Exercises Which You Should Avoid During Your Pregnancy
During the course of your pregnancy, for safety reasons for both you and your baby, there are a number of different exercises and activities you should avoid. Some of these include the following:
- Water skiing
- Horseback riding
- Snow boarding, downhill skiing and surfing
As your pregnancy develops and progresses avoid any activity which may have a high risk for falling. That will include activities such as:
- Tennis
- Bicycling
- Scuba and other “pressurized” sports
- Cross waterslides
- Most amusement park rides
I guess as a general rule of thumb, it is probably best that you try and avoid any competitive sports or activities which you are not conditioned for. It is really common sense, if you weren’t a runner before you got pregnant, then I would have to say that now is not the time to start jogging 5 miles a day.
A good idea is simply to take it slowly and pay it safe. Also stick to low-impact activities, such as walking or swimming for overall fitness during pregnancy. And then even if you were very active before falling pregnant, or if you are at risk for preterm labor or intrauterine growth restriction, you should definitely cut down on your level of physical activity in your second and third trimesters.
Remember that your pregnancy will change your center of gravity and this tends to make you less coordinated, less stable and more likely to fall, even if you are doing activities you’re usually accustomed to doing. Even if there’s only a small risk of falling, the consequences of falling off a bike in your
third trimester, can be disastrous.
That said, most experts acknowledge that the risk for these activities depends on how fit you are, how far along in your pregnancy you are and how hard you’re playing. Always follow your own practitioner’s advice on these matters
