The short answer is – If it feels good during, and you feel good afterward, keep doing it. If it hurts, makes you short of breath, lightheaded, heart palpitations, belly cramps, or anything else negative – stop doing it. The key is to listen to your body.
If you have a regular exercise program, generally speaking you can continue right along. So, if you are a swimmer, then swim; play tennis – go for it; a runner – yep, keep running; a cyclist – keep pedaling; a yogi – keep up with your practice, etc. However, there are some cautions and modifications by which you should abide.
If your sport or exercise program involves a high risk of: Falling, Getting hit in the belly or Overheating, then you are likely going to want to reconsider. I’ll address each of these.
Falling – Anyone can trip and fall while walking; this isn’t what I’m referring to. I mean things like rock climbing, skydiving, horseback riding (at speed), etc.
Getting hit in the belly – Most times, if this happens, baby is just fine due to their cushioning in the amniotic fluid. However, if you are playing a sport like rugby, you could be placing baby at a greater risk.
Overheating – When you overheat, you raise your internal body temperature. If your temperature rises by a degree or more, you are changing your baby’s temperature too. So, you run all the risks of a fever with your baby. Do this over and over again, and you can do damage to a developing brain. So, please, stay away from hot tubs, saunas, steam rooms, “hot” yoga or Bikram. Also, watch your outdoor exercise on a hot summer day.
“I was trying to lose weight before I got pregnant. Can I still diet and exercise the same way, now that I am pregnant?” – Nope. You need an extra 300-500 calories a day to grow a healthy baby. Dieting and exercising to lose weight is not a good idea. Consult your Doctor or Midwife about a healthy weight gain for pregnancy if you are overweight.
Modifications: As your belly grows, your modifications will often become more numerous.
If you run, you may slow to a jog or reduce your distance: instead of 10 miles in a day, do 2 miles. You may also need a belly support band to keep running.
Cyclists will often find that the saddle on the bike has become too narrow for the sitting bones, and will need to purchase a new one. They may also cut down on the number of miles at a time, as the pregnancy progresses. Cyclists who mountain bike on rough terrain, may tone it down a bit and move more to trails and street. Balance is also an issue with a growing belly, since your center of gravity shifts.
Yogis will, at some point during pregnancy, shift to a prenatal yoga class (I teach those, ya know 😉 )As mentioned above, “hot” yoga is contraindicated during pregnancy, many flow classes are too intense, and a fair number of postures involve lying on the belly or deep twists, which are also contraindicated. There is of course the added benefit of being in a room full of other pregnant women to befriend. It’s often helpful to have the support of other pregnant moms, who do truly understand your situation, but I digress.
Team sports – players will find that by following the rules above, they can choose (or not) to continue their sport.
Other aerobic classes (dance, Zumba, step, etc) – Again, see rules above. Also make sure your instructor knows you are pregnant so they can help modify the particular activity.
Going to the Gym – yep, see rules above. If you work with a personal trainer let them know you are pregnant. In the early months of pregnancy, you likely won’t have to modify much, but as your belly grows, you may need to reduce the intensity, or reduce the weight of what you lift.
Some more general do’s and don’ts:
Crunches / ab work – No, you aren’t going to miscarry because you are doing crunches. This is more of a practical thing. As your belly gets bigger, things like crunches become more uncomfortable, till they are physically impossible. My vote is to skip them, as there are other things you can do, isometrically, to work on core strength. Of course, there is also a downside to the “six pack” of abs, see this article “Forget Six Pack Abs”
You don’t want to be too tight to begin with, as it can cause detriment elsewhere. As for other things like leg lifts; on your back is too intense; doing them while seated is a gentle modification.
Which brings us to lying on your back. True, the vena cava does run down the back, and can be compressed by the internal organs, restricting blood flow to those organs, including the uterus. So, what that means is, it’s OK to be on your back, briefly, but not for extended periods of time.
Taking a non-prenatal exercise class – The key here is making sure the instructor knows you’re pregnant and how to modify the class for you safely. If she/he doesn’t, then it’s time to consider changing classes.
I’ll say it again, because it’s really all you need to know. The short answer is – If it feels good during, and you feel good afterward, keep doing it. If it hurts, makes you short of breath, lightheaded, heart palpitations, belly cramps, or anything else negative – stop doing it. The key is to listen to your body. And of course, talk to your doctor or midwife if you have questions, or have a complication with your pregnancy. Always let your care provider know about your exercise routine.
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