Research on Exercise in Pregnancyby Pattie Hughes | More from this Blogger 19 Apr 2009 08:11 PM The recommendation for most healthy pregnant women is to get regular exercise. Unless there is a complication that makes exercise not safe, most doctors and midwives recommend activity at least three times each week. The reasons for the recommendations have been largely anecdotal. While there has been evidence of fewer complications, there haven't been a lot of studies that directly compared women who exercised with women who did not during pregnancy. That has now changed. The study that was conducted at Kansas City University of Medicine was presented this weekend at The American Physiological Society's annual meeting. The study compares women who exercise during pregnancy with those who do not in terms of fetal development. One reason often given to researchers and medical professionals for not exercising in pregnancy is a lack of time. Whether the pregnant woman is a first time mom and busy with work or a mother with other kids and possibly a job, time is the most common reason given for not working out. This has been shown to be the case in many polls and studies. Those of us who are mothers know this problem will not change after the baby arrives. A particularly interesting finding of the study was the time management differences in the groups of women who exercised and those who did not. What researchers found was that the mothers who did not exercise tended to spend more time during the day watching television and on the computer. The mothers who worked out spent less time at these activities and more time reading and exercising. The hypothesis is that the issue is a misconception of a lack of time that is the difference. What do you think? I'm inclined to believe it. If I want to be honest with myself, the house isn't any dirtier or the kids less loved if I take an hour to work out. Time management is tough, but an hour or two a week is possible and very beneficial for mom and baby. Related Articles:
Learn more about Pattie Hughes  Pattie Hughes is a freelance writer and mother of four young children. She and her husband have been married since 1992. Pattie holds a degree in Elementary Education from Florida Atlantic University. Relevantpregnancy tags User Comments AggieGal (60) 20 Apr 2009 02:26 PMI really wish my excuse was lack of time. I'm due in less than a month and lost the drive for exercise about a month ago. I have a 3 year old, and I'm still working full time. I found that if I exercise in the morning, I'm completely worthless (exhausted, sore, etc) by the time I get home. On the other hand, I'm tired by the time I get home anyways and it takes everything I have left to get dinner on the table, play with my son, and get him to bed. Unfortunately, my husband works evenings, so he's rarely around to help. I do try and go for walks with my son when it's warm enough, but I just haven't been able to get the drive to have a regular exercise routine again. I wish I could find the motivation to find a way to do it, because I know it's very beneficial. JohnLynnerPeterson (10) 17 Jun 2009 05:04 PMStretching is great exercise! This couple - first link - knows how to STRETCH during pregnancy! http://johnlynnerpeterson.com/gallery/7321279... http://johnlynnerpeterson.com/gallery/4172243... Pregnancy looks so good on all these women! Thanks for your great work. Discuss this article
|
Pregnancy categories |
