Should you exercise during pregnancy?

Last year, on a pleasant Mumbai morning before the city was taken over by rush-hour traffic, Pallavi Barman was doing a round of full splits, squats, short runs and pull-ups at her neighbourhood park in suburban Mumbai. But even in the west, other than pre-natal yoga, “exercise still remains a controversial topic around pregnancy as many people still believe that it is not comfortable for the baby and may put it at risk and affect its growth”, says a 34-week-pregnant May, who is still working out five days a week. “My doctor never dissuaded me from training but at every ask she explained to me her apprehensions,” says Barman, who stuck to her fitness routine that included calisthenics, parkour, yoga, cardio and lifting. The need of the hour is educating and imparting information the benefits of working out and keeping fit during pregnancy,” says Barman. Exercise helps expectant mothers maintain muscle tone, reduce gestational diabetes and excessive maternal weight gain, keeps one’s energy levels and mood upbeat in spite of the hormonal surge and improves mental health, says May.