Info about Skateboarding
Ice Skating Technique for Pregnancy
After lacing up, warm up by cruising a flat area. This will get your blood pump¬ing and prepare your muscles for a little stretching. Then find a quiet spot where you can stretch for a couple of minutes—a grassy patch or an empty part of the rink is useful.
Wearing your skates, try these simple stretches after warming up. Grab an ankle and pull it back toward your buttock to stretch your upper leg (quadriceps) muscles. Release. Lift that foot forward and do some ankle circles (this will be harder if your boots are laced tightly). Then straighten the leg and lift it behind you to activate the buttocks (gluteus) muscles and the backs of your legs (ham¬strings). Repeat on the other side. While standing straight, rotate your hips around in five gentle circles to your right, then to your left. Hip circles will warm up your hips and lower back. Don't forget to warm up your back, shoul¬ders, and arms with dynamic stretches, which activate your muscles so that you can maintain good posture and balance when skating.
Posture is key to stable, safe skating. You'll notice that a master skater stays low to the ground, with her back flat and her knees bent. It's simple: the lower your center of gravity, the less likely you are to fall.
Good technique requires keeping your leg and back muscles strong so that you are confident in your movements. Between skating excursions, maintain that leg strength by doing supported squats and lunges—without your skates on. Build your belly, back, and buttocks muscles by doing hip lifts to activate the abdominal muscles. Then focus on your posture when you skate. Even though you are leaning forward when you are moving, keep your shoulders straight—not hunched—and your back flat—not arched. Keep your weight balanced over the balls of your feet and your feet four to six inches apart. If you lock your knees while moving, you are almost guaranteed to fall. I promise that practicing good skating posture will give you excellent standing and sitting posture as well and will really support your back as your pregnancy grows.
• Cooling Down
It's easy to forget to cool down when you've finally arrived back at the car or your front porch—you'll probably just want to pull off those skates and take a shower. Well, if you haven't already cooled down by cruising on flat ground for five min¬utes to get your heart rate down, you need to do it now. Or take off the skates and walk around in your socks for five minutes as your breathing returns to nor¬mal. Then try some pregnancy-safe stretches.
Equipment Considerations
Skating equipment is all about safety. And it works really well for you during your first trimester. Unfortunately, there is just no gear that can protect your grow¬ing belly after that. As soon as you put on your skates, you'll notice the increased distance to the ground. As you probably learned the first time you skated, it's no fun to fall that far. During pregnancy, you are more likely to bruise and sprain. So you need all the safety equipment you can get. Well-fitting skates that lace up and support your ankles should be at the top of your list. Broken wrists are the most common skating injury. Wrist guards support your delicate wrists. Knee and elbow pads can save your skin. A long-sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans also help protect your skin. Don't even consider skating without a snug-fitting helmet. Wear it low on your head, about an inch above your eyebrows. Avoid skating at dusk, when you are hard to see—or wear a headlamp and reflective jacket to get drivers' and bikers' attention.
Preparing for Difficult Situations_
Your most difficult situation is going to be negotiating roads. Traffic laws treat in-line skating as a recreational activity that falls somewhere between biking and walking. You are often allowed on sidewalks, but you have to yield to pedes¬trians. The best places to skate are paths in parks where there are few walkers and bikers. Empty parking lots, basketball courts, and tennis courts also provide nice, smooth surfaces for a skating workout. On ice skates, stick to less-trafficked parts of the rink and skate with the flow.