Your need for exercise

Research shows that regular mild exercise, such as walking, swimming and bicycling, are acceptable -- and encouraged -- during low-risk pregnancy.

Regular exercise:

• helps prevent constipation
• makes you feel better about yourself
• lifts your mood
• helps you manage your weight
• improves your muscle tone
• keeps your joints flexible
• helps prevent health problems, such as heart disease

If you are not used to exercise, start slowly and gradually increase in difficulty and amount of time.

If you are used to a more demanding exercise program, consult your health care provider before continuing it into your pregnancy.

You should not exercise if you have a high-risk pregnancy, preterm labor, a pregnancy with more than one baby, or if there is a health concern with your baby.

Exercise guidelines

With your health care provider's approval, whatever type and length of exercise you are used to is fine to continue into your pregnancy, with these limitations:

• Always stretch before and after a workout.
• Only stretch until you feel gentle tension, not pain.
• Keep breathing while holding stretches.
• Do not exercise lying on your back after the first trimester. Change your exercise position to side-lying, standing or on all fours.
• Do all exercises in a slow and controlled manner. Avoid jerky, bouncy movements. The connective tissue in your joints relaxes during pregnancy and is unstable, and hormone changes make it easier to over-stretch and strain muscles.
• Exercise at a moderate level. If you can't talk normally during exercise, you are exercising too hard. Stop when you are tired.
• Stop exercising and contact your health care provider if you have any of these symptoms:
  • uterine contractions
  • chest pain or tightness
  • leaking of fluid
  • bleeding from the vagina
• If you have time after your cool-down, add a practice session of your relaxation and breathing exercises.

Related Links

One exercise to begin now: The Kegel

Exercises: Pregnancy, labor and birth

"Changing Shapes" pregnancy fitness class

Prenatal yoga fitness class

First published: 10/04/2002
Last updated: 06/01/2003

Reviewed by: Allina Patient Education experts