Pre-Natal Fitness: Exercises You Shouldn't Do

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

16 Dec 2006 06:51 PM

We have talked about maintaining a positive fitness program while you are pregnant, but it's equally important to consider that while there is much you can do - there are also activities you need to avoid. It's important to know what these activities are so you don't accidentally push yourself too far. So protect yourself and your pregnancy and avoid:

• Scuba Diving - As pleasurable as scuba diving can be, it's also taking your body into an area of varying underwater pressure and this can be hard on your baby and dangerous for your pregnancy
• Contact Sports - These are the sports that may cause your physical harm or involve other people colliding with you. Contact sports may include hockey, volleyball, football, basketball and soccer.
• High Impact Activities - Running, rowing, cross country skiing and more can over tax your body and you want to keep from depriving yourself of oxygen
• Activities with a Falling Risk - If the sports or fitness activity comes with an inherent falling risk, you may definitely want to avoid it. Some of these activities include horseback riding, figure skating and downhill skiing
• Water skiing falls into many categories here, but primarily you want to avoid getting contaminated lake water in your vaginal area where it may cause an infection

This list is limited and you may continue exercising throughout your pregnancy provided that your healthcare professional has cleared you for such activity. As always, you should consult with your physician before engaging in new fitness activities or ramping up their intensity.

It's also important to recognize that if you exercised before you got pregnant, you can often maintain that same exercise regimen with a lower intensity. But even if you didn't exercise before, you can start a regular exercise routine, but you need to listen to the needs and demands of your body and not to overdo it because while exercise is very beneficial, you don't want to risk injury to yourself or your baby.

What types of exercises have you engaged in while pregnant?

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Feel Better with Prenatal Massage

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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