Potential Mechanisms of Exercise in Gestational Diabetes

Table 1

Important facts about recommending exercise to pregnant women [82, 163, 164].

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Key points

(i) Exercise is part of healthy lifestyle which should be continued during pregnancy.

(ii) The goal of aerobic exercise in pregnancy is to maintain or improve overall fitness (not training for athletic competitions).

(iii) Contact sports or activities with risks of falling or trauma (snow and water skiing, horseback riding, etc.) should be avoided.

(iv) Exercise does not increase adverse outcomes during pregnancy.

(v) Pregnant women previously unaccustomed to exercise should start gradually and not overexert themselves.

(vi) Women should have self-monitoring exertion. “Easy talk” can be helpful for detection of overexertion.

(vii) Exercise in uncomfortably hot and humid weather should be avoided.

(viii) Achieving 16 MET h/w is a reasonable goal of energy expenditure for those who were previously sedentary.

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