Diet and Exercise for Pregnancy

In the good old days, pregnant women could eat all they wanted – it was considered natural. Today, we know different. Pregnant women do need to eat more, but they still need to eat right if they want a healthy baby – and being overweight or obese can cause a high risk pregnancy and possible complications for the baby.

If fact, obese mothers often produce babies with significantly more health problems and have more complications during delivery than mothers at a normal weight.

Your body only needs an extra 300 calories per day over you normal quota during pregnancy – that’s one, small chicken sandwich extra. So don’t go wild and pig out on everything in sight – you’ll just end up having to spend months of gruelling exercise to lose it later.

The best of all worlds is to be in good shape physically before your pregnancy – this will give you a head start on recovery and help give you the strength to carry a child for 9 months, not to mention the delivery.

Here’s a partial list of medical reasons not to exercise or limit your physical activity when pregnant:

You can continue to exercise normally during the first three months of your pregnancy – but get a doctor to give you a full check-up and follow any medical advice given. Each person is different and some people – due to existing medical conditions – need to take it easy.

Most women can exercise comfortably right into their 3rd trimester – at a gradually declining intensity, of course.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise 5 to 6 days per week. But even shorter or less frequent workouts can help you prepare for labour.

Walking is great exercise. It’s low impact and provides moderate aerobic conditioning with minimal stress. Swimming, cycling on a stationary bike and treadmills are also good choices.

Avoid ANY contact sports, scuba diving, exercises that require you to lie flat on your back, and don’t participate in sports that may lead to falls or abdominal injuries.

If you exercised before pregnancy, you can probably continue to work out at the same level while you're pregnant - as long as your doctor gives you permission.

Newbies should build up slow - begin with five minutes of physical activity a day and build up to 10 minutes, 15 minutes, and so on, until you reach at least 30 minutes a day.

Avoid overheating since this can hurt the foetus. Try to exercise in the cooler part of the day and drink plenty of water.

Try to stay limber by stretching – do your hamstrings to help you deal with that extra weight and keep your legs from cramping up.

Don’t exercise to exhaustion – not matter how dedicated you are to a sport or fitness level, don’t do it now – wait till after the pregnancy is over for a least a few months or you could hurt yourself.

Stop exercising if you experience any of these symptoms:

• vaginal bleeding or fluid leaking from your vagina


• uterine contractions


• unusual shortness of breath or pain


• dizziness or light-headedness


• racing heartbeat or chest pain

As for your diet, it should really consist of the same things you ate before to burn fat – lots of fruits and vegetables, high quality complex carbohydrates and low fat proteins.

You may want to avoid fish during your pregnancy due to possible high mercury concentrations which can hurt the foetus, but shellfish like shrimp and lobster are fine – you can live with that, right?

During this period, trying to use caloric restriction should be avoided – you want to eat enough to maintain your current weight – save the more intense fat burning for a few months after the delivery.

Rather than eat more at one meal to get the extra calories, have more small meals or eat a little more at each one – for instance, to get the extra 300 calories, you could add an extra egg or two at breakfast, an extra glass of skim milk at lunch and an extra portion of chicken at dinner.

Snacking is another good way – eat three or four bananas, apples or pears everyday between normal meals. Each one contains between 70 and 90 calories. These simple carbohydrates will give you energy and help you make it to the next meal.

Remember: 300 calories is only 3 slices of bread and eating an extra meal from a fast food joint could add over a thousand calories on your daily total. You do not have carte blanche to eat everything you see.

Your health and your baby’s health need to take precedence over your fat burning program, but there’s no reason you need to lose ground. Keep on exercising, just with less intensity and with an eye on what’s best for the baby.

Here’s some useful links for more information:

The Mayo Clinic on exercise and pregnancy

From the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
on exercise and pregnancy

Safe exercises for pregnancy

A proper diet from the UK Food Standards Agency

An Australian government source for a healthy diet

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