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Activity during pregnancy: everything you need to know
We all know that staying active, as long as it's approved by your healthcare provider, is a key component of having the healthiest pregnancy possible. Sometimes, though, it can be difficult to gauge whether you’re getting enough exercise, or the right kind. Tracking your activity during pregnancy is a great way to make sure that you’re active enough to help pace your weight gain, manage your symptoms, and keep baby healthier overall.
What is activity tracking?
Activity tracking involves recording data about your activity level and exercise schedule, generally to help monitor your health and make correlations between your activity and other parts of your life (for pregnancy, this may mean symptoms and moods).
Why track activity?
Tracking your activity during pregnancy is a great way to help you stay healthy, as it makes you super-aware of your body, and the connections between different systems. Some of the greatest benefits of tracking your activity include:
- Healthy weight gain: Pregnant women need to gain weight during pregnancy, but it’s important to keep it within a healthy range - tracking your activity can help you make sure that you’re getting enough exercise to keep your weight at the happiest of mediums.
- Managing symptoms: Staying active can really help get your blood flowing, and prevent or manage tons of your pregnancy symptoms like leg cramps, bloating, and varicose veins, so tracking your activity against your symptoms can be highly effective.
- Keep Baby healthier: Staying fit is a wonderful way to help keep your body running at 100%, which Baby is really hoping you are because she depends on you so much during pregnancy. Tracking your activity to ensure that you’re getting enough can help you monitor your overall health, which in turn, will help Baby’s.
How do you track activity?
Beside manually writing down your activities, there are other, more efficient ways of keeping track of your activity. Ovia helps you track by allowing you to log your activity directly into your account on the app or website, or through the use of integrated self-tracking devices, like those made by Fitbit and Withings. These self-tracking devices provide the easiest way possible to record your activity data, as all you have to do is make sure that you don’t forget your device at home!
Tracking your activity is a marvelous way to stay on top of your pregnancy, and make sure you’re doing everything you can for Baby!
Reviewed by Dr. Jamie Lo
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Sources
- "Weight Gain During Pregnancy: Number 548." ACOG. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 1/13/2015. Web.
- Committee on Obstetric Practice. "Exercise During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period: Committee Opinion Number 267." ACOG. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 1/2/2015. Web.
