Performing some type of physical exercise is a healthy and very beneficial activity regardless of age or gender, and pregnant women are not excluded from this recommendation. However, according to the latest study by the University of Granada, 68 percent of healthy women do not exercise enough during pregnancy.
The authors collected data on physical activity performed by 1,175 healthy women before and during pregnancy. Study participants were interviewed when they were in weeks 20-22 of gestation. According to the results, which are published in the International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics , most of the women did not practice, neither before nor during pregnancy, the exercise recommended by experts: at least 30 minutes for 5 days a week . In addition, 20 percent of pregnant women confessed not to practice any type of sport.
According to the study, some factors such as the level of studies or the presence of healthy habits, as well as the acquisition of them during pregnancy, for example stopping smoking, "favor a positive change in the level of physical activity in Leisure". The researchers affirm, according to the conclusions of the study, "the need to intervene and promote healthy lifestyles in pregnancy, for the benefit of both the woman and her future child."
