Benefits of Staying Active During Pregnancy

When you're pregnant it's tempting to give into {what seems like} never-ending fatigue, but this isn't the time to be selfish. This is the time to think about what's BEST for you and your baby. No one can grow a healthy baby but you. You should take that very seriously and do the best you can. Walk your way to a healthier pregnancy! 

Growing a little one takes a lot of energy. And you know what's proven to give you energy?

No, not the bag of candy that sounds oh-so-good.

Exercise. 

That's right. You have to expend energy to get energy. But that's not the only benefit of exercise. In fact, if you're already living a healthy lifestyle of eating a nutritionally balanced diet and staying active, you should continue doing just that. Don't stop! There are so many benefits to an active pregnancy rather than laying on the couch.

As a runner, it was important to stay active throughout my pregnancy. An active pregnancy has benefits for mom and baby. I especially wanted to continue running. But even on the days where running was a little difficult or I was injured {yes, I bounced back from a running injury DURING my pregnancy!} I still continued to walk! 

I ran the Oklahoma City Half Marathon at 16 weeks pregnant

So even if your body isn't in running shape during pregnancy, walking brings the same benefits.

Benefits for Mom:

• Less weight gain
• Decreased Discomfort
• Mood stability {hellooooo endorphins!}
• Lower risk of gestational diabetes {also dangerous for baby}
• Lower risk of gestational hypertension {also dangerous for baby}

Benefits for Baby:

• Decreased fat mass
• Improved stress tolerance
• Advanced neurobehavioral maturation
• Teaching your baby to be healthy from the start

Being pregnant isn't an excuse to lay around and eat pizza and chips for 9 months. It's actually the opposite. It's the best time to live a healthy and active lifestyle. There's so much you can't control in your pregnancy and baby's development, but you CAN control how active you are. So do what's best for you and baby and get ACTIVE!

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