Deep Squats

Pregnancy releases Relaxin, a protein hormone that relaxes your joints and ligaments to prepare your body for childbirth. Avoid Squatting past 90 degrees while pregnant because it can lead to joint injuries, stretch your already relaxed ligaments too much, and cause you physical discomforts like acute low back pain.

#Stair climbing

In the past few years, stair climbing has emerged as a popular exercise trend among pregnant women. Particularly in rural areas, expectant moms are advised to climb stairs at least once a day. However, climbing stairs is not recommended during pregnancy due to the risk of falling, slipping, or tripping.

Rules for Exercising During Pregnancy

Be sure to follow the guidelines given below to stay safe while exercising during pregnancy:

• Listen to your body. Don’t overexert yourself.
• Avoid exercising flat on your back.
• Do not use a steam room, sauna, or jacuzzi.
• Avoid exercises that pose the risk of falling.
• Drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration.
• Always warm up slowly and cool down gradually.
• Avoid aerobic exercises if you have chronic diseases.
• Always wear dresses designed for pregnant women to stay comfortable during exercise.
• Consult your doctor before you perform any exercise.
• Slow down or quit if you have muscular pain.
• Wear a well-fitted maternity bra to support your breasts.

When should you not exercise?

If you have any of the following conditions, avoid exercising:

• High blood pressure
• Multiple pregnancies
• Ruptured membranes
• Low lying placenta
• History of premature labor
• Heart Problems
• History of incompetent cervix
• Muscle or joint problems
• Placental problems (Previa, etc.)
• Persistent second- or third-trimester bleeding
• Extreme weight problems (under or over)
• Preeclampsia/pregnancy-induced hypertension
• History of several miscarriages
• Asthma or chronic lung problems

When should you stop exercising?

Slow down or quit your activity and consult your doctor if you experience any of these conditions:

• Feeling dizzy or faint
• Intense abdominal pain
• Your baby stops moving
• Regular, painful contractions
• Feeling dizzy, nauseous, or lightheaded
• Bleeding or fluid leaking from the vagina
• Fast heartbeat, chest pain, or trouble breathing
• Pain or swelling in your lower legs
• Muscle weakness, difficulty walking
• A severe headache

Altogether, consult your health care provider before you start any exercise program.