Sharing some pregnancy fitness tips and how to stay active during pregnancy if that’s one of your goals. Always check with a doctor before starting or changing your fitness routine, and if you’re currently pregnant, follow the advice of your doctor or midwife. These are just some general tips and not meant to be a substitute for medical advice.

Even though that portion of my life is over, I still love training pregnant mamas and sharing the excitement of my pregnant friends. Both of our pregnancies were wildly different, but something that was important to me during pregnancy was trying to stay active, because it gave me energy and made me feel like myself.

It’s important to maintain an active lifestyle while you’re pregnant, especially because it can help with circulation, possible prevention of certain complications (like gestational diabetes), energy levels, and mood. While it’s beneficial for mama, a fitness routine during pregnancy can also have plenty of benefits for the growing baby. Staying fit is also beneficial as you recover from giving birth, as it can help with recovery, sleep, maintaining good posture and alignment, and restoring core function.

Being pregnant can require certain adjustments to your fitness routine and there are some things to consider as you work out during pregnancy. Today, I thought I’d share some helpful tips for readers with their fitness routines, while staying safe throughout the pregnancy journey. Please remember that I’m a certified personal trainer with extra education regarding pre and postpartum fitness, but I’m NOT a doctor. Always talk with your doctor or midwife about changing or starting a fitness routine.

10 Pregnancy Fitness Tips

Avoid exercises with a risk of falling or any possible trauma to the belly, like horseback riding, contact sports, boxing, etc.

You’re carrying extra weight, and your center of gravity is shifted, which can affect balance. If you’re using to a routine that requires stabilization and balance, and could lead to falling, I would recommend skipping it, or greatly modifying until after pregnancy.

Avoid any activity that affects oxygen intake or pressure, such as scuba diving.

From this study: “However, pregnant females should refrain from diving, because the fetus is not protected from decompression problems and is at risk of malformation and gas embolism after decompression disease. It is prudent to advise pregnant patients of the increased risk of diving problems for the fetus during pregnancy.”

Modify yoga classes as needed and watch out for over-stretching.

Prenatal yoga is usually a great bet, but you can absolutely modify traditional flow classes, as long as the room isn’t heated. I would recommend skipping hot yoga during pregnancy and also skipping inversions, unless it’s something you do very regularly and you have the doctor’s approval. I think it’s better to wait until baby is here to resume inv