I am an athlete and I am pregnant. Athletes: Your Fit Pregnancy Don’ts

As a Pregnant Athlete, you might feel frustrated by some of the limitations that pregnancy places on your agility. 

For example, weight gain, laxity in ligaments and joints reduces your running speed. Moreover, the weight gained during pregnancy increases the force on your hips and knees. You may find that your fine motor skills might feel sluggish, and you might try to compensate for your loss of dexterity by using your body in tricky ways, provoking injury as a result.

Overall don’t get too discouraged. These limitations are only temporary, and you will be back to your former athletic self before you realise it. In the meantime, don’t overtraining and/or become overtired, don’t continue exercising if you feel a lack of coordination or discomfort, don’t forget adequate fluid and don’t overlook a complete cooldown.

Try to follow these additional guidelines according to your Level of Exercise Experience:
• Slightly Active – When you are somewhat active, exercising and making activities a few times a week.

• 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity is encouraged. 
•  Twenty to thirty minutes on most days of the week is a good target. 
•  In addition to aerobic activity, strength training can be done every other day.

• Leisure Athlete – When you habitually exercise, you can and should continue your regimen but adjusted. Any session over 45 minutes can lead you to low blood sugar, so limiting the exercise session or consuming adequate calories before exercise is crucial.

• Athletes – This specialized group may boost their limits of pain and intensity during pregnancy exercise.

Overall, if you exercise 45 minutes or more, follow these safety guidelines:

• Avoid hyperthermia (elevated body temperature). This can be triggered by the environment, hydration levels and/or intensity of the exercise. 
• Maintain adequate caloric intake to prevent low blood sugar, especially if the workout is longer than 45 minutes.
• Maintain pregnancy-associated weight gain as recommended by your healthcare provider.
•  Ensure adequate caloric intake to prevent weight loss or nonpregnancy related weight gain.
•  Keep hydration by increasing water drinking throughout the exercise and during the day.

Be aware of injuries due to joint laxity. Relaxin is a hormone that allows the body to accommodate for the pregnancy, but it also creates loose joints and instability.

• Avoid the Valsalva manoeuvre or holding your breath while exercising.
• Abstain from getting overtired.
• Perform a thorough warm-up and cool down.
• Understand when you must adjust your routine due for lack of coordination or discomfort.
• Maintain a Rate of Perceived Exertion between 13 and 14. Your healthcare provider might recommend using a heart rate monitor. 

IMPORTANT: Stop exercise if any of the following occur:  

• Vaginal bleeding, 
• Regular painful contractions,
• Amniotic fluid leakage,
• Shortness of breath,
• Dizziness,
• Headache,
• Chest pain,
• Muscle weakness
• Affecting balance,
• Calf pain
  

STOP if you feel anything strange

https://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/exercise-during-pregnancy/