Avoiding Exercise During Pregnancy

Exercise is always healthy and being pregnant is not going to be an exception to the rule, but depending on your specific needs, the type and amount of exercise will need to be adjusted decreasing exercise performance to satisfy the diverse physiologic and lifestyle changes associated with pregnancy.

Your Doctor will review your actual exercising routine if any, and will advise the avoidance of the following activities that may result in potential harm to your baby and risky for you even if you are healthy.

Downhill skiing, parachute jumping, roller blading, skateboarding, horseback riding, off-road biking, weight lifting, high impact aerobics, high altitude training, contact sports, scuba-diving, kayaking, surfing, water-skiing and most water sports except swimming.

Regular exercise requiring you to lie flat on your back is risky particularly after the first trimester because studies have demonstrated that most pregnant women show decreased cardiac output even with low impact exercises so the problem is the position.

Those considered non-weight-bearing exercises are not only recommended but benefit women that never kept an exercise regime before pregnancy, not only minimizing the risk or injury to the developing baby but making it easier to continue exercising after giving birth.

Walking, cycling and swimming are usually safe but stop if they make you feel tired and resume them gradually after getting some rest. Do not hesitate to ask your doctor if you have any questions regarding your current exercise routine and those changes or adjustments you may need to do in your program during pregnancy.