There is a huge list of activities and exercises that can be great for pregnant women, however, there are also a few that you may want to avoid.
Contact Sports and Sports with a High Risk of Falling:
Contact sports like boxing, football, rugby, basketball etc or sports that have a higher risk of falling like gymnastics, skiing, skating etc should be avoided during pregnancy. This is because from the 13th week onwards the baby moves upwards and is no longer protected by the pelvis. Also, because of a growing baby, your body weight and weight distribution is changing which can alter balance and coordination.
Scuba Diving
Scuba diving poses a risk of decompression sickness for your baby and is also off-limits, so wait until you’re no longer pregnant for your next dive. Decompression sickness, also called generalized barotrauma or the bends refers to injuries caused by a rapid decrease in the pressure that surrounds you, of either air or water.
High Altitude Sports
Unless you’re already living in high altitudes, avoid any sport or activity that takes you up more than 7,000 feet. High altitudes reduce the amount of oxygen in the blood which can cause you and your fetus to develop a condition called hypoxia. Hypoxia is a condition in which the body or a region of the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply at the tissue level.
Hot Yoga and Hot Pilates
Activities done in high temperatures like hot yoga and hot pilates should be avoided during pregnancy. The excessive heat can increase the risk of neural tube defects and possibly of other malformations among fetuses. That means staying out of saunas, steam rooms and hot tubs, too.
Exercises that involve lying flat on your back for long periods of time
After the 4th month, your uterus is big and still growing, this enlarging uterus could compress blood vessels and restrict circulation to you and baby. This can make you feel nauseous, dizzy and short of breath.
Advanced Abdominal Exercises
Crunches, sit-ups and other advanced abdominal exercises should be avoided. Because these moves take a lot of strength to perform, people tend to improperly contract other muscle groups, which can cause pushing on the low spine, in addition to other problems.
Backbends, contortions, jumping, excessive stretching or any jerky movements can increase the risk of injury and should also be avoided.
In my FREE Pregnancy Do’s and Don’ts Ebook I take you through 6 do’s and don’ts, helping you understand what to avoid during pregnancy and what you should be doing instead with a focus on movement, breathing and exercise.
