ABSTRACT
Pregnancy has a profound impact on many bodily systems including the endocrine, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems. Additionally, postural, musculoskeletal, and balance changes can create unique challenges for women engaging in exercise and sport during pregnancy. To facilitate improvements in health and reduce risk of injury, practitioners need to understand the anatomical and physiological changes that occur during the prenatal period as well as the current recommendations for frequency, mode, and duration of prenatal exercise. Maintaining appropriate calorific intake during pregnancy, coupled with appropriate weight management, will improve health outcomes. Although variations exist globally in terms of recommendations for contraindications to exercise, general exercise recommendations, and weight-gain guidelines, based on a review of the current literature, there are commonalities in global recommendations that may be useful in facilitating effective sport and exercise programming for clients during the prenatal period.
