Why is Exercise Important during Pregnancy?

Physios at move physio pilates discuss the benefits of exerise during pregnancy.

Why should you exercise when you are pregnant? 

Before you become pregnant, you will be aware that regular physical activity has many benefits including preventing and treating a large number of diseases including high blood pressure, heart disease, some cancers and diabetes as well as improved mental health and general well being. 

Why then would it make sense to stop exercising when we fall pregnant…? 

Some common barriers that currently exist include confusion around the guidelines for exercising when you are pregnant and  misunderstanding of the impact of the exercise on the fetus.

The good news is that there are lots of benefits to exercising when you are pregnant with the two main ones being; 

• Reduced risk of developing pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes and gestational high blood pressure

• It also increases the chance of returning to exercise postnatally and can provide a quicker physical recovery postnatally

To help you understand how to exercise safely when pregnant, we have summarized the current guidelines below; 

• Pregnant women should accumulate 150 mins of moderate intensity physical activity over the course of a week

• When monitoring intensity of exercise, it is recommended to use a heart rate monitor or use the talk test

• When exercising you should avoid excessive heat particularly in the first trimester; if you are exercising in warmer climates; stay hydrated and wear loose clothing

• It is important to remember that even low intensity exercise can still provide some benefits as opposed to a sedentary lifestyle throughout pregnancy

If you have any questions about exercise and pregnancy for you or someone you care about - please don’t hesitate to get in touch - we would love to help design an exercise program tailored to you and can also integrate you into move x classes to safely work on your functional movement before, during and after pregnancy.