Should I Exercise During Pregnancy?

Should you exercise during pregnancy? The unequivocal answer is: YES! Exercise will help your body (and your mind, and your emotions) manage more effectively the stresses of being pregnant. Exercise will make labor easier on your body. Exercise will speed up post-partum recovery. And, most important of all, exercise will increase the health of your baby, during the entire perinatal process. A healthy mother means a healthy baby.

There is one key thing to remember about exercise during pregnancy: Listen. Listen to your doctor, first of all, especially if you have a pre-existing health condition like asthma, heart disease or diabetes. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology suggests at least 30 minutes of moderate exercising on most days during your pregnancy. Ideally, it would be all days. But your doctor will know if pregnancy related conditions, like an incompetent cervix, or a history of premature births or miscarriage, should inform your choices of activity.

Secondly, listen to yourself. Pregnancy is a time of dramatic changes for your body, and it will tell you what is working for it, and what is not. Activities you may enjoy during the first trimester may be uncomfortable, or even dangerous, later in the pregnancy.

What is the best way to exercise during pregnancy? If you have been exercising regularly prior to becoming pregnant, most doctors will encourage you to continue, with a few caveats. Here are some no-no's: Don't hold your breath (perform the Valsalva maneuver.) Avoid any activity that involves extensive jumping, skipping, hopping, running or bouncing (unless you were already running before, then you will want to minimize the intensity) as well as contact sports, or sports that include a risk of falling, deep knee bends, full sit-ups, double leg-lifts and straight leg toe-touches, high intensity interval training, and exercising in hot, humid weather. Core body temperature is a concern, so you will want to be careful of the intensity of your exercise: Keep your heart rate under 140 bpm. Don't exercise while lying on your back.

Now, having given you all those "don'ts" here are some "dos" for exercise during pregnancy. Do practice moderate aerobic activity daily, even if you haven't been exercising prior to pregnancy. Walking, running (if you are already doing that) and swimming, as well as stationary cycling, dance and yoga are all recommended. Bicycling is OK in the first trimester, and many women swear by swimming as their bodies become more ungainly during the third trimester. Your doctor or birthing coach will probably also recommend Kegel exercises, the pelvic tilt or "angry cat", squat and tailor poses, which help prepare the birthing muscles. Regular, moderate exercise will help make pregnancy more comfortable, shorten labor and may reduce the need for obstetric interventions.