Jillian Michaels shares a few exercises that you must necessarily avoid, if you are pregnant. Read on to know more about these exercises and tips to help you smoothly sail through this important phase of your life.
Jillian explains that a pregnant women must work out for 3-5 times a week. A 30- to 45-minute session would be best each time. It is considered good not to exceed your workout sessions for more than an hour; including both cool-down and warm-up exercises.
The key is to remain consistent with your efforts without overdoing things. Overdoing to the point of exhaustion would be plain bad for you, irrespective of the fact that you are pregnant or not. This is not the best time to push your limits. You must pay attention to rest and recovery as these are not just critical elements of any fitness regimen, but pregnancy too.
Exercises that Must Be Avoided During Pregnancy
While most of the sports are great in case you have been doing them before getting pregnant, there are a few exercise that must be avoided after conceiving:
1. Impact
Avoid any exercise, which could result in falls, getting hit or impact with another person. Sport activities like ice skating, surfing, gymnastics, wake-boarding, horse riding can lead to falls and must be strictly avoided.
You must also understand that your balance is now not the same as it used to be earlier. You must also avoid basketball, soccer or hockey. Jillian suggests that it is not the right time to body check a point guard or sliding tackle a forward.
2. Elevation
Sports above or below the sea level must also be avoided. Scuba diving can put both you and your baby at risk due to changes in atmospheric pressure, which might lead to decompression sickness.
Sports occurring at extreme heights like mountain climbing or downhill skiing are also dangerous for you right now. Lack of oxygen at such a high altitude might lead to altitude sickness. If you are already living in the mountains, you must exercise according to your RPE tolerance. Jillian warns that it is not certainly the appropriate time to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.
3. Inadequate Hydration or Fuel
You need to ensure that your blood sugar levels are stable before you begin exercising. This is because blood sugar levels can take a steep dip during prenatal training sessions. You can eat a small snack that has enough protein and complex carbohydrate an hour prior to workout. Jillian advises to stay hydrated before, during and after the workout. For every 15 minutes of exercise, you must drink 6 to 8 ounces of water.
It is best to avoid workout whenever you feel dehydrated. You can check whether you are dehydrated or not by observing the color of your urine. If it is more like diluted lemonade, you are hydrated enough. In case it looks more like apple juice, you should drink more water and hold off your plan to exercise.
Jillian hopes that these tips would help pregnant women stay healthy even during this tough phase of their life. She advises expecting mothers to avoid the above-mentioned exercises and consult the doctor before beginning with any new diet plan or workout.
