What Exercise Is Safe During Pregnancy And What Is Not?

For most women concerned with their fitness, pregnancy can really take a toll on long term fitness plans.

There are inevitable and very substantial changes that take place in the body; weight gain is again inevitable and in fact necessary.

So it is natural that women would choose to continue with their fitness regimen right through pregnancy if possible and safe.

It is fairly well known that exercise [Pregnancy exercise] like walking and swimming are considered safe and even desirable throughout pregnancy. However, weights or resistance exercises during pregnancy is a less straightforward question to answer.walk

Generally speaking, there is no reason not to do weights during pregnancy if a woman is in overall good health and the pregnancy is free from any kind of complication or medical risk. The woman or her fetus is not perceived as being under any threat from such activity by itself; if safely practiced and inexcessive.

This is true for those women who are already in a fitness program that began well before the pregnancy was confirmed. Experts advise a work up period of three months at the least, prior to getting pregnant.

That way the body is already adapted to the routines of lifting and does not have to cope with any new pressures while it is already coping with the massive changes that pregnancy is bringing about.

If a woman has been sedentary prior to getting pregnant, it is not really advisable to start a weights program after getting pregnant.

In such cases, it is better that a weights program is held off until later; i.e. in the post partum phase, after the baby has made its appearance.

Similar is the case with high impact exercises like running, jogging and skipping. It is not advisable to start any kind of high impact exercise program during pregnancy, though experienced joggers could continue under certain circumstances.

Though there is no clear link between pregnancy and increased musculoskeletal injuries during pregnancy, these possibilities should nevertheless be considered when prescribing exercise in pregnancy.

So what is the ideal amount of exercise for pregnant women? It is recommended that pregnant women should engage in about 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical exercise every day.

Swimming is recommended not only because it is low impact but also because it is the kind of activity in which the weight of the body is supported. Things that should be avoided at this regardless of prior experience is scuba diving.