Exercise in Pregnancy

1. Exercise in pregnancy, for the most part, is safe and recommended. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has recently given exercise its broadest sanction yet.

2. If you start something new, begin slowly and advance as tolerated.

3. Running is fine, as long as you do what you're used to doing, don't get overheated, keep well hydrated, and curtail it if shortness of breath or dizziness occurs.

4. It's easy to pull a muscle when you're pregnant, thanks to the hormones progersterone and relaxin, which decrease the tone of joints, ligaments, and muscle, so be wary of the above 1-3.

5. Women who continue to exercise will do better than women who don't--better in labor and delivery.

6. Certain pregnancy complicatiions will make exercise impossible or dangerous--ask your doctor if you were to develop any risks.

7. Simple, natural devices such as Fitball (see below) can prove valuable with stretching exercises, center-of-gravity routines, and stamina.

8. Stay away from kick-boxing.

To learn more about excerise and your pregnancy check out our excerise pregnancy videos.