Exercises you should avoid when pregnant

Exercising is a crucial element of healthy living for everyone. It’s a strong preventative measure for serious health conditions like heart disease, it’s a great way to keep your mental health in check and there’s the added benefit of looking fit.

While exercise is something that is safe for people across all ages, there are a couple of restrictions for people in special categories like those who have health conditions and pregnant women.

Exercising while pregnant has a couple of great benefits but at the same time the types of workouts you’re doing matters.

You can’t do certain moves that you normally would before you were pregnant because they can put your life and the baby’s life in danger.

To find out whether you’re at risk of harm here are some workouts you should avoid at all costs while expectant:

Weight lifting can be a great workout when you’re trying to strengthen your muscles. But when you’re pregnant, it’s not something that you should be doing.

Lifting heavy weights can put a strain on your back, which will make things worse for you since pregnancy can sometimes come with back pains and it can cause other serious complications.

It’s okay if you want to lift very light weights to stay fit for some time but still, consult your doctor first.

Sit-ups have always been a popular core exercise. They’re a workout anyone can do in the comfort of their home and if you’re consistent enough, you will see amazing results.

During pregnancy though, you might want to skip on this workout. It can put a lot of strain on your abdomen and workouts that require you to lie on your back for a long time can prevent blood flow.

It might be okay to do this in the first trimester but from the second onwards, it’s a no-go zone.

Intense cardio comes with a lot of jumping, twisting and bending, all which can be dangerous if you’re pregnant. Those moves can put a lot of tension on your joints and they can cause you to lose balance and possibly injure yourself.

If you still want to stay active, you can try the low intensity cardio workouts that are pregnancy-safe.

Contact sports are activities like football, basketball and volley ball. These are activities that can increase your risk of injury because you might get hit in the abdomen or easily fall, which is very dangerous at this time.

While it can be tempting to enjoy a playful game with your family and friends, it’s best if you avoid them. Other activities that can increase your risk of injury like kickboxing should be avoided too.

Planks are great for building a strong core but not when you’re pregnant.

Just like sit ups, they can put excess pressure on your pelvic floor and abdomen which restricts proper blood flow. They can also cause back pain because planking can put a bit of strain on your back.

It’s best to avoid doing planks during this time because you can end up with long-term injuries.