Some Pregnant Women Do Not Get Enough Exercise — Study Says

The most important thing a soon-to-be mom should do is to make her body healthy by eating good food and engaging in healthy activities like exercising. It is an effective way to keep the little pumpkin growing inside healthy and strong.

Unfortunately, a recent study showed that not all women can find motivation in keeping their focus on healthy habits, especially when it comes to burning calories. Based on the details gathered through the research, women who have experienced miscarriage or those who are overweight have the tendency of not engaging with exercise and have poor psychological health, Futurity reported.

This result can be alarming especially that pregnant women who choose to not engage with exercise can have a higher risk for depression and anxiety. The study includes 113 women as their correspondents. Among them were 41 women who had a history of miscarriage and 72 women who were obese.

The lead author of the study, Danielle Downs, a professor of kinesiology and obstetrics and gynecology at Penn State, explained that, with the results, it is obvious that women who experienced miscarriage "may not know about the benefits of exercise in their next pregnancy for managing their psychological health." That is why it is important to let them get informed that exercising safely can make them become healthier by helping them "manage anxiety and depressive symptoms."

Raul Artal, M.D., chairman of the OB-GYN department at Saint Louis University in Missouri and lead author of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' guidelines on prenatal exercise, also explained through an interview posted in Fit Pregnancy that the real hazard is when a person gets no exercise at all. By not getting active, high blood pressure, aches or pains and gestational diabetes can manifest. Even babies inside them are likely to develop diabetes or could also become overweight.

By doing a simple exercise or just by enjoying a 30 to 60-minute walk a day can promote a lot of benefits not just to the pregnant woman but also to her unborn child, Mayo Clinic posted. Positive effects of getting enough and safe exercising can help improve energy levels and boost one's mood. It can also help reduce sleepless nights, constipation, bloating, backaches and swelling.

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