Exercise during pregnancy can help reduce back pain, increase your energy and decrease your risk of post-partum depression. Generally, 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week is recommended, with your activity level changing to accommodate your growing figure. Certain types of exercise can be dangerous during latter trimesters, while others are not recommended at any time. Talk to your doctor before exercising while pregnant, and discuss which activities are right for you.
Approved Exercises
Moderate- and low-impact exercises are, upon doctor approval, beneficial during most of your pregnancy. Walking, running, riding a stationary bike or elliptical and swimming are effective aerobic activities that promote circulation, muscle strength and endurance, and improve cardiovascular health. Low-impact classes like yoga and Pilates tone muscles while working on your flexibility. Easy hiking and playing non-contact sports like golf also might meet with your doctor's approval. Use caution and pay attention to your body. During pregnancy, your joints become looser, so you can fall more easily. Do not exercise to the point of fatigue or breathlessness, as this can be harmful to your baby.
High-Impact Activities
Certain activities, like racket sports, require quick changes of direction, increasing the stress on your joints and muscles. Due to your growing abdomen, your balance also changes during pregnancy, making you more prone to falls. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, or ACOG, recommends avoiding racket sports and contact sports like soccer, basketball and hockey. Gymnastics, water or downhill skiing and horseback riding increase your risk of falling and are deemed too dangerous during pregnancy. Also avoid lying on your back for too long in your later trimesters. Yoga poses, like corpse pose, in which you lie on your back can disrupt the oxygen flow to your baby.
Dangerous Activities
A few activities should never be undertaken while pregnant because they pose serious risk to your developing baby. The changes in pressure experienced while scuba or free diving can cause your fetus to experience decompression sickness. Likewise, hiking at high altitudes -- 6,000 feet or higher, according to the ACOG -- can have negative impact on your baby. At higher elevations, oxygen molecules are more spread out, making it difficult to get the oxygen you need to exercise. If you cannot get enough oxygen, neither can your baby.
Symptoms To Watch For
Fatigue, dizziness and breathlessness are signs to slow down or stop exercising. You also might want to reconsider your exercise plan if you feel muscle weakness, calf pain or swelling and a headache. More severe symptoms, like vaginal bleeding or discharge, also are signs that should not be ignored. Contact your doctor if you have bleeding as well as chest pain or uterine contractions.
