Maintaining a regular exercise routine throughout your pregnancy can help you stay healthy and feel your best. Regular exercise during pregnancy can improve your posture and decrease some common discomforts such as backaches and fatigue. There is evidence that physical activity can relieve stress, prevent gestational diabetes (diabetes that develops during pregnancy), improve mood, improve sleep, and build more stamina needed for labor and birth. In addition, exercising and eating healthy in pregnancy can help you to get back in shape faster after delivery. If you were physically active before your pregnancy, you should be able to continue your activity in moderation. If you have never exercised regularly before, you can safely begin an exercise program during pregnancy.
The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommends 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise per day on most if not all days of the week, unless you have a medical or pregnancy complication. If you haven't been exercising before your pregnancy, walking is a great way to get started.
Some other examples of good exercises while pregnant are swimming, stationary bicycling, yoga, and low impact aerobics.
Prior to performing any exercises in pregnancy, you should consult with your healthcare provider to make sure you do not have a obstetrical or medical condition that may limit your ability to exercise during pregnancy. Your health care provider can also give you personal exercise guidelines based on your medical history.
You may want to limit your exercise in pregnancy is if you have any of the following conditions:
| Women with these conditions should not exercise during pregnancy: | Women with these conditions should talk to their healthcare provider to make sure exercise will be safe: |
| Hemodynamically significant heart disease | Recurrent miscarriage or threatened miscarriage in current pregnancy |
| Restrictive lung disease | Severe anemia |
| Incompetent cervix/cerclage | Unevaluated maternal cardiac arrhythmia |
| Multiple gestation at risk for premature labor | Chronic bronchitis |
| Persistent second- or third-trimester bleeding | Intrauterine growth restriction in current pregnancy |
| Placenta previa after 26 weeks of gestation | Poorly controlled hypertension |
| Premature labor during the current pregnancy | Orthopedic limitations |
| Ruptured membranes | Poorly controlled seizure disorder |
| Preeclampsia/pregnancy-induced hypertension | Poorly controlled hyperthyroidism |
Most exercises are safe to perform during pregnancy, as long as you exercise with caution and do not overdo it. Avoid laying flat on your back and make sure if doing floor exercises to be in slight tilt. A wedge or towel is an easy way to accomplish this.
The safest and most productive activities are swimming, brisk walking, indoor stationary cycling, treadmill or elliptical machines, and low-impact aerobics (taught by a certified aerobics instructor). These activities carry little risk of injury, benefit your entire body, and can be continued until birth.
Other activities such as jogging can be done in moderation, especially if you were doing them before your pregnancy. Strength training or weight training is also acceptable in pregnancy if you use a low level of weight and concentrate on toning muscle groups not building new muscle. Avoid heavy lifting that requires you to squat or bear down during the activity. Isometric training and Nautilus® machines are ideal for this.
Tennis and racquetball are generally safe activities, but changes in balance during pregnancy may affect rapid movements. You may want to choose exercises or activities that do not require great balance or coordination, especially later in pregnancy.
For total fitness, a pregnancy exercise program should strengthen and condition your muscles.
Always begin by warming up for five minutes and stretching for five minutes. Include at least fifteen minutes of cardiovascular activity. Measure your heart rate at times of peak activity. Follow aerobic activity with five to ten minutes of gradually slower exercise that ends with gentle stretching.
Here are some basic exercise guidelines for pregnant women:
Physical changes during pregnancy create extra demands on your body. Keeping in mind the changes listed below, remember that you need to listen to your body and adjust your activities or exercise routine as necessary. Remember to include a gentle stretching routine every day to help prevent injury and relieve some pregnancy-related discomforts.
Stop exercising and consult your health care provider if you:
There are certain exercises and activities that can be harmful if performed during pregnancy. They include:
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