During pregnancy, it is important for both mother-to-be and baby that the woman remains in good physical condition.

This can be helped by some regular exercise, although it is important to note that no exercise should be undertaken without the prior advice of a doctor.

Walk it out

Walking is one of the best cardiovascular exercises for pregnant women and easy to do on a regular basis, throughout the nine month period. It is often preferred to jogging as it does not jar your knees and ankles and will help boost circulation to give you that healthy glow.

Water baby?

For water lovers, swimming is widely regarded as one of the best exercises during pregnancy. It is safe and relaxing, allowing women to feel the benefits of weightlessness when they may be at their heaviest. It can keep the limbs toned and provides cardiovascular benefits too, making it the perfect all-rounder.

Stretch your limits

Pilates has particularly good health benefits to pregnant women, since it focuses on toning the tummy and pelvic floor muscles. It can take stress of the back and pelvis and even help to position your baby for delivery. Likewise, yoga can be beneficial in readying your body for delivery, since it can help keep you flexible – just be careful not to literally overstretch yourself.


Other fun ways of exercising include dance classes and low impact aerobics, but the exercise you choose should reflect your level of fitness prior to becoming pregnant – see it as a continuation of your fitness regime.

Pelivic power

There are some specific exercises which can be practised at home, to make your pregnancy and its after affects easier, the most popular and important of which are pelvic floor exercises. You can locate the group of muscles that this works out by stopping your flow of urine when you go to the loo – these are your pelvic floor muscles.

Strengthening these reduces the chance of post-pregnancy incontinence, prolapse and other complications. You can do these by breathing in and then, as you breathe out, tightening the muscles of your front and back passage, drawing them up and in.

Contract them in three steps - high, higher, highest - then hold for up to ten seconds and slowly release. Keep breathing steadily throughout and repeat as often as you can, speeding up as you get more practised.


Ask your health professional to help you build a safe, simple, pregnancy exercise routine. You will feel all the better for it – and the chances are that baby will too.