A fitter, smarter baby

A fitter, smarter Australia starts in your belly!

Could your little Jake be the next Kevin Rudd? Or will baby Kate be the greatest tennis player Australia's has ever seen? Don't wait until they can hold a pencil or a racket to do your part to help your child succeed - start early!

New research published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and studies by Dr. James Clapp III, MD (a pioneer in pregnancy fitness since the 1970's), shows that mothers who exercised regularly during their pregnancy produced children who were smarter and leaner than those who didn't.

Not only were the babies of mothers who exercised more alert and scored better on co-ordination and intelligence tests, Dr Clapp's research showed the babies were the same size as babies born to mothers who didn't exercise, in terms of weights, limb length, and head and chest circumferences, but they were born leaner, with less fat.

The study further discovered that this leanness continues into childhood. By age five, children of women who exercised while pregnant were still leaner than children born to women who didn't exercise during pregnancy.

Fitness Pregnancy Expert and owner of Pure Health Clubs, Marina Perry-Kuhn, says this is just further proof of the importance of exercise during pregnancy for the physical and psychological wellbeing for both mother and baby.

"These studies show that you really can't start too early when it comes to giving your child the best start to life, especially when the benefits for both mother and baby are so great!"

"Unfortunately, a lot of women don't realise just how important it is to exercise while pregnant, with some believing it could even be detrimental to their child, but this couldn't be further from the truth!"

"As with all exercise, you need to find activities that suit your level of health and fitness, and then be sure to undertake it regularly to see the best results."

"Not only can you help your child to be smarter and healthier, exercising during pregnancy will give you more energy, will help reduce fluid retention, will make labour easier and will help you to make a quicker recovery after the birth. It's all positive!"

To help women stay fit and healthy throughout their pregnancy, Pure Health Clubs offer a range of pregnancy Pilates classes, new mum classes, and a Pregacise DVD under their specialist pre- and post-natal exercise umbrella, Pure Beginnings. Ms Perry-Kuhn also conducts one-on-one planning consultations to help women develop a personalised exercise plan for their pregnancy that takes into consideration their existing fitness level and health concerns.

Classes are currently available in Brisbane CBD, Coorparoo and Mt Gravatt. For more information, visit www.purebeginnings.com.au, or phone, 07 3324 1188.