Can I do HIIT while pregnant without harming my baby? Absolutely, new study finds – unborn babies and mothers actually benefit from it
- Vigorous exercise has long been considered dangerous for pregnant women and their unborn babies, but new research has debunked this unfounded belief
- High-intensity interval training (HIIT) was found to improve umbilical blood flow, promote sleep in pregnant women and more, without any adverse effects
Many people worry that vigorous exercise is harmful to unborn babies – despite a lack of evidence to justify this.
Now a study has shown that performing a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) session during pregnancy does not harm mother or baby.
Researchers recorded maternal and fetal cardiovascular responses in pregnant women immediately before and after an HIIT workout and compared it with a moderate-intensity cycling session.
The study concluded that an acute bout of HIIT exercise, as well as 30 minutes of moderate exercise, is well tolerated by both mother and fetus. Neither form of exercise negatively affected fetal heart rate or umbilical blood flow.
“The really important thing is that this is a first step where we’re identifying the potential safety and even potential benefits of HIIT exercise in pregnancy,” says lead researcher Dr Margie Davenport, director of the Program for Pregnancy and Postpartum Health at the University of Alberta, in Canada.
