Exercise During Pregnancy, And Your Baby Will Benefit In A Big Way

Exercise does more than a body good

If you’re using your pregnancy as an excuse to kick up your feet and skip the fitness (or just feel too sick to even consider it) a new study might convince you to get moving.

The study, by researchers at Université de Montréal, found that just 20 minutes of moderate exercise three times a week during pregnancy can enhance a newborn’s brain development.

How to stick with exercise during pregnancy

If nausea and fatigue are putting a stop to your fitness plans, try to keep it simple with a quick walk in the fresh air with your partner or a friend.

For those who feel well enough for exercise, the safest options are walking, swimming and prenatal yoga. Obviously you should avoid contact sports and anything with a risk of falling, like horseback riding, but talk to your doctor about whether you’re safe to stick with running or biking if those are your regular favourites.

Not only will your workouts benefit your baby, they will also make you safer, healthier and happier in your pregnancy.

Better active than not

“’While being sedentary increases the risks of suffering complications during pregnancy, being active can ease post-partum recovery, make pregnancy more comfortable and reduce the risk of obesity in the children,” professor Daniel Curnier, one of the study’s authors, said in a press release.

Those are some pretty great benefits for just 20 minutes, three times a week, of exercise during pregnancy,.