Are you spending a lot of time online researching which exercises to avoid during pregnancy but only finding contradicting information? It’s not just you. We are here to advise you on safe exercise during pregnancy.
Sadly, there are many “so-called” prenatal fitness experts who are prepared to share their opinion in order to make a fast money.
In order to keep you safe throughout your pregnancy, we want to clarify the situation.
What if I performed these exercises before becoming pregnant?
If they assisted in your fitness, great. But they might not be suitable at this time.
I want you to take your time and carefully consider which workouts, classes, and exercises you do while pregnant.
Your objectives have altered. Your top concerns have shifted.
You must consider your developing baby now that you are pregnant. because some activities or exercises may not be appropriate for your developing baby.
The actions you took prior to becoming pregnant can now be harmful.
Your pre-pregnancy fitness level may influence how you workout right now. Your prior exercise history may also influence how you workout now.
Now, choose any hobbies with a low chance of falling, being hurt, or damaging joints or ligaments.
What workouts should I avoid when pregnant?
- The standard crunches and sit-ups.
- Backward-lying exercise routines (especially late in pregnancy).
- Exerrcises requiring breath holding.
- Exercise in hot, muggy conditions.
- Activities where there is a higher risk of injury (water skiing, snow skiing, riding motor bikes, horse riding).
- Pregnancy exercises that demand prolonged laying on your back.
- Exercises that call for prolonged periods of time lying on your right side.
- Static exercises that call for quick twisting motions.
- Any activity with high impact.
- Push-ups or planks.
- Exercise or motions that put a great deal of pressure on your pelvic floor.
- Exercises that call for quick spurts of exertion followed by extended periods of inactivity
What should I refrain from doing when pregnant? Activities that:
1. Call for a lot of bounding, hopping, jumping, or skipping.
2. Call for bouncing (trampoline).
3. Involve a lot of running, agility, or sprinting.
4. Request that you squat and bend your knees deeply.
5. Demanding complete sit-ups.
6. Involving two-legged lifts.
7. When you stretch, you must bounce.
8. Consist of any contact sports (football, basketball and volleyball).
9. Require abrupt direction changes or jarring movements.
15 Exercises to AVOID
Physical Contact
This one should go without saying, yet you can accidentally be playing contact sports for fun with family and friends in your backyard or at the park.
Injury possibility considerably rises. Horseback riding, football, soccer, basketball, and volleyball may be among these sports.
Marathon Running
Although it is advised against running such great distances while pregnant, individuals prefer to compete in marathons.
Overexertion may result from this. It may raise the temperature of your internal organs. There is a chance of being dehydrated. You have a higher chance of getting a muscular strain.
Extremely long distance running is just pointless. Put your ego aside, please.
Hot yoga
However, prenatal yoga is advised.
Hot yoga should be avoided because the room can frequently reach 100 degrees or greater.
Such heated circumstances should be avoided by pregnant ladies. A fetus may experience hyperthermia by being exposed to high temperatures, which can result in birth abnormalities and early labor.
Bootcamps
Many boot camps contain activities that could be harmful to you and your unborn child, such as pulling tires, lifting heavy objects, or boxing.
Starting a boot camp that is intended for a healthy population and pays little attention to the needs of pregnancy is not the best idea during pregnancy.
Training at Altitude Levels
Low oxygen levels are ideal for the normal development of the human fetus. Exercise at a high altitude may put additional strain on the fetus’s ability to receive oxygen.
Trampoline Bouncing
It is better to stay away from this exercise, whether you are using a trampoline in your garden or one at a trampoline park.
Falling poses a significant risk. Because of pregnancy, your center of gravity is unbalanced.
Alternatively, you might hurt your ankles. Knees. Or, if you brace yourself when you land, your wrists.
Climbing Stairs
Recent years have seen a rise in the popularity of stair climbing competitions including some of the tallest buildings in our area.
Exercise in a hot environment might put you at risk for falling, stumbling, overexerting yourself, and other injuries.
Additionally, your heart rate rises to extremely high levels. Your leg muscles are also overworked.
Exercises that could compress or cause abdominal trauma
When I saw a pregnant woman performing the old-fashioned crunches, I shudder. And the plank is even worse!
There are so many more effective techniques to maintain core strength when pregnant. Here, yoga and Pilates are a better choice.
Some abdominal exercises will be excruciatingly painful. This results from the deterioration of abdominal separation and muscle weakening.
A condition known as diastasis recti.
Scuba Diving
As the pressure might cause birth abnormalities and fetal decompression sickness, scuba diving should be avoided.
Heavy Lifting
Some classes (such as power circuits) or other programmed classes might include using substantial weights to lift. Your joints and ligaments may become more stressed as a result of these classes.
These explosive, dynamic heavy exercises should be avoided because of the pregnancy hormone relaxin. You’ll feel it in your back.
And believe me when I say that you want to avoid having severe back discomfort when pregnant.
The cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems might get overworked during strenuous weight training lifts that require intense isometric muscle contractions.
Supine Exercise Position (lying on your back)
Do not lie on your back.
Why?
Because the gravid uterus is known to compress the inferior vena cava when you lie on your back. This may lead to maternal hypotension and decreased fetal blood flow.
High Intensity Workouts
It is not advised to exercise during pregnancy if it involves boosting your heart rate and maintaining it there for an extended period of time.
Both the baby and you may suffer harm from these sessions. The optimal degree of intensity is low to moderate. Let’s refrain from attempting to surpass any previous records.
Remaining Still for Prolonged Periods
It’s not advised to stand still for prolonged periods of time. For starters, if too much blood collects in your lower extremities, you could pass out. It also puts a lot of strain on your joints.
Cross Fit
A competitive fitness sport is how CrossFit is frequently marketed.
It contains components from gymnastics, Olympic weightlifting, plyometrics, powerlifting, high-intensity interval training, and other activities.
Bounding, heavy lifting, intense activity, and gymnastic activities are definitely not advised during pregnancy.
If you were a CrossFITter prior to becoming pregnant, it’s time to adopt a new perspective. That is, your objectives have altered.
Takeaway
Make good judgments! Stop if it hurts. Stop if something doesn’t feel right. Avoid doing it if it puts your balance at jeopardy. Exercises that could be harmful to you or your developing baby should be avoided during pregnancy.
The best person to ask if you have any specific doubts is your doctor.
