Vigorous Exercise Is Safe for Most Expectant Mothers
Jogging or interval training on an indoor bike, even in the third trimester, is safe for most pregnant women.
Good news for pregnant exercise enthusiasts: Vigorous exercise, even in the third trimester, is safe for healthy pregnant women, according to a study reported in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth (2019; 19 [1], 281).
Lead study author Kassia Beetham, PhD, exercise physiology lecturer at Australian Catholic University, wrote, “We collated all studies looking at mothers exercising at a vigorous intensity during the third trimester, to understand how safe this was for mothers and babies. Our review included 15 studies totaling 32,703 pregnant women.
“What we found should be reassuring for active women with healthy pregnancies. . . . The studies looked at a range of outcomes for both mum and baby, and none showed any meaningful increase in risk.”
Findings showed no difference in baby birth weight, no difference in number of babies born small, a slightly lower chance of premature birth and a few extra days of gestation.
The study authors cautioned that vigorous intensity did not mean high impact, nor did it mean going above 90% of maximum heart rate. Working with a fitness professional is recommended.
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA
Shirley Eichenberger-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.
