Pregnant women need to adopt a healthy lifestyle to ensure their own well-being, as well as that of their unborn babies. New physical exercise guidelines for pregnant women passed in Canada says that light workout sessions during pregnancy can help pregnant women improve their health.
“Up until this point, the focus has all been on proving that those women who want to exercise during pregnancy, it’s actually safe for them and their baby,” explained Dr. Gregory Davies, who was the co-author of the new guideline.
“We’ve actually been able to prove that not only is exercise safe in pregnancy, but it actually makes pregnancy outcomes better,” the researcher added.
The new physical exercise guidelines for pregnant women rolled out yesterday, October 17th, by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) and the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada.
New Physical Exercise Guidelines Released For Pregnant Women in Canada
According to the new guidelines, pregnant women must spend about 150 minutes per week with moderate physical exercise. At the minimum, women must workout at least three days a week, but doctors recommended pregnant women to get short training session daily.
“We broke safety down into many, many different components – the risk of miscarriage, the risk of premature birth, the risk of caesarian section, et cetera. Exercising does not make any of these things worse. By exercising, you can make your health and your baby’s health better,” said Dr. Gregory Davies.
“Things that we don’t think about such as yard work or gardening – even vacuuming – can be considered moderate-intensity exercise,” also said Margie Davenport, the co-leading author of the new guidelines and a professor at the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport and Recreation.
In conclusion, the Canadian researchers agreed that the new physical exercise guidelines for pregnant women are more appropriate for boosting their health, as well as the well-being of the unborn babies.