When I visited my doctor during the third month of my pregnancy, she asked me how I was feeling. "I'm bloated, constipated and my back hurts," I began. "I have no energy at all, and I'm exhausted all the time, but I can't fall asleep at night. On top of that, I'm gaining weight like crazy, and I'm feeling extremely moody."

She looked at me blankly and said, "Take a walk." I nearly burst into tears, thinking she wanted me to find another OB. She must have sensed my confused horror, so she clarified, "No, really, take a walk."

"Walking is an excellent exercise for pregnant women," says Dr. Margaret E. Pfeifer, practice chair of obstetrics for the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. "There is no special equipment needed, and it's readily available." She adds that it's an especially good activity for those women who didn't exercise much before becoming pregnant.

Ann Marie Miller, curriculum training manager for Town Sports International in New York, agrees. "Walking provides a cardio workout without the high impact stress to joints," she says. "And as your abdomen gets larger, it's easier to walk than run." She also recommends walking because "it's easier to modify the intensity level of your workout as pregnancy progresses."

There are numerous physiological benefits of walking during pregnancy. Experts agree that regular exercise reduces the risk for common pregnancy complaints such as back pain, constipation and bloating. It also promotes efficient organ functioning and increased circulation. In addition, Pfeifer says, "It helps maintain weight gain at a reasonable rate and may reduce the risk of gestational diabetes." Exercise has also been shown to reduce stress and improve self-image.

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