By Ashley Williams
KCP Physical Therapy Technician
You can exercise while pregnant! In fact, it’s encouraged for healthy pregnancies! Just make sure you gain approval from your provider.
Common modes of exercising while pregnant include swimming, walking, and strength training. Exercising while pregnant helps to maintain mobility, cardiovascular health, and will help optimize recovery after delivery. If performed correctly, exercising during pregnancy can reduce discomfort such as back pain and reduce risk of complications during pregnancy.
Exercising while pregnant also decreases the mother’s risk of obtaining gestational diabetes. In the United States, 6-9% of pregnant woman develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy. Only 23% of pregnant woman are obtaining the recommended levels of physical activity!
Experts recommend 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise a week for healthy pregnant and postpartum women! Of course, individualized programming is still essential. Each program should be modified for the woman’s needs. Being pregnant can affect how your body typically responds to exercise. You may notice that your balance is a bit off, body temperature is slightly higher than normal, breathing becomes a bit more difficult, energy is lacking, heart rate has increased, and joints becoming more flexible. It’s important that your instructor keep these factors in mind when creating a program, to avoid risk of injury.
Once a common myth, is now a debunked fact! Exercising while pregnant is great for not only the mother, but also the baby. Exercise programs should be tailored for the mother’s needs. If you or someone you know is pregnant and interested in an exercise program, contact KCP Physical Therapy and Fitness for your needs!
