APPI in the Media
Exercise During Pregnancy - In Touch Article by Rachel Quested (APPI Presenter) - 16 March 2010
Exercise During Pregnancy:
Pregnancy is an exciting but anxious time for many women. A pregnant woman is commonly bombarded with all sorts of varying, frequently conflicting information that she needs to make sense of and figure out how to apply to her own set of circumstances.
One of the big issues that comes to the fore in the (if applicable) planning and early stages of pregnancy is that of exercise. At the outset it is important for women to be encouraged at least to talk about their exercise regime and how they can use exercise as a positive influence during their pregnancy for themselves and their baby.
There is a wealth of positive, knowledgeable literature available worldwide advising women about exercise that women themselves can read and access. These include guidelines written by leading bodies such as the American College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (ACOG, 2002), Sports Medicine Australia and the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (RCOG 2006). These provide a solid foundation on which to build an individual approach to confident and safe exercise prescription during pregnancy.
During an uncomplicated pregnancy exercise is actively recommended for a host of associated maternal and foetal benefits. (ACOG 2002; RCOG 2006). Sadly, a recent study that surveyed over 1000 subjects’ physical activity during pregnancy showed the majority of women did not reach the recommended activity levels (Borodulin et al. 2008).
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