Knowing that cautious and well planned exercise under supervision of your physician or midwife has excellent results, there are activities you should avoid and certain guidelines that should be maintained while exercising during pregnancy.

When pregnant, your joints are less stable and there is relaxation of the connective tissue.  These facts, along with the lack of balance due to the change in your center of gravity, place some limitations on your exercising routine.  Consult your care taker and listen to your body's needs and limits.

General Guidelines

First of all, build up your workout routine gradually and always start off with at least a 5 minute of gentle warm up before beginning.  Work out in regular intervals keeping to a structured routine (three times a week or so). Always remember to drink plenty of water.

Exercises that require jerky, bouncy movements are advised against because of the sensitivities of your body mentioned above. Therefore, preference is given to activity on wooden or carpeted floors. Stretching should also be conducted carefully for similar reasons. 

Don't push your body as hard as you are used to.  For example, your heart rate should not exceed 150 beats per minute (though expert athletes might not be bound to this limit).

Activity Advised Against  

Challenging sports which demand you to be in maximum control of your body or involve the possibility of injury might be off limits.

The sports which are clearly advised against are:

Rock climbing, downhill skiing, horseback riding, competitive sports, gymnastics, as well as squash and in some cases even tennis. Some physicians would allow women who are skilled in their sport, such as tennis, to continue it during the pregnancy.

Since your need for fluids increases, working outside in hot or humid weather are not good choices, even if you do keep drinking. Apart from the danger of dehydration you should also avoid overheating your body.

After the fourth month, try to refrain from exercising which requires you to lie on your back.
You should stop physical activity and contact your physician if any unusual symptoms occur such as: bleeding, fluid leakage, shortness of breath, chest pain, abdominal pain, dizziness or any other disturbing symptom.

Enjoy your exercise routine, but be careful and take good care of yourself, following your own intuition and the advice of your caretaker.
 

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