Karen Fehr knows a little something about how exercise can clear and calm the mind. That's because Fehr isn't just an exercise physiologist who specializes in exercise during pregnancy; she's also the mother of two active children. Fehr, fitness center director for Paradise Valley Community College in Phoenix, Ariz., says one main benefit of exercise at any time of life is how it helps make you more aware of your body.

"Being in touch with your body and stress patterns can actually give you tools for reducing that stress and its ill effects," says Fehr. "Women who already exercise understand that and want to continue getting those stress-busting benefits while they're pregnant."

There was a time, not very long ago, when pregnant women were discouraged from all but the gentlest exercises such as a light walk after dinner. Bending, stretching and lifting were banned for fear of the negative effect it would have on the developing baby. Even as recently as 1998, the American Academy of Family Physicians noted that so little was known about the benefits and risks of exercise during pregnancy that it was difficult to make a recommendation one way or the other.

That was then. Now the myriad benefits of exercise during pregnancy have been well-documented through both solid research and anecdotal studies, leading to the 2002 American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists's recommendations that most pregnant women get at least 30 minutes of exercise on most days – the same as their recommendations for the general population.

Much of the impetus for this change in policy was the work of Dr. James Clapp. His book, Exercising Through Your Pregnancy (Addicus Books, 2002), was a groundbreaking study of the myriad benefits of exercise in pregnancy – including its potential for relieving both physical and emotional stress.

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