How Can Staying Active Help with Your Gestational Diabetes?

Exercise can go a long way to ensure your wellbeing, and the wellness of your baby, when you have gestational diabetes, though you should always check with your doctor before starting a new exercise programme. Keeping active can even prevent your risk of the disease, especially if you start an exercise programme before you become pregnant, or as soon as you know you’re pregnant. Caroline Bohl, a registered dietician and diabetes educator at New York Presbyterian Hospital, says ‘Discuss it with your obstetrician. If you feel well, it’s a great idea’. She adds that this is important early on as ‘Gestational diabetes is usually diagnosed in the late second or early third trimester, and by that time, some women may not feel well enough to start anything.’

However, Bohl also says you should watch out for what your body tells you: ‘In the early trimesters, it’s up to the woman, what she feels safe doing.’ Exercising affects your blood sugar levels, so you should monitor them carefully if you have, or are at risk for gestational diabetes. Also, because exercise affects your blood sugar levels, you shouldn’t skip meals when you plan to exercise but instead eat a snack before and after the activity. You might want to bring a small snack with you, just in case your blood sugar levels start to drop rapidly.

You should also remember to drink plenty of water before, during, and after physical activity, and hold on to this advice at any stage in your life, not just when you’re pregnant. However, as your pregnant body is always changing, you should watch your balance during even easy exercises, and if you’re not feeling up to the activity you planned, why not call a friend and take a walk instead?

When it comes to the types of exercises you do, something as simple as a daily walk ‘can lower blood sugar,’ says Bohl. Riding a bike and swimming are also safe and effective activities for pregnant women, and gyms and community centres offer special groups or classes that are designed to meet the needs of the changing pregnant body and are taught by instructors who know what movements to avoid. Consult your doctor to see if your favourite type of exercise is safe for you to do, otherwise it might be better to save it as something to look forward to when the baby’s finally here.