Pregnancy comes with its limitations but exercising should not necessarily be one of them.In fact, exercise is extremely beneficial for pregnant women and their developing baby.

Did you know that having a good exercise regime while pregnant can help make your contractions more effective when you go into labour, therefore making the birthing process a lot quicker? And that’s only one of the many benefits – so don’t cancel your gym contract just yet.

Naturally, your body goes through a lot of changes while you are pregnant. As these changes happen, you may feel a lot of discomforts such as backache, fatigue, bloating, and swelling.

Doing the right kinds of exercise while pregnant is a great way to get familiar with these changes happening to your body and relieve many of these discomforts because working out will promote blood flow and circulation, release endorphins (your body’s natural painkiller and feel-good hormone) and build stamina.

There are certainly types of exercise that should be avoided. Contact sports and extreme sports can be very dangerous even if you are not pregnant. Involving yourself in activities where you are prone to get hit or fall is exceedingly dangerous for your unborn baby.

Putting on a little extra weight is natural and healthy while you are pregnant. This is nothing that you need to worry about, so be careful not to push yourself to a level of discomfort or over-exert yourself.

Consider exercises like prenatal yoga, swimming, walking and Pilates. These can be done throughout the entire pregnancy, even up until the birth. Joining classes designed especially for pregnant women is also a great way to connect with other expecting mums and share advice.

Every pregnancy is different, and in certain cases exercise should be avoided. You should always seek advice from your doctor or obstetrician. They will be able to advise on what exercises can be done and how much you should be doing based on your body and your pregnancy journey.