More motivation to find a prenatal workout that works for you.
has revealed that when women exercise during pregnancy, their newborns may become physically coordinated earlier than other babies, an advantage that could have a long-term impact—especially when considering that poor coordination in early childhood often leads to a higher risk of obesity in adolescence and adulthood.
Linda E. May, PhD, an associate professor of foundational science and research at East Carolina University, conducted ashowing that infants whose mothers exercised during pregnancy developed stronger and better-conditioned cardiac muscles. She decided to explore whether coordination could also be affected.
For this most recent study, she and her fellow scientists looked at 71 healthy pregnant women carrying single babies, most of them still in the first trimester. They divided them into two groups and had one of the groups exercise for 50-minute supervised sessions, allowing for preferences . The women rode stationary bicycles, did aerobics, jogged, walked briskly—whatever was best for them.
The women in both groups all gave birth to healthy, normal-weight babies. A month after each birth, the women returned to the lab and brought their new babies, who were tested on head control, fist-making, rolling over, arm-thrusting and other fun baby feats. They found the babies whose mothers had exercised performed better on almost every test, indicating more advanced motor skills—especially the girls, who often lag behind boys at that age.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
There May Be a New Way to Monitor Iron Deficiency During PregnancyAnd the best part—it’s super-easy to do.
Read more »
Ashley Graham praised for rocking latex during pregnancy: 'Never seen a baby bump look sexier'A pregnant Ashley Graham stepped out for New York Fashion Week in a skintight red latex dress.
Read more »
5 Steps I Took During Pregnancy to Make Sure I Felt Like MyselfHatch's founder tells us how she put herself first during pregnancy.
Read more »
Hocus Pocus Will Air 27 Times During Freeform's 31 Nights of HalloweenHocus Pocus will air 27 times during Freeform's 31 Nights of Halloween
Read more »
Strictly judge Motsi Mabuse amazes viewers with her dancing during her debutStrictly viewers flocked to Twitter to express their admiration at Motsi's fabulous first dance on the show
Read more »
Watch BYU Men’s Cross-Country Team Bust a Move During 5:45-Pace Long RunWhile dancing midrun may slow you down a bit, having a little fun while you put in the work will likely pay off in the long run.
Read more »