Benefits of exercising during your pregnancy

We continuously stress the importance of exercising during pregnancy, that has so many benefits for both mother and child. Physical benefits of exercising during pregnancy for you as a mom to be include: improved cardiovascular function (which ensures the transport of oxygen, nutrients and wastes through the blood throughout the body), lower risk of diabetes, improved muscle strength and muscle mass, reduction of swollen extremities and reduction of varicose veins. Exercise also brings reduction in pregnancy-related physical discomfort and less fatigue due to improved sleep. All of this adds up to an overall improved sense of well-being: be the best you, at every stage of your pregnancy.

Several studies have shown that regular exercise reduces depression symptoms, reduces stress and feelings of restlessness and anxiety, increases self confidence and stimulates a positive body image. Women who exercise during pregnancy are more likely to continue also after the pregnancy. The fetus of an active woman will have less body fat and thus a lower birth weight. As a result, when it comes to childbirth, the active woman will also experience a reduction in delivery time.

There are strong numbers: for exercising women, labor takes an average of 4.4 hours and for non-exercising women it is 6.4 hours. Active women experience fewer complications, such as delivery using forceps or by cesarean section, exhaustion during labor and the pregnancy does not need to be initiated as often.

There are also several benefits seen with children of exercising mothers. In the fetus, we often see a decreased resting heart rate, improvement in placental viability and increased amniotic fluid levels. The fetus will also experience more rest. The fetus will tolerate labor better & the baby will likely have a higher Apgar score after birth, in addition to an improved ability to self-soothe.

All pregnant women develop diastasis around the end of the third trimester. The advice with a developing diastasis is to stop abdominal muscle training: also the most prominent reason that no isolated abdominal muscle training is offered during Mom in Balance's Pregnant workouts. Within the workouts, the core is always trained as a whole. Increased abdominal pressure can have a negative effect on diastasis. Our trainers will always remind you to breathe through during strength exercises & the workout - so you can feel comfortable breathing throughout your pregnancy.