Exercise in Pregnancy

Contact Us

Exercise in Pregnancy

Dana Wright • Sep 21, 2021

Dr. Molly Johnson

Exercise in Pregnancy

Staying active during your pregnancy is key to feeling your best as your pregnancy progresses and is something I feel very strongly about! In general, you can continue any exercise that you were doing prior to pregnancy at your usual level of intensity. Often fatigue and nausea limit exercise in the first trimester so jump back in to your routine whenever you feel good enough to do so.

The recommendation for exercise in pregnancy is 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise 5 days a week. I usually advise that when exercising, don’t exert past the point of being able to have a conversation with someone. The most important thing is to listen to your body and stop or modify whenever you feel like you need to. Drink plenty of water before, during, and after exercising and avoid getting overheated.

BENEFITS OF EXERCISE IN PREGNANCY

Staying active during the pregnancy helps to maintain healthy weight gain, avoid constipation, and can help you sleep more soundly. Staying active can help with energy level and improved mood. Exercise such as yoga can help with posture and back pain in pregnancy.

Labor itself can be like running a marathon and so being in good physical condition usually helps labor and the hard work of pushing go better.

Studies show exercise in pregnancy to be associated with higher incidence of vaginal delivery and lower incidence of excessive weight gain, gestational diabetes, high blood pressure in pregnancy, preterm birth, Cesarean birth and low birth weight.

Staying in shape during pregnancy helps with postpartum recovery and weight loss after delivery as well.

WHAT IF YOU HAVE NOT BEEN EXERCISING BEFORE PREGNANCY?

Doing some type of physical activity 30 minutes most days of the week is the general recommendation for exercise during pregnancy, even if you were not active prior to getting pregnant. Walking is ideal because it is free, can be done anywhere, and is not too difficult to start even if you are not used to exercising. You can start with 10 minutes a day and work up from there!

ARE THERE ANY TYPES OF EXERCISE TO AVOID?

Avoid any exercise that could cause trauma to the abdomen/uterus or put you at risk of falling. Examples are snow skiing or water skiing, horseback riding, basketball, volleyball, and softball.

If you have high risk conditions such as placenta previa or preterm labor, make sure you talk to your doctor about exercise recommendations. Otherwise, if you are healthy and your pregnancy is normal, make sure you make it a habit to move your body throughout your pregnancy!

< Older Post