Staying active while pregnant improves health and mood
By Alison McCook
December 28, 2010
The Vancouver Sun

Being physically active while pregnant may help women gain a little less weight, according to a new review of recent research.

Pooling the results of 12 studies, researchers in Munich, Germany, found that women who exercised while pregnant gained an average of 1.3 fewer pounds than women who didn't.

That alone is probably not much of an incentive for women who are considering exercising while pregnant, but there are other reasons to do it, said Dr. Michael Kramer of McGill University in Montreal who reviewed the findings for Reuters.

Research shows that exercise can have positive effects on mood and insulin sensitivity in people overall, and appears to have no negative effects on women during pregnancy, noted Kramer, who is also scientific director of the Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. ...