Exercise During Pregnancy

Safe activity by trimester — with your doctor's approval

Recommended

  • Walking and Nordic walking — the baseline choice for all trimesters
  • Swimming and aqua aerobics — unloads joints and the back
  • Prenatal yoga / stretching — with an experienced instructor
  • Stationary bike — safer than road cycling (no fall risk)
  • Light strength training — technique over load

Avoid

  • Contact sports and martial arts — risk of abdominal impact
  • Jumping, road cycling, skiing, horse riding — fall risk
  • Lying-flat-on-back exercises after the 1st trimester — vena cava compression
  • Deep twists and heavy abdominal straining
  • Scuba diving; altitude sports above 2,500 m without acclimatization

By trimester

1st trimester: continue usual activity, avoid overheating and dehydration

Stop and call a doctor if

  • Bleeding or unusual discharge
  • Dizziness, chest pain, shortness of breath before exertion
  • Abdominal pain, regular uterine contractions
  • Calf pain or swelling — possible thrombosis

Guideline: moderate intensity — the 'talk test' (you can talk during exercise). Heart rate up to ~140 bpm. Always clear your program with your OB-GYN, especially with complications, hypertension, or multiple pregnancy.

À propos de Sport et grossesse

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