Dos and don’ts of working out when you are pregnant

Dos

· Let your instructor know that you are pregnant

If you are going to the gym, it’s important that you inform your instructor. The instructor will change your exercises accordingly. There would be obviously certain activities that you need to avoid and your instructor can guide you well.

· Drink more water

Drinking water is important to stay hydrated. When you exercise you sweat and there’s loss of water from your body. So it’s necessary to stay hydrated, specially when you are pregnant.

· Focus more on warm-up and cool down

Since your heart rate is high during pregnancy it’s important that you focus more on cooling down after exercise. Give yourself extra time to come to your normal heart rate. Warm-up is necessary before you start to exercise so that there is no sudden change in heart rate.

· Stay in tune with your body changes

You must realize that your body is changing, there are changes in your body every day and every month. So make sure to keep yourself tuned with the changes and exercise accordingly. When you are pregnant your balance is off and joints and ligaments are looser, you must consider these changes.

Don’ts

· Don’t exercise on your back

Lying on the back can reduce the blood flow to your brain and uterus. So avoid lying on your back, not even for a short while.

· Don’t do risky exercise

During pregnancy your balance is off, don’t indulge yourself in any type of exercise where there is a risk of injury or falling down.

· Don’t overdo it.

You must not overdo any exercise because it will affect your baby in a bad way. Don’t get over-tired or overheated.