Low-Impact Cardio Helps Expectant Moms
Exercise may improve sleep quality and strengthen maternal attachment to the unborn baby during pregnancy.
You’ve likely heard your pregnant clients complain about not sleeping well. Encourage them to move more outside of their sessions with you. New findings show that doing unsupervised low-impact cardio and aerobic exercise at least three times per week in the second trimester of pregnancy can help women sleep better and feel more connected to their unborn child.
Researchers from the National Cheng Kung University Hospital in Taiwan conducted the randomized controlled trial with 140 pregnant women, assigning them to either a control group of routine prenatal care or an exercise group that received a 20-minute, low-impact cardio video. Members of the active group were advised to do the routine three times a week for 3 months. The scientists collected data at 4 weeks, at study end (at 12 weeks) and 4 weeks after the study ended.
Data analysis showed that women in the exercise group experienced better sleep quality at each data collection point and had a significantly higher score for maternal-fetal attachment at 4 weeks post-test. Study authors recommend that pregnant women be encouraged to perform low-impact aerobic exercise on a regular basis.
The study appeared in Complementary Therapies in Medicine (2021; 57 [102671]).
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA
Shirley Archer, JD, MA, is an internationally acknowledged integrative health and mindfulness specialist, best-selling author of 16 fitness and wellness books translated into multiple languages and sold worldwide, award-winning health journalist, contributing editor to Fitness Journal, media spokesperson, and IDEA's 2008 Fitness Instructor of the Year. She's a 25-year industry veteran and former health and fitness educator at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, who has served on multiple industry committees and co-authored trade books and manuals for ACE, ACSM and YMCA of the USA. She has appeared on TV worldwide and was a featured trainer on America's Next Top Model.
