Prescribing physical activity to prevent and manage gestational diabetes

Table 3 Recommended exercise prescription for women with gestational diabetes

Mode	Aerobic: Walk, stationary cycle, swim, aquatic activities, conditioning machines, prenatal exercise classes, prenatal yoga, seated exercises, and possibly jogging or running (if highly active before pregnancy)
	Resistance: Light or moderate resistance exercises
	Exercises to Avoid: Activities lying flat on the back and any that increase the risk of falling or abdominal trauma (e.g., contact or collision sports, horseback riding, downhill skiing, water skiing, soccer, outdoor cycling, basketball, most racquet sports, and scuba diving)
Intensity	If inactive: moderate-intensity aerobic activity (40%-59% HRR, or “somewhat hard”) during pregnancy and postpartum
	If already active or doing vigorous activity: moderate- to vigorous-intensity activity (40%-89% HRR, or “somewhat hard” to “hard”)
Frequency	3-7 d, spread throughout the week
	Better done on most, if not all, days of the week
Duration	30 min/session (range of 20-45 min)
	At least 150 min of moderate-intensity physical activity spread throughout the week
Progression	If just starting, increase duration of moderate exercise slowly; if already more active, maintain or lower intensity during pregnancy rather than attempting to progress to higher levels

HRR: Heart rate reserve. Reprinted by permission from (Colberg SR. Exercise and Diabetes: A Clinician’s Guide to Prescribing Physical Activity, American Diabetes Association, Alexandria, VA, United States, 2013. p. 110.).