Whats Safe and Unsafe:Fitness

Is it okay to go swimming while pregnant?

Exercising during your pregnancy is beneficial to your body, your overall feeling and your developing baby. It may even help prepare you for labor and childbirth. There are some conditions or symptoms that may make exercising during pregnancy inadvisable. Recommendations NOT to exercise during pregnancy may be made in cases of:

Pregnancy-induced hypertension
Preterm premature rupture of membranes
Preterm labor
Vaginal bleeding
Other chronic medical conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, lung disease, and thyroid abnormalities

You need to speak to your doctor regarding any fitness program you decide to do. He/she will be able to give you guidelines to follow to ensure a healthy pregnancy. Stop exercising and call your doctor if you experience pain, vaginal bleeding, rapid heartbeat, uterine contractions, chest pain, fluid leaking from the vagina, dizziness, fainting, shortness of breath, or difficulty walking.

Bowling:	Bowling is an activity that should be okay for most women during their pregnancy . Your joints and ligaments relax during pregnancy, but how much they relax varies from woman to woman. Most expectant mothers do not experience that relaxation to the extent that they'd injure themselves while bowling. Once you hit your third trimester, take care to lift your bowling ball in a way that won't strain your back muscles. That means making sure to bend at your knees and to keep your back straight.
Horseback Riding:	Doctors have different opinions on whether horseback riding is safe or not. If you are and excellent horseback rider and are just walking around on the horse, you can most likely continue up to 12 weeks. But after 12 weeks, no riding. That's because by this time, the fetus has moved up above the pelvic girdle, a bony structure protects the baby during the first trimester, and now all that sits between the baby and any external force is skin and muscle. If you get kicked or are thrown off the horse at this point, you've got nothing protecting the baby from trauma. Even experienced riders get thrown off; that's part of the game.
Sit Ups And Crunches:	Sit-ups and crunches are okay to do in your first trimester. By your second trimester, you will need to avoid lying on your back. As your uterus grows, its weight can compress the blood vessels leading to your heart. This can potentially deprive your developing baby of oxygen. You'll most likely find that sit-ups are almost impossible to do by this time anyway.
Heart Rate:	You do not want to raise your heartbeat above 140 while pregnant. You need enough time between beats to get blood to the baby, and as the heart rate goes up you don't pump out quite as much blood each time and the blood is not as well oxygenated. Most practitioners recommend that you not engage in strenuous activities that could raise your core body temperature to over 103 degrees during the first four to six weeks of pregnancy. That's because a very high body temperature early in pregnancy could theoretically cause birth defects. Later in pregnancy, if you're not well hydrated or have an elevated body temperature, you risk premature labor. If you're exercising to keep your heart and lungs in shape, moderate exercise is all you need.
Skating:	Any sport where there is an issue of maintaining your balance, there's a risk of falling That can carry some added risks if you're pregnant. A fall could cause abdominal injuries that could affect the pregnancy. Trauma to the abdomen can cause premature separation of the placenta or premature labor. It could even fatally injure the fetus.
Skiing:	It's probably not a good idea to go skiing, especially in your last trimester. As you get further along in pregnancy, your sense of balance decreases and your weight distribution changes. A fall could lead to premature delivery by causing the placenta to tear away from the wall of your uterus or by bringing on preterm contractions.
Cycling:	While bicycling is fine for most people, if you have placenta previa (where the placenta is covering the cervix) you wouldn't want to do it because the bumping up and down could cause bleeding problems. As you get further along in your pregnancy it will be harder to bike and riskier. In the last trimester, it's more difficult to balance and there's more risk that you could fall off the bike. A fall could cause trauma to your abdomen, and that could lead to premature separation of the placenta, premature labor, or in the worst case, fetal death.
Jogging /Running:	It's generally safe to jog throughout your pregnancy. It gets harder as you get more pregnant and are carrying more weight, but there's no danger to the fetus. It's not okay, however, if you have placenta previa, where the placenta is covering the cervix, because too much jolting can make you bleed. It's also out if you have pregnancy-induced hypertension or preterm labor, or are at risk for a preterm delivery.
Tennis /Basketball/ Softball,etc...	Most contact sports aew not recommended during pregnancy. Exercising vigorously in the third trimester shunts oxygen away from the placenta and the baby to the mother's muscles. That can impact the baby's birth weight, and a lower birth weight is associated with increased risk of fetal complications and fetal death. If you choose to play, take it easy and rest often. Make sure that you are staying hydrated.
Dancing:	Dancing can be a great exercise for pregnant. It is recommended that you do not bounce around too much and that you take breaks often. It is important to stay well-hydrated during any form of exercise.
Swimming:	As long as the chemicals are appropriately monitored, swimming in a chlorinated pool is fine for pregnant womenl. It might actually make you feel good -- especially later in your pregnancy -- to float in the water. Swiming in water takes the weight off of you and can help to relax your muscles and aching body.
Gymnastics:	Gymnastics are very high-risk and should not be done while pregnant. It is okay to strectch and maintain flexibility, but it is not safe to do most gymnastic routines.
Stretching/ Yoga:	Stretching is one of the best type of exercises for pregnant women. Yoga gives many women a sense of relaxation and maintains flexibility. It is a low strenuous activity that will allow rich oxygen to travel to the developing baby. As with any exercise, take breaks often and make sure that you are staying well-hydrated.

Comments: Whats Safe and Unsafe - Fitness

Comments 1 to 8 of about 8.

se06tu - 2 days ago.
Hello, my name is Stephanie Elliott and I am a student at Brock University. I am doing a research project looking at exercise behaviours in women during pregnancy and would appreciate your participation in this study. It is a short survey that will take approximately 15 minutes of your time, and is completely anonymous and for academic purposes only. For more information and to complete the survey, please follow this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CPF8BN5

mommalynch - 147 days ago.
Regarding my previous comment, here is an article from WebMD concerning the heart rate topic. Lots of good information here. http://www.webmd.com/baby/features/exercise-during-pregnancy-myth-vs-fact

mommalynch - 147 days ago.
140bpm is not a hard workout for me at all. I typically will do ~45 minutes on an elliptical at about 75-80% exertion which takes my heart rate to ~175. I have read a few sources that indicate that heart rate is not necessarily the basis to judge exercise exertion, but moreso that you can exercise aiming for a % exertion target even if that takes the heart rate over 140. It was suggested that the 140 hr problem was a more outdated thought. Personally, the physiology of the reasoning seems faulty to me. If blood is able to circulate throughout the body and perfuse all extremities and capillary beds, it should be perfusing the placenta and baby just fine as well. There is always blood circulating through that, always blood getting to the baby. Its not like a higher heart rate STOPs blood flow, or creates gaps- it is a closed system through the body. It is always flowing foward, rate is unimportant. Blood pressure seems like a bigger concern to me.

lyssie - 280 days ago.
I was running before I got pregnant and through part of the first trimester but I was SO tired and fatigued and sick all of the time that I stopped! Oh, well, I get on the elliptical sometimes and plan to return to running as soon as my body is ready after delivery! I hope I don't break my tailbone this time!!! It still hurts from my first pregnancy!!! Also, my hips felt 'loose' and the muscle and joints too in the groin after delivering my last baby. I wonder how long it will take to be comfortable running this time?? I hope it will not take too long!

lyssie - 280 days ago.
I think it is important to keep your heart rate below 140 throughout the pregnancy. That is what I was taught in school. You want to make sure you are not taking the blood flow from the baby.

dazieoo - 374 days ago.
Okay.... Is it only during the first trimester that it's important to keep your heartrate below 140? I used to run a lot... but i got so parinoid about raising my heart rate to much I took it easy for a while.... and I think my heartrate is increasing naturally.... now a brisk walk can raise it to 130... except i really don't feel like Im getting much of a work out doing that. Should I just not jog until the baby is born?

EvaV - 461 days ago.
I have never monitored my heartrate while exercising and did not while trying to conceive. Prior to becoming pregnant I ran 40 miles a week in addition to my normal active lifestyle- hiking, biking, kayaking, skiiing. I had no problems getting pregnant. I wouldn't stress about it. Enjoy your intense workouts while you still can. 11 weeks PP and still a slug.

Bsbabyblues - 462 days ago.
Did any of you watch your heartrate while TTC? I workout almost daily and maintaining a heart rate @ or below 140 doesn't make for a very intense workout. I was just curious to know what you girls did...Thanks!