Life

Is Kickboxing Safe During Pregnancy? Proceed With Caution

by Olivia Youngs

When you become pregnant, the list of things you can't do seems to grow while the list of things you can do gets shorter and shorter. And though there are certainly many things pregnant women can do just as before, it's always best to be cautions when taking on new (or continuing old) hobbies or activities. If kickboxing is your go-to workout, you may be wondering whether or not kickboxing is safe during pregnancy, in the hopes that you don't have to quit altogether.

In an effort to get the most reliable and current advice out there, I spoke to Vivian Vidal, a kickboxing instructor at I Love Kickboxing in New York City, about whether or not pregnant women should continue kickboxing or not.

According to Vidal, it's a question that should be taken on a case by case basis. Just like each person's body and fitness level, each pregnancy is different, she says, so making a clear cut call is tricky. However, Vidal cautions moms to speak to their healthcare providers about any exercise class they may enroll in — especially if it's not a class specifically for pregnant women.

According to What To Expect, classes where there is the potential for impact hits should be avoided during pregnancy, to avoid risk to the baby and damage to your body, but each class is different, so checking with the instructor beforehand is your best bet.

Similar to the article, Vidal suggests that pregnant women should "avoid super intense workouts that increase the heart rate" to an unsafe level. In agreement with Baby Center's advice, Vidal cautions pregnant women to never work out to the point of exhaustion, and be sure to eat and drink enough both before and after a workout.