For the general population, regular exercise helps improve heart and lung health, manage weight, enhance daily function and strengthen bones. For pregnant women, these benefits of exercise also hold true. Even if you feel tired, bloated and clumsy, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American College of Sports Medicine advocate regular exercise during pregnancy because it offers a myriad of physical and psychological advantages that extend beyond the birth of your baby.
Benefits
The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists notes that regular exercise during pregnancy improves the quality of your sleep, your energy levels and your mood. In addition, it may help reduce back pain, constipation, swelling and water retention. Exercise helps prevent poor posture that results from excess weight at the belly and pelvis. Exercise also contributes to muscle endurance and tone. Staying active can help improve your experience in labor. Exercise makes it that much easier to regain your shape after the baby is born and may prevent postpartum depression.
Types to Include
The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise most, if not all, days of the week. Brisk walking, swimming and lifting weights to improve tone (rather than lifting to muscle failure) are comfortable exercises to perform while pregnant. If beforebecoming pregnant you participated in a more vigorous exercise routine, the American Pregnancy Association notes that you should be able to continue your program to some degree--as long as you listen to your body and do not push to extremes.
Considerations
The hormones, such as relaxin, produced during pregnancy make your joints and ligaments more susceptible to injury. You are pumping more blood through your body during pregnancy, and your heart is already working harder. Exercising to a point where you are still able to talk normally ensures that you are not overdoing it.
Caution
Never exercise to lose weight while you are pregnant. If you experience bleeding or cramping while exercising, contact your doctor immediately. If you begin an exercise program while pregnant, be patient with your body and go very slowly.
Exercise to Avoid
Avoid bouncy, high-impact movements and forced stretching to prevent possible injury. The extra weight of pregnancy changes your center of gravity--exercises that require significant balance like horseback riding or skiing are more likely to result in falls. Contact sports and exercises on unstable terrain (such as mountain biking) are not recommended during pregnancy.
