10 Exercises You Should Avoid During Pregnancy

In pregnancy, you are advised to do many things such as eating healthily and being relaxed, and while it is said that you need a lot of rest, it is not true. Many dynamics recommend that pregnant ladies be active and exercise, which can benefit both the mother and the baby. Some ladies already exercise before becoming pregnant and may be confused about what activities they should continue doing and what they should avoid. Even the ladies who are new to exercising should know that you have to avoid some exercises when pregnant so that you and your baby are safe.

Here is a list of exercises that you should avoid when you are pregnant –

• High Impact –

You should avoid any high-impact exercise. These kinds of activities put a lot of pressure on your joints. It involves a lot of jumping and explosive movements as well. This kind of exercise may get you out of breath and tire you a lot, which is not recommended for a mother and fetus.

• Planks –

Planks is sure a great exercise but not for the mother-to-be as while doing planks, you get a lot of pressure and isolated pain on your stomach area and lower belly. You should avoid doing planks to prevent pain in your belly area.

• Abdominal moves –

Avoid any activities that bring your abdomen in the loop. You do not want to put any stress there. So avoid sit-ups, crunches, Russian twists, leg lifts, etc., when you are pregnant.

• Avoid humid weather –

Hot yoga is in trend but not for pregnant ladies. All pregnant ladies should avoid working out in hot and humid weather. Any exercise which raises the pregnant women’s temperature considerably should be avoided. This also means that you need to stay out of the saunas steam room etc.

• Flexible movements –

Pregnant ladies should avoid exercises that need a lot of flexibility or demands movements from their back. For example, a pregnant lady otherwise has back pain and should not have any activities which include backbends.

• Holding breath –

This is a must-no. You should not do such an exercise that requires holding your breath. When you are pregnant, you should have a constant oxygen supply which is also healthy for the baby.

• Motionless standing –

After your first trimester, if you do any such exercises which require static standing are harmful to the mother and the baby as they can restrict the blood flow.

• Lying back –

Yes, you need to avoid exercises that need you to lay down by your back. You do not have to lay down on your back for a huge period as the mass of your growing uterus can crush blood vessels and may restrict blood flow to your fetus.

• Contact sports –

You should avoid sports activities such as football, volleyball, dodgeball, basketball, etc. This means you need to avoid any kind of sports which involves contact between players.

• Other exercises –

Activities, where there is a risk of falling or changing in altitudes, should be firmly avoided by pregnant ladies.

These were a list of exercises that a pregnant lady should avoid. As a pregnant lady, You must consult your doctor who will explain to you a lot in detail and can even advise you on exercises according to how your pregnancy is going and what are your medical conditions as well.

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