Can I exercise during pregnancy?
For most pregnancies, exercise is recommended, not just permitted. Aim for about 150 minutes a week of moderate activity. It lowers gestational diabetes risk, helps mood and sleep, and eases delivery recovery. Walking, swimming and prenatal strength work are ideal.
Adjust as you grow: skip contact sports, high fall-risk activities, heavy breath-holding lifts, and lying flat on the back for long stretches later on.
Complicated pregnancies rewrite the rules individually, so confirm your plan with your provider. The old advice to sit still has been dead for decades.
Source: ACOG Committee Opinion 804, physical activity and exercise during pregnancy
See a doctor promptly if
- Bleeding from the vagina, or fluid leaking from the vagina
- Regular painful contractions, especially before 37 weeks
- Chest pain, or breathlessness that does not settle with rest
- Dizziness, fainting, or a headache with blurred vision
- Pain, swelling or warmth in one calf
- A clear drop in the baby's usual pattern of movements
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Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS · How we review
If you are buying a fitness tracker
Step count and resting heart rate are the two numbers that matter, and any major-brand band tracks both well. You do not need the expensive model to walk more.
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