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Pregnancy used to be treated as if it was an illness where it was thought that a mother should rest for 10 months until she gets well'. Luckily there has been groundbreaking research in the last several years on exercise during pregnancy. What was previously thought to be a time to be sedentary is now a time to get moving. Exercising during pregnancy has countless benefits for both mom and baby. It is not only okay to be active while pregnant, it is vital for the health and fitness of you and your unborn child. We now know that there are few restrictions for prenatal exercise, and a very long list of benefits. Studies have shown that mothers who exercised during pregnancy gave birth to leaner, calmer babies, who are more likely to stay leaner later in life.

Children born to mothers who participated in prenatal exercise are much less likely to suffer from obesity, an emerging epidemic in America. Giving your child a healthy start in life is one of best gifts you can give them.

Decades ago when so many myths and wives-tales about pregnancy were thought to be true, there was little research done on the subject. Times have changed and we have plenty of information about pregnancy and fitness. The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology has published study after study on the benefits of prenatal exercise for both mothers and children. In January of 1999 they printed a study concluding that babies born of women who exercised through pregnancy had babies who were better able to orient to their new environment after birth, compared to those who did not exercise. By December 2000, research proved that beginning a moderate weight-training routine in early pregnancy enhances fetoplacental growth. Further research in 2004 showed that resistance training during pregnancy might help overweight women with gestational diabetes avoid insulin therapy. In just the first few months of 2007 several studies have been published concluding that women who gained excess weight during pregnancy have a higher risk of needing a cesarean-section, and gave birth to children who had a higher risk of being overweight.

The prevalence of childhood obesity is extremely high in this country and on the rise, while treatments are often hard to find and ineffective. Prevention seems to be our best bet, and it starts in the womb. If the trend of prenatal exercise catches on, the rising epidemic of obesity could be drastically slowed. As if giving your child a healthy body wasn't enough motivation,

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