Long gone are the days when pregnancy was measured a “delicate condition” and women were “confined.” The reality is, our bodies were considered with this very unique reason in mind, and with a few exceptions, life can go on usually for the duration of pregnancy. You can even keep up an exercise regime, as long as it is in control. Doing so will not only benefit you before and after birth, but can also prevent a larger baby which could prove complex to birth or demand a Cesarean section.

A small research, conducted jointly between the University of Auckland and Northern Arizona University, evaluated the effect of moderate exercise on pregnancy women. Half of the 84 participants were tasked with using an exercise bike for 40 minutes, five times per week during their eighth month of pregnancy.

Those who followed the exercise regime birthed babies who had very little variance in length but who weighed, on average, about 5 ounces less than their sedentary counterparts. These lower birth weights were all within the recognized norms for newborns.

The consequences put forward that exercise does not stunt growth, but can reduce the amount of fat a baby is born with, giving them a head start on combating fatness in the future. Research leader Dr. Paul Hofman, a researcher at the University of Auckland, mentioned given that great birth size is linked with increased risk of obesity, a modest decrease in birth weight may have long-term health benefits for offspring by lowering this danger later in life.

Dr. Hofman said that study helps to validate that exercise in pregnancy is good for both mother and fetus, and support the recommendations of at least 30 minutes of reasonable exercise daily and probably more. The research is published in the current issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.