Exercising While Pregnant Essay

The effects of exercising while pregnant were frowned upon not too many years ago, women were told not to exercise or any physical activity out of concern that it may educe the chance of becoming pregnant when they wanted to. They were told that it would impair the growth of the fetus during pregnancy or increase the risk of having a difficult delivery during childbirth. But in the last 20 to 25 years, attitudes have changed dramatically and for a good reason. Research has shown that trained women have no more trouble becoming pregnant than women who don’t train. Exercise training during pregnancy can provide beneficial effects to the mother and even reduce the incidence of fetal morbidities. “This favorable evidence that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that, barring medical contraindications, pregnant women perform 30 minutes or more of the moderate intensity exercise on most, if not all, days of the week. The same exercise recommendations that are in a joint statement by the American College of Sports Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for all healthy adults, both male and female, are applicable to pregnant women.”
The main benefit of exercising while pregnant is reduced risk of gestational …show more content…
Both groups were given a pamphlet about the benefits of physical activity and appropriate exercises for pregnant women. At the end of this study they suggest the feasibility of an exercise intervention during pregnancy for women with obesity to enable them to maintain and even increase their physical activity levels, following a supervised exercise program during mid-pregnancy. A minimum of 3 exercise sessions every two weeks appears necessary to maintain fitness in pregnant women with obesity, but a higher volume of exercise might induce greater benefits on other outcomes such as gestational weight