In general, exercising has many benefits, but there are some that are not recommended when a woman is pregnant. What factors should be considered before? Which ones can you do and which ones can’t you do when you’re expecting a baby? According to Mayo Clinic, exercising during pregnancy has great advantages:
- It can help you through labor and delivery
- It reduces back pain, constipation, bloating and swelling
- It improves your mood and energy level
- It helps you sleep better
- It prevents excessive weight gain
- It helps you gain strength and endurance
- There is a lower risk of gestational diabetes
- It could help you for a shorter labor
- There is a reduced risk of having a C-section
However, as Dr. Mercedes Álvarez Goris, a specialist in Gynecology and Obstetrics, explains, “You can exercise during pregnancy if you were already doing it. If you were a sedentary person before pregnancy, pregnancy is not the best time to start doing aerobics or high-impact exercises”.
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Exercise and pregnancy
Before starting any sport during this stage, you must first take into account individual risk factors and what your gynecologist tells you.
The doctor will advise against physical activity if there are any of the following contraindications:
- Some form of heart and lung disease
- If there is pre-eclampsia or high blood pressure
- If there are cervical problems
- If persistent vaginal bleeding occurs
- If problems are detected in the placenta
What kind of exercises can a pregnant woman do?
With your doctor’s permission, you can do exercise that doesn’t put a pregnant woman at risk for trauma or falls. “What can you do? You can walk or do low-impact exercises”, says the gynecologist.
- You can walk, jog lightly, especially in the first months of pregnancy, when your belly allows it.
- You can swim during all three trimesters.
- You can do yoga; there is something called prenatal yoga, it has special postures, and it adapts to the trimesters you are going through.
- You can low-impact dance
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What kind of exercises should I avoid during pregnancy?
According to Dr. Álvarez, high-impact exercises should be avoided because you can hurt yourself. For example:
- You can’t ride a bike because you can fall off
- You can’t ride a bike because you can fall off
- Avoid any sport that involves balls because you can get hit (football, tennis, racquetball)
- Say no to exercises that require “jerking” and bouncing movements. For example, horse riding, skating, skiing, gymnastics, etc.
- Do not go for any sport that involves high impact or contact: boxing, tae kwon do, judo, etc.
Can I jump during pregnancy?
This is a frequently asked question and the specialist answers, “Come on, you can jump in the first and second trimesters if you don’t have a threat of abortion or your doctor does not recommend the opposite, but if you have any contraindication or you are already in an advanced pregnancy, definitely not”.
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Starting the second trimester avoid balance exercises
According to the expert, you have to be very careful, especially at the end of pregnancy, with balance exercises.
From the second trimester, in the middle of your pregnancy, more or less when your belly begins to show well, that is to say in month six or seven, the axis of balance changes.
You increase your dimensions, your spine curves, your belly grows and begins to pull you forward. In this period, you are more prone to accidental falls and bumps.
“That is why, especially in the third trimester, doctors recommend you not to do movements that require a lot of balance or agility. Hence, one of the great recommendations for exercising during pregnancy is water, because swimming is low impact”, concludes the expert.
Translated by: Ligia M. Oliver Manrique de Lara
Spanish version: Here
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