Is it safe to exercise during pregnancy?

If you are at low-risk pregnancy, it is encouraged to do at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week, or 20-30 minutes per day (BJSM, 2019). If you are already active before pregnancy, it is safe to mostly maintain your training habits. If you were inactive before pregnancy it is safe to gradually add exercise into your daily routine. Exercise is important for your health and that of your baby.

Benefits of exercise during pregnancy:

Fit for delivery: the physical demands of labour make it important to make sure you are physically fit for labour
Reduced pelvic and low back pain
Reduced excessive weight gain
Reduced risk of gestational diabetes, hypertension and macrosomia (linked with increased risk of childhood obesity)

At Mothers in Motion we work with pre- and post-natal women at all stages of pregnancy to ensure they are getting enough of the right types of exercise. Contact us for more information or to plan a free trial lesson. Together we can work-out the perfect prenatal training and treatment plan for you!

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 1: BJSM 2019, Physical activity recommendations for pregnant women. Modified from (ACOG, 2015; Department of Health and Social Care, 2016; Haakstad et al., 2018).

Figure 2: BJSM 2019, Maternal and fetal benefits of exercise during pregnancy. Based on Bø et al., 2016; 2017; Silva et al., 2017; Haakstad et al., 2018. Dark pink bobbles indicate moderate to high evidence, light pink bobbles indicate presumed benefits/low evidence.

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