Pregnancy Exercises: Important things to know

Verified by Dr. Vaishali Sakpal Rane (MBBS, DGO Obstetrics and Gynaecology, DNB Obstetrics and Gynaecology)

You must have heard this advice from your relatives that take complete rest during your pregnancy and don’t move! Well that’s a myth because pregnancy exercises under a doctor’s guidance might help you to maintain your fitness and also prevent excess weight gain. A fit and healthy body will help you to adapt to the changing shape and weight gain during pregnancy. It will also help you to prepare for the labour. Make sure that before starting any exercise, make sure you take suggestions from your doctor and avoid moves that increase your risk of falling.

Maintaining a regular exercise routine during pregnancy can improve your posture and decrease some common discomforts that happen to many women during pregnancy like backaches and fatigue. Exercises during pregnancy can also relieve stress, and will uplift your mood. Do not exhaust yourself or do strenuous exercises that make you uncomfortable. As the pregnancy progresses you may need to slow down on the amount and type of exercise.

If you join a pregnancy exercise program make sure you tell the trainer is certified.

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Some tips to keep in mind for pregnancy exercises:

• Remember to warm up before doing any exercise 
• Do not take up strenuous exercise suddenly if you were not physically active before 
• 30 minutes of walking each day can help you stay active, but if you’re not comfortable talk to a doctor 
• Some of the safest and most productive activities are brisk walking, and low-impact aerobics. Remember that you should do these activities under the guidance of a certified instructor who knows that you are pregnant. These types of exercises benefit your entire body and have low risk.

Activities to avoid during pregnancy:

• Don’t engage in activities where there’s a risk of falling.
• Contact sports like football, basketball, and volleyball should be avoided.
• Any activity that may cause even mild abdominal trauma or that include rapid changes in direction 
• Activities like, skipping, bouncing, jumping or running.
• Any exercise done without a doctor’s advice 
• Don’t engage in sports that have a risk of being hit
• Don’t go on high mountain trekking or scuba diving, this is because you and your baby are at risk of altitude sickness on high mountain and during scuba diving there’s a risk of decompression sickness
• Avoid laying on your back for long periods