New Advice! Exercise During Pregnancy
Health advice from our mothers and aunties can be dangerously out of date. Especially when they are repeating the advice of doctors of 50 years ago. Then the advice was “take it easy, put your feet up” and ‘eat for two” for expectant mothers.
That advice has now been flipped on it’s head. Now the best research is that aerobic and weight bearing exercises in moderation has no effect on premature births the fear that caused the earlier advice. Most importantly exercise can lead to less weight gain during the pregnancy resulting in less obesity for mother and child in the future. The advice now is eat healthy for a limited amount of weight gain and make sure you exercise regularly.
The clear concern is that many women are starting their pregnancy with a ‘few extra pounds’ and by not managing the weight gain arrive at ‘many extra pounds’ for a finish. This can be a key factor in both mother and child obesity.
Reporting on studies that show that pregnancy can be a major factor in the obesity epidemic, the Journal of the American Medical Association has published an article in their Viewpoint series (21 March ’17) encouraging exercise during pregnancy. Their recommendations are that we aim to exercise for 30 minutes on most days but say that just 20 minutes, 3 or 4 days a week will still show benefits.
Here are some health benefits that can be experienced from exercise during pregnancy:
Helps reduce backaches, constipation, bloating and swelling
Increases energy
Promotes muscle tone, strength and endurance
Helps you sleep better
Improves your mood
Improves you posture
Regular activity also helps keep you fit and may improve your labor.
Regular activity will make it easier to get back in shape after the baby is born.
Talk with your doctor about your exercise regime before starting any new routines and don’t exercise too strenuously or as part of a weight loss regime.
A website full advice worth checking out is: http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/exercise-during-pregnancy/. It also provides a link to an article about what to watch out for when exercising during pregnancy.
Another link with some reassuring information is from the NHS: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/pregnancy-exercise.aspx.
