Exercise conundrum

YOU’RE tired, you’re nauseous and you’re roughly the size of a humpback whale. Exercise is probably the last thing you feel like doing while pregnant, and yet exercise you must. So says a new study from Michigan State University, which found that women who keep fit during pregnancy can reduce the chances of their child suffering high blood pressure later in life.

It is the latest piece of advice to expectant mothers on the subject of exercise, which is broadly agreed to be a good thing for them.

“Keep up your normal daily physical activity or exercise [sport, running, yoga, dancing, or even walking to the shops and back] for as long as you feel comfortable,” says similar guidance from Britain’s National Health Service (NHS).

The exercise is urged apparently not just because “the more active and fit you are during pregnancy, the easier it will be for you to adapt to your changing shape and weight gain”.