A New Era for Expectant Mothers: The Rise of Prenatal Workouts

One of the biggest and most memorable days of your life has just happened... You’re pregnant! With all of the joy and happiness that comes with it, there’s unfortunately always unsolicited advice from people who may mean well but are just not up to date on the topic. This especially happens when it comes to pregnancy and exercise.

I was newly pregnant in 2023, and one of my coworkers wanted to stop me from helping him lift a ladder. Knowing my body and my current fitness level, I was more than capable of helping him safely. However, it struck me that there is still this stigma that pregnancy is viewed as a condition or illness where women are meant to take it easy. Thankfully, more and more research is coming out showing that exercise during pregnancy isn’t just a 'good idea'; it is crucial for the health of the mother and child.

A common concern I hear from clients regarding exercise and pregnancy is the fear that it will cause a miscarriage. About 10-20% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage, and most miscarriages fall within the first trimester. Some miscarriages have no known cause, while other lifestyle factors are associated with miscarriage. Some of those factors include having a high BMI (30+), a low BMI (<18.5), alcohol consumption during pregnancy, smoking, previous miscarriage, age, uterine abnormalities, and unmanaged illness or disease (such as diabetes, thyroid disease, or polycystic ovarian syndrome). If your lifestyle does not include any of these factors, then exercise during pregnancy would be a very beneficial choice.

One study involving 14,000 women compared those who exercised and those who did not. The group that exercised worked out at a moderate intensity for a maximum of 60 minutes. The findings were that there are 'no associations between volume, intensity, or frequency of exercise and fetal or newborn death' (Davenport, et al. 2019). So rest assured that, as of today, there’s no evidence that physical activity increases a woman’s risk of miscarriage, preterm birth, or low birth weight. The benefits of exercise for the mother are numerous and may even help with having a better overall experience during pregnancy.

Expecting mothers who exercise lower their risk of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and some of the other not-so-fun side effects of pregnancy, like nausea, constipation, heartburn, swelling, and varicose veins. It helps minimize excess weight gain outside of the recommended range of 25-35 lbs for single babies. Gaining extra weight can not only be an issue during postpartum recovery, but it also increases the risk of more pain and injuries throughout pregnancy.

There is also a link between women who strength train throughout their pregnancy and their birth experience. A study in 1998 found that those women had a 75% reduction in maternal exhaustion, a 75% reduction in the need for a c-section, and a 50% decrease in the need for medical intervention due to fetal heart-rate abnormalities (Clapp, 1998).

Did you know that babies also benefit from prenatal exercise? Contrary to the belief that mothers who exercise will have premature births or low birth weight babies, exercise actually helps reduce the risk of these outcomes. It is correlated with higher newborn APGAR scores, as well as helping the baby's ability to handle the stress of labor and recover more quickly. Besides these short-term benefits, there have been long-term benefits of prenatal exercise extending into childhood years, such as improved cardiorespiratory health, reducing the risk of childhood obesity, and potentially improving intelligence, language, and memory.

To wrap everything up, the evidence is clear—prenatal exercise is not just beneficial, but critical for the health and well-being of both mother and child. Outdated stigmas and misconceptions about pregnancy as a delicate condition requiring extreme caution are being replaced by a growing understanding of the remarkable resilience and capabilities of the pregnant body. By embracing prenatal workouts tailored to their needs, expectant mothers can experience smoother pregnancies, easier deliveries, and the long-term advantages of fetal programming that supports their child's development. With the right guidance and support, every pregnant woman can go through this journey feeling empowered, not hindered, by the physical demands of carrying new life.