Healthy Shapes

The benefits of exercise during pregnancy

Exercise during pregnancy does wonders. It boosts mood, improves sleep, and reduces aches and pains. It also prepares you for childbirth by strengthening muscles and building endurance, and makes it much easier to get back in shape after your baby is born.

Research suggests that prenatal exercise may also lower the risk of developing gestational diabetes and preeclampsia. If you've been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, exercise can help you manage the condition and prevent complications.

Exercise is so beneficial that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that healthy women all over the world, with uncomplicated pregnancies aim to exercise at least 20 to 30 minutes a day with moderate intensity on most or all days of the week. The ideal workout gets your heart pumping, keeps you limber, manages weight gain, and prepares your muscles to handle the physical demands of pregnancy and the postpartum period without causing undue physical stress for you or the baby.