Intermountain Health doctors say pregnant bodies, just like regular bodies, benefit from physical activity and movement.
(PRUnderground) February 25th, 2025
All types of women become pregnant: those with a regular exercise routine, or who exercise sporadically, or not at all. And some women have jobs that require a lot of physical activity. So pregnant women often have questions about what kinds of physical activities to engage in.
“Pregnant bodies, just like regular bodies, benefit from movement. And unless your provider has told you not to exercise, it’s healthy to engage in physical activity or movement,” said Martie Nightingale, CNM, DNP, a certified nurse midwife and advanced practice nurse practitioner who is certified in lifestyle medicine at Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City.
For women who are already pregnant and new to exercise, Nightingale recommends doing a physical activity you enjoy and start slowly, with three times a week and gradually increase the time and intensity.
“Ideally, pregnant women should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week like brisk walking, with an hour per day being optimal. Just walking or simple stretching, like yoga, has tremendous benefits. Exercise shouldn’t create stress but rather should reduce it!” said Nightingale.
Seven benefits of exercising during pregnancy
- Helps you gain the right amount of weight and lose it more easily later
- Improves mood and reduces anxiety
- Reduces back pain, pelvic pain and swelling
- Reduces risk of complications like gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, varicose veins
- Reduces risk of early birth or Cesarean section delivery
- Prepares your body for delivery, may help shorten labor and help with handling pain
- Reduces baby’s risk of future asthma, allergies, obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
Safe types of exercise recommended by experts during for moms who were already active during pregnancy include fast walking, swimming, riding a stationary bike, using an elliptical machine, dancing, tennis or pickleball doubles, stretching and resistance exercises, prenatal yoga, etc.
To help prevent issues with bladder control, you can do kegel exercises daily to squeeze and lift the pelvic floor muscles similar to stopping the flow of urine by holding for 5 seconds and then relax for 5 seconds.
To help with pelvic stability, do the cat-cow stretch on all fours by exhaling while arching your back (cat) and inhaling while you sag your back (cow).
“Few activities are restricted during pregnancy, but you’ll want to be cautious about participating in contact sports or extreme activities like skydiving, scuba diving or any which increases risk of falls, like mountain biking, downhill skiing, rock climbing, or horseback riding, especially as pregnancy progresses and balance may become compromised,” said Nightingale.
Pregnancy experts also recommend keeping hydrated during exercise and avoiding extreme temperatures like hot yoga or high altitudes over 8,000 feet.
In general, in the third trimester, avoid overly vigorous activities. Some yoga positions are not advisable during pregnancy, so check with the instructor so they can assist with modifications. After you’re five months along in your pregnancy, avoid lying on your back for long periods. And avoid standing in one position for long periods.
You can do some abdominal crunches, but use caution with abdominal exercises, particularly later in pregnancy and immediately after childbirth as this can cause separation of the abdominal muscles or diastasis recti.
Immediately after childbirth, there are some abdominal exercises which are helpful to begin right away. These focus on your breath to help bring in the muscles and strengthen them. Talk to your provider for specific cautions and exercises to avoid postpartum.
Stop exercising and call your doctor or midwife if you have vaginal bleeding, abdominal pain, regular and painful contractions, vaginal fluid leakage, difficulty breathing, chest pain, headache, loss of balance or calf pain or swelling.
For more information about pregnancy or to find a provider visit the pregnancy and baby page on intermountainhealth.org
About Intermountain Health
Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a not-for-profit system of 34 hospitals, approximately 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.
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