Staying active during pregnancy is good for you and your unborn child. Regular exercise can help prevent gestational diabetes, keep your heart healthy, and lower the risk of postpartum depression. It’s an effective way to relieve back pain and aches.
However, not all exercises are safe during pregnancy. Contact sports, heavy lifting, horseback riding, mountain climbing, and other activities can lead to miscarriage and injuries.
What Exercises Are Safe for Future Moms?
Depending on your fitness level, you can try yoga, pilates, cycling, and even strength training. Prenatal yoga is a good choice for most women. This workout method consists of gentle moves that strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, ease back pain, and make labor easier.
Moms-to-be can also try pilates. Just like yoga, it involves simple moves that can be adjusted to your fitness level. Swimming, indoor cycling, and bodyweight exercises are safe too. If you were active before pregnancy, you can continue to do squats, rows, push-ups, lunges, planks, and even deadlifts. Use light to moderate weights and watch your form. This isn’t the best time to challenge yourself and break personal records.
Exercises to Avoid during Pregnancy
Some moves are just plain dangerous during pregnancy and should be avoided. Don’t worry – you can try these exercises once your baby is born. Right now, it’s important to stay safe. As a rule of thumb, avoid activities that require lying on your belly, skipping, jumping, or pushing weights overhead. Hot yoga is off limits too.
Extreme sports, skiing, and surfing may cause injuries and falls, so it’s better to avoid them. The same goes for scuba diving, high-risk road biking, water skiing, and competitive ball sports. Even riding a bike outdoors can be dangerous after the first trimester of pregnancy. Listen to your body and stop any activity in case of bleeding, abdominal pain, or difficulty breathing. If you have pregnancy problems, consult your doctor before starting a workout routine.
