Benefits of exercise in pregnancy
Keeping active during pregnancy may help with:
- keeping fit
- preparing your body for giving birth and helping your recovery afterwards
- reducing the risk of some pregnancy-related conditions, like gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia
- improving your sleep, mood and mental health
How much exercise to do in pregnancy
It's recommended you aim for 150 minutes (2 and a half hours) of moderate intensity activity a week, including muscle strengthening exercises. This is the same advice given to all adults.
Moderate activity raises your heart rate, and makes you breathe faster and feel warmer. Many things, including walking, swimming and yoga, can count towards the 150 minutes a week. When you're doing moderate activity, you should be able to talk but not sing.
You do not have to do all 150 minutes of activity at once. You can do shorter sessions every day, or spread over a few days a week.
Try to include 2 sessions of muscle strengthening exercises each week as part of your activity.
Muscle strengthening exercises can include yoga, carrying shopping and carrying children. It can also include strength training at a gym, if you do this already.
If you cannot do 150 minutes each week, do what you can. Any activity is better than none.
Read more about the physical activity guidelines for adults
Find out more
Getting started with exercise in pregnancy
If you are new to exercise, you can start slowly with a smaller amount of activity, like 10 minutes a day.
You can aim to slowly increase this amount, day by day, until you're doing 150 minutes a week.
If you have a health condition that you already know about, you may need to take extra care when exercising. You can speak to your midwife about activities that are safe for you to do.
It's not recommended to start a new vigorous activity in pregnancy, such as running.
Exercise in later pregnancy
It is important to listen to your body in pregnancy and not push yourself too hard. As your pregnancy bump grows, you may find it more comfortable to change to different types of exercise.
For example, if you have been keeping fit by running you may find it more comfortable to do brisk walking instead.
Swimming can be good exercise during pregnancy as the water can relieve pressure on your muscles and joints. You may be able to find pregnancy exercise classes in water that you can join.
In later pregnancy, try to avoid any activity that involves lying flat on your back for more than a few minutes. This is because it can make you feel dizzy and is not good for your baby.
How to exercise safely in pregnancy
There are some things you can do to help you exercise safely in pregnancy.
Do
-
tell the trainer or instructor you're pregnant
-
drink water to keep hydrated
-
try to keep cool – wear the right clothing
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stop if you feel uncomfortable, too hot or unwell
Don’t
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do not do sports or activities where there's a risk of falling or bumping your tummy, like hockey, rugby or mountain biking
-
do not exercise on an empty stomach as this could make you faint
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do not scuba dive as it may be unsafe for your baby
Video: What can I do during pregnancy to make birth easier?
In this video, a midwife describes things women can do during pregnancy to help make giving birth easier.
Media review due: 3 February 2029
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