For a healthy pregnancy, one of the best things you can do may be the last thing you actually feel like doing as your little one grows inside of you: exercise.

You don’t need to run a marathon or train for the Olympics, but a few hours of moderate exercise each week is one of the best ways to ensure a worry-free pregnancy, a safe delivery, and a healthy, happy little bundle of joy, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

A few more studies supporting the health benefits of exercise during pregnancy:

• A 2018 Swedish study of 600 pregnant women showed that those who exercised for half an hour a day had a reduced risk of an emergency caesarean section.
• Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia found that women who exercise during pregnancy are less likely to have high blood pressure.
• A 2017 study published in the British Medical Journal showed that pregnant women who ate a healthy diet and spent 150 minutes a week exercising experienced less weight gain and a lower incidence of gestational diabetes than those mothers who didn’t modify their diet or refrained from movement.
• Researchers at Ohio State University discovered that moderate exercise during pregnancy increases a compound in breast milk that lowers a baby’s lifelong risks of serious health issues like diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.
• A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that exercise during pregnancy helped to lower the likelihood of lower back pain, pelvic pain, urinary incontinence, and pre-eclampsia.
• According to the March of Dimes, regular exercise can help you manage stress, sleep better, and prepare your body for labor and delivery.

Ready to get started?

Before you lace up your sneakers, check in with your health care provider. If you’re healthy and your pregnancy is normal, ACOG says that physical activity doesn’t increase your risk of miscarriage, low birth weight, or early delivery. But some forms of exercise may not be safe for women with certain pregnancy complications—those with some heart and lung diseases, for instance, or those who are expecting twins.

If your doctor gives you the green light, here are some activities to try:

• Walking: A great workout that doesn’t strain your muscles and joints.
• Swimming and water exercise: Supports your baby bump while getting your heart rate up.
• Stationary biking: Safer than a regular bike, especially as your pregnancy progresses.
• Yoga and Pilates: Great for stretching and flexibility, but try to avoid poses that put you flat on your back.
• Strength training: Working out with weights can keep your bones strong. Check with your provider about how much weight is safe to lift.
• Yoga: Gentle yoga poses can help you decrease stress during pregnancy, lower pain perception during labor, and decrease chances of a caesarean delivery.

In general, try to avoid these activities while pregnant:

• Bouncy, jerky movements, like downhill skiing, horseback riding, off-road cycling, gymnastics, or skating.
• Sports that pose a risk of blows to the belly, like hockey, boxing, soccer, or basketball.
• Activities that forcefully land you in water, like surfing or diving.
• Activities that raise your body temperature, like hot yoga or exercising outdoors on warm, humid days.